又中又英——There are about 500 germs on a human hand. Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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How many of you can honestly say you always wash your hands properly after going to the toilet？ I can put my hand on my heart and say I scrupulously wash my hands after I use the toilet. I once saw a senior government official give his hands a cursory wash after using the toilet. I was so worried he would see me and shake my hand that I quickly left the toilet even though I urgently wanted to pee （slang for urinate）. Once I had to shake hands with someone I was introduced to after I had seen him pick his nose. Researchers have found that there are about 500 germs on a human hand. That's why I always avoid shaking hands.
Most Hong Kong people just go through the motions of washing their hands after using the toilet. To go through the motions means to do something without treating it as important or doing it in a cursory way. If you do something in a cursory way, it means you do it briefly or hastily. If you put your hand on your heart to say something, it means you are telling the truth. But you don't have to actually put your hand on your heart！ It is just an expression. The word scrupulous has several meanings but if you scrupulously wash your hands, it means you wash them carefully or thoroughly.
US researchers found that about 77 percent of American men wash their hands after using the toilet. Using this figure, researchers at the Michigan State University put a sign in a men's toilet that said︰"Four out of five males wash their hands". The number of men washing their hands in that toilet jumped to 86 percent. This showed people will take notice if signs are interesting. Hong Kong toilets should have interesting signs too. It is easier to get germs from shaking hands than from kissing or from someone coughing. When you wash your hands you should rub them with soap for at least 20 seconds. I don't know if women wash their hands since I cannot go into a women's toilet！
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你們當中，有幾多人可以誠實地說，你如廁後會好好洗手？我大可實話實說（put my hand on my heart），每次如廁後我都會徹底（scrupulously）洗手。我曾經見過一位政府高官，如廁後只是匆匆（cursory）洗手。我很擔心他會見到我而和我握手，於是我立即離開廁所，雖然我很急着要小解（pee，urinate的俗語）。有一次，我被介紹要跟某人握手，但我剛剛才見到他挖鼻！研究人員發現，人手有大約五百個細菌。因此我常常避免握手。
大部份香港人如廁後只是敷衍（go through the motions）洗手。To go through the motions即是敷衍了事或粗略（cursory）地做。Cursory即是你做事時粗略或倉卒地做。當你put your hand on your heart去說某事，即是你在說實話。你不用真的將手放在心上（put your hand on your heart）！這只是個習語。Scrupulous有幾個意思，若你是scrupulously洗手，即是說你洗手洗得小心又徹底。
美國研究員發現，大約有百分之七十七的美國男人會於如廁後洗手。密西根州立大學的研究員便用這個數據在男廁貼了一張告示：「五個男人中有四個有洗手。」自此，去那個廁所如廁的男人中，洗手的人數升至百分之八十六。這就反映出，只要告示夠有趣，人們是會留意到的。香港洗手間也應該放有趣的告示。透過握手而傳染細菌，遠超於親吻或有人咳嗽。你洗手時，你應該用肥皂搓手至少二十秒。我不曉得女人會不會洗手，因為我不能去女廁！mickchug@gmail.com 中譯:七刻
