People in different countries use different types of 1 yuan in China, pesos in Mexico, pounds in the United Kingdom, dollars in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. They may use 2 currencies, but these countries, and probably all countries, still have one thing in common1: Germs on the banknotes.
- A2 y1 } H4 c! G# XScientists have been studying the germs on money for well over2 100 years. At the turn of the 20th 3 , some researchers began to suspect that germs living on money could spread disease. ) W' i9 X. c( L$ @1 J
Most studies of germy money have looked at the germs on the currency 4 one country. In a new study, Frank Vriesekoop3 and other researchers compared the germ populations found on bills of different 5 .
5 B, c: m6 g9 c$ q1 h; | Vriesekoop3 is a microbiologist at the University of Ballarat in Australia4. He led the study, which compared the germ populations found on money 6 from 10 nations. The scientists studied 1,280 banknotes in total; all came from places where people buy food, like supermarkets street vendors and cafes, 7 those businesses often rely on cash.
. g) P# z9 ~# R6 q. Q$ F. R, X; u Overall, the Australian dollars hosted the fewest live bacteria ---- no more than 10 per square centimeter. Chinese yuan had the most ---- about 100 per square centimeter. Most of the germs on money probably would not cause harm. , Z1 n$ u# F2 |" n) l7 [$ E
What we call "paper" money usually isn’t made from paper. The U. S. dollar, for example, is printed on fabric that is mostly 8 .Different countries may use different 9 to print their money. Some of the currencies studied by Vriesekoop and his 10 such as the American dollar were made from cotton. Others were made from polymers.
4 d( z& M! G8 f, b The three 11 with the lowest numbers of bacteria were all printed on polymers. They included the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar and some Mexican pesos.
9 P- q/ H+ l2 `, Y# S `( W The other currencies were printed on fabric made 12 of cotton. Fewer germs lived on the polymer notes. This connection suggests that 13 have a harder time staying alive on polymer surfaces. Scientists need to do more studies to understand how germs live on money-----and whether or not we need to be concerned. Vnesekoop is now starting a study that will 14 the amounts of time bacteria can stay alive on different types of bills.
$ g6 W3 ^. {! i6 T Whatever Vriesekoop finds, the fact remains: Paper money harbors germs We should wash our 15 after touching it; after all5, you never know where your money ’s been. Or what’s living on it. 中 华 考 试 网* j# D Q7 ?8 F* v; C7 G
词汇: ' n& [: v+ T. s/ D) C1 R# A, B! }
pesos n .比索 bacterium /k?k’ti?ri?m/ n .细菌(单数) : y+ [4 A. `; J7 Y5 ^( d
germ n.病菌 bacteria /b?kti?ri?/细菌(复数) 7 M! r$ T' R: y8 f& I" T3 P% J
banknote n.纸币 centimeter/senti,mi:t?。/ n.厘米
. n* S: ^# G) o6 a microbiologist n.微生
( y6 T7 G8 p/ g& S polymer n. [高分子」聚合物 物学家
) s7 t8 T8 V$ X! [2 N harbor v.怀有,藏有 7 ^- c8 J; y6 k, I; ~" v( P
vendor n.小贩 |