rodgers white
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2016
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- China
- Current Location
- China
Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16[SUP]th[/SUP] century, people thought dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist, encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.
The task is: According to the article above, please write a summary within 80 words only using your own words.
My summary goes as follows:
People have mixed opinions towards dirt on our skin. For a long time in history, people of some European countries, such as France, believed that dirt protected people from getting ill. However, people began to change their attitudes to dirt about 300 years ago. People have been told that washing dirt off our body can keep us healthy. Recently, some scientists believe that exposure to some dirt may help our immune system.
Will anyone be kind enough to proofread and polish my summary first and then give your own summary? Many thanks in advance.
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