Ceremonial
bathing has existed for thousands of years and has many forms, one of which is
the sauna. The Firms have perfected the steam bath, or sauna, which may be
taken, usually in an enclosed room, by pouring water over hot rocks or as a 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 Americans 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-pit 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,
"savusauna", 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 relieving. 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 time. The body's core temperature usually rises
1-2 degrees while in the sauna, thus imitating a slight fever. The sauna could
be considered to follow the old saying "feed a cold, starve a fever". The
regular use of a sauna may decrease the likelihood of getting a cold in the
first place. Sauna is good for your skin as the blood flow to
the skin increases and sweating occurs. Adults sweat about 2 lbs 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 system gets a work out 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 sessions at first to become
accustomed to this type of bath.
单选题
Ceremonial bathing ______.
A. is called the sauna by Finns
B. is equivalent to the steam bath
C. has various forms
D. is held in an enclosed room
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 文章开头便提到，仪式性洗浴有上千年的历史，并具有多种形式。故选项C符合题意。
单选题
What is understood by some people to be the true sauna experience?