據說，路易十四曾經熱衷於在他的宮殿裡噴灑香水，以此來掩蓋自己身上的氣味。人體散發出的氣味中其實隱藏瞭與其健康和基因有關的信息。比如，接受過特殊訓練的狗僅僅通過聞氣味就可能嗅出一些疾病。本文介紹你身上的氣味能傳遞哪些與你有關的信息。
詞匯：smell 氣味
Have you ever wondered what your unique body odour says about you? Turns out, quite a lot! From your health to your genetics, we can learn a lot from taking a whiff of your odour. Your scent is a complex mix of information, and we humans are pretty good at reading it. So, what secrets are revealed from our scent, and why do we mostly choose to ignore them?
Researchers believe scent production is mostly determined by our genes. In a study published in Chem Senses by Craig Roberts and colleagues, participants had to match T-shirts that smelt the same after sniffing them. They matched the T-shirts of identical twins, meaning their scent was very similar, and those sniffing had quite an accurate sense of smell. Agnieszka Sorokowska, an expert in human olfaction, says this means “we might be able to detect genetic information about other people by smelling them.”
But it’s not all about your genes. In another twin study called ‘The Discrimination of Human Odour by the Dog’, a dog could distinguish the odour of identical twins living apart. So, your environment can change how you smell, but it might take a dog’s sensitive nose to detect it. Even your health can change how you smell. In a study called ‘The Scent of Disease’, the BO of someone with diabetes was associated with rotten apples, while those with scurvy had sweat described as ‘putrid‘. Odour research has also helped to train dogs to detect illnesses such as cancer by scent alone.
Do humans use any of this information? King Louis XIV of France was known to douse his palace in fragrance,perhaps to mask the stench of poor personal hygiene. This trend continues today – many of us cover our natural body odour with sweet or floral-smelling perfumes, and in the process, we may be losing the opportunity to learn more about each other and the world. Maybe it’s time to drop the deodorants and pleasant aroma of your favourite perfume and let your natural scent waft around, sending the signals that your body wants to emit.
詞匯表
body odour 體味，體臭
take a whiff 聞一聞
scent 氣味
sniff 聞，嗅
sense of smell 嗅覺
olfaction 嗅覺
distinguish 分辨
BO （“body odour” 的首字母縮寫）體味，體臭
putrid 腐爛的，腐壞的
douse 向…潑灑（液體）
fragrance 香水
stench 惡臭
personal hygiene 個人衛生
perfume 香水
deodorant 除臭劑，香體露
aroma 香味
waft （在空氣中）飄蕩
emit 發出，散發
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What did participants have to do in the study published in Chem Senses?
2. What do the findings in ‘The Discrimination of Human Odour by the Dog’ suggest about the influences on scent production?
3. True or False? According to ‘The Scent of Disease’, disease can influence how we smell.
4. Why might humans choose to use fragrances, as suggested in the article?
5. What suggestion does the article make about embracing natural body odour?
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. Regular use of _______ can help to manage unpleasant body odour.
personal hygiene olfaction deodorant putrid
2. She _______ the milk to check if it had gone bad.
sniffed doused emitted wafted
3. The _______ smell of the rubbish bin made him sick.
aroma stink stench putrid
4. Before buying a new perfume, I always _______ to check that I like it.
take a whiff waft distinguish douse
5. Dogs have an incredible _______ system – they can distinguish twins’ scent.
sense of smell olfactory olfactologist olfactology
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What did participants have to do in the study published in Chem Senses?
In the study published in Chem Senses, participants had to match T-shirts that smelt the same after sniffing them.
2. What do the findings in ‘The Discrimination of Human Odour by the Dog’ suggest about the influences on scent production?
The findings suggest that the environment can change how someone smells.
3. True or False? According to ‘The Scent of Disease’, disease can influence how we smell.
True. For example, the BO of someone with diabetes was associated with rotten apples, while those with scurvy had sweat described as ‘putrid’.
4. Why might humans choose to use fragrances, as suggested in the article?
Humans might choose to use fragrances to mask the stench of poor personal hygiene.
5. What suggestion does the article make about embracing natural body odour?
The article suggests that we might consider dropping deodorants and perfumes to let our natural scent waft around.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. Regular use of deodorant can help to manage unpleasant body odour.
2. She sniffed the milk to check if it had gone bad.
3. The putrid smell of the rubbish bin made him sick.
4. Before buying a new perfume, I always take a whiff to check that I like it.
5. Dogs have an incredible olfactory system – they can distinguish twins’ scent.
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