◎陈成良
Mobile phones are covered with up to 18 times more living bacteria than the flush handle on a men’s lavatory, research suggests.
手机上覆盖的活菌数量，比男厕冲水把手多上18倍，研究指出。
Swabs and analysis of 30 mobile handsets found that seven had high or warning levels of environmental bacteria, according to consumer group Which?
对30支手机进行擦拭及分析后，发现其中7支带有高度或达到警戒层级的环境细菌，据消费者组织「Which? 」表示。
One harboured levels of bacteria, including faecal coliforms, high enough to give its user a serious stomach upset.
其中一支带有多种细菌，包括粪大肠杆菌群，数量之高足以造成其使用者严重胃部不适。
Which? said the findings suggest millions of UK mobiles would exceed the recommended acceptable levels of bacteria.
「Which? 」指出，这项发现显示，英国有数百万支手机带菌程度，将超过可接受的建议标准。
While not immediately harmful, elevated levels of bacteria indicate poor hygiene and can act as a breeding ground for more serious germs.
虽然不致造成立即伤害，含菌量高意味卫生情况恶劣，可以成为更有害细菌的繁殖场所。
Hygiene expert Jim Francis said： "The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale. That phone needs sterilising."
卫生专家吉姆．弗朗西斯表示：「其中一支手机的可能有害细菌水平大幅超标，因此需要消毒。」
The tests showed how easily bacteria could linger on the surface of a phone, which could be passed on to other people if they held the handset to look at photos or other applications.
这些测试显示出，细菌很容易滞留在手机表面上，如果其它人拿这支手机看照片或其它应用程序，细菌可能就传播到他们身上。
新闻辞典
hygiene：名词，保健、卫生。例句：People with bad personal hygiene are prone to get parasites in their bodies.（不讲究个人卫生的人很容易在体内产生寄生虫。）
germ：名词， 一般指可引起疾病的细菌。bacteria兼指有害、无害甚至有益的细菌，而英文口语中bug也可指病菌。
pass on：词组，传递、转移、转嫁。例句：The company passed on extra labor costs to the consumer.（这间公司把额外的人工成本转嫁到消费者头上。）
