第二篇：         Face coverings as a way of protecting our health go back at least 2,000 years. The Roman philosopher Plinythe Elder used animal-bladder skins as masks to filter dust while working with toxic minerals. In China there isevidence of similar face coverings in the Yuan dynasty. In his travelogue written during this period, the Italianexplorer Marco Polo described servants of the Chinese emperor wearing silk scarves to cover their mouths andnoses to prevent their breath from contaminating the food they prepared. By the early 14th century, the BlackDeath had prompted widespread use of facial coverings. Another outbreak in the 17th century led to theinvention of the beak mask by French doctor Charles de Lorme. Covering the entire face, the mask had glassportals so the wearer could see, and the beak was often filled with spices to filter out disease. Artist Leonardo daVinci soaked cloth in water and placed it on his face to prevent toxic chemicals from paint and plaster fromentering his lungs. People trying to escape a burning building are still advised to do so to protect their lungs fromthe effects of smoke inhalation. The discovery of the presence of bacteria in the air by Louis Pasteur made peopleaware of the dangers of breathing in harmful pathogens. Therefore, doctors asked people to wear cotton masks tolimit contagion during epidemics. Fashionable women also wore lace veils to protect their lungs from harmfulairborne particles. In the early 20th century, Wu Lien-teh, a public-health specialist, developed a mask fromlayers of cotton with ties so that it could be hung on the ears. This was the prototype from which the masks usedin medicine today developed. In 1905 Chicago physician Alice Hamilton measured the bacteria from healthydoctors and nurses when they talked or coughed, leading her to recommend masks during surgery. Herrecommendations led to widespread use of protective masks for surgeons and nurses.
【題組】46. What is the best title for the passage?
(A) How Face Masks Change Our Lives
(B) A Brief History of Face Masks
(C) Why People Prefer Face Masks to Veils
(D) Face Masks and Modern Life