There are some steps you can take yourself to avoid catching a cold.（1） Contrary to popular belief, colds are not caused by exposure to severe weather. Colds are caused by viruses harboured in the body, and you’re better off out on the ski slopes or even waiting for the bus in a snowy day than you are in a toasty warm room, surrounded by friends, co-workers, or fellow students, who just may be passing the virus around. If you feel a chill when you’re coming down with a cold, you’re already sick. A chill is an early symptom: It’s the cold that caused the chill, not the other way around.
While the virus can spread through droplets propelled into the air when a cold-sufferer coughs or sneezes, surprisingly, this is not the most common route of transmission.（2） Numerous studies have now shown that the overwhelming majority of colds are “caught” by hand contact. A cold-sufferer rubs her nose, thereby transferring the virus to her hand. Then a friend comes to visit. “Don’t kiss me,” she cautions, so the friend steps back and presses her hand. The friend then wipes her own nose or eye-and several days later is stricken with a cold. Or parents pick up their child’s abandoned tissues and carefully throw them away, but fail to wash their hands afterward.
Cold viruses also can be transferred to objects-telephones, towels, plates-and remain infectious for up to three hours. Frequent hand-washing-on the part of the cold-sufferer as well as other members of the household-will minimize the spread of viruses in this way.
其中的划线句子翻译如下：
（1） 和人们的普遍想法相反，感冒并不是由于恶劣的气候所造成的．
（2） 很多研究表明，绝大多数的感冒是由于手的接触而引起的。
1. Which of the following steps you take will most probably cause you to catch a cold?
A) To stay in a toasty warm room with a lot of people.
B) To expose yourself to severe weather.
C) To be on the ski slopes.
D) To wait for the bus on a snowy day.
答案： A
解析： 根据文章可知A正确．
2. Which of the following is not true?
A) People usually believe that colds are caused by exposure to severe weather.
B) Viruses can only spread through air.
C) Colds are caused by viruses hidden in the body.
D) Most colds are “caught” by hand contact.
答案： B
解析： 文章中已经强调了，……surprisingly, this is not the most common route of transmission.
3. To prevent viruses from spreading, we should ____.
A) shake hands with our friends instead of kissing them
B) never touch the telephones, towels or plates.
C) often wash our hands
D) often rub our noses and eyes
答案： C
解析： 文章第二句划线句子强调：手的接触是感冒传播的最经常的途径．
4. A man is most likely to be stricken with a cold if ____.
A) few viruses are harbored in his body
B) the infectious viruses have been exposed to the air for more than 3 hours
C) he visits his friend in a warm room.
D) he shakes the hand of a cold-sufferer
答案: D
解析： 如果他和一个感冒患者握手的话，最容易感冒．
5. The best title for this passage might be ____.
A) Colds and Viruses
B) Ways to Avoid Colds
C) The Spread of Viruses
D) Hand Contact and Transmission of Viruses.
答案：B
解析：避免得感冒的方法
