综合类考试：阅读理解Ceremonial bathing
Ceremonial bathing1 has existed for thousands of years and has many forms， one of which is the sauna. The Finns have perfected the steam bath， or sauna， which may be taken， usually in an enclosed room， by pouring water over hot rocks or as dry heat bath. The Japanese， Greeks， Turks and Russians as well as Native Americans have forms of the sweat bath in their bathing rituals. Dry heat and steam baths had advocates in ancient Rome and pre-Columbian Americans2 used sweat lodges.
The earliest saunas were probably underground caves heated by a fire that naturally filled with smoke as chimney making was unknown at that time. A fire kept in a fire-pit3 would heat the rock walls of the cave. After reaching full heat， the smoke was let out of the cave and the stones would retain heat for several hours. A few people today say that the smoke sauna， “svusauna”， is the only true sauna experience and that all saunas should have at least a background odor or smoke. Today most saunas use electric stoves， although gas and wood-burning stoves are available.
Saunas are relaxing and stress relieving4. Those with muscle aches or arthritis may find that the heat relaxes muscles and relieves pain and inflammation. Asthma patients find that the heat enlarges air passageways of the lung and facilitates breathing. Saunas do not cure the common cold but they may help to alleviate congestion and speed recovery time5. The body’s core temperature usually rises a 1-2 degrees while in the sauna， thus imitating6 a slight fever7. The regular use of a sauna may decrease the likelihood of getting a cold in the first place.
Sauna is goof for your skin as the blood flow to the skin increases and sweating occurs. Adults sweat about 2 lbs8 of water per hour on average in a sauna. A good sweat removes dirt and grime from pores and gives the skin a healthy glow. The loss in water weight is temporary as the body’s physiological mechanisms will quickly restore proper volumes. The cardiovascular system9 gets work out10 as the heart must pump harder and faster to move blood to the surface for heat exchange. Heart rate may increase from 72 beats per minute on average to 100-150 beats per minute.
A normal heart can handle these stresses but those with heart trouble wishing to begin to use a sauna should seek a doctor’s advice. The elderly and those with diabetes should check with their doctor prior to beginning to take saunas. Pregnant women should not take saunas， particularly in the first three months. Indeed， everyone just starting out should take short sessions11 at first to become accustomed to this type of bath.
词汇：
sauna [‘saun？，’s？：n？] n. (芬兰式)蒸汽浴，桑拿浴
congestion [k？n’d？est∫？n] n. 阻塞；拥塞
odor [‘？ud？] n. 气味，味道 grime [ɡraim] n. 污垢；尘垢
arthritis [ɑ：’θraitis] n. 关节炎
cardiovascular [？kɑ：di？u’væskjul？] adj. 心血管的
inflammation [？infl？’mei∫？n] n. 炎(症) asthma [‘æsm？] n. 气喘
diabetes [？dai？’bi：ti：z，-ti：s] n. 糖尿病
注释：
1. ceremonial bathing ： 仪式性的沐浴。许多宗教都有这种以沐浴作为仪式的习俗。
2. pre-Columbian Americans ：哥伦布前的美洲人。Columbian 是Columbus 的形容词形式，意思是“哥伦布的”：pre-是前缀，意思是：在……前。Pre- Columbian Americans，其完整的意思是：哥伦布发现美洲大陆前的美洲人。
3. fire-pit： 火槽
4. relaxing and stress relieving ：能使人放松并消除压力
5. alleviate congestion and speed recovery time ：减轻充血，加快痊愈
6. imitate ：to appear like;resemble;像；；类似
7. feed a cold， starve a fever：【谚】伤风时宜吃，发热时宜饿；伤风不怕吃，热病不怕饿。
8. lb：pound (磅)的缩写形式
9. cardiovascular system ：心血管系统
10. a work out ： 做名词用，意为“运动，锻炼”。
11. sessions ：(做某事或进行某活动的)一段时间