Need to relax after a few stressful months? Perhaps you need to go to a spa. Fir
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Need to relax after a few stressful months? Perhapsyou need to go to a spa.
First of all, what exactly is a spa? Traditionally,spas were places with a natural spring producing warm waters that could be usedin hydrotherapy (水疗法) treatments. They were places where you“took the waters” --- meaning you drank some of the water or bathed in it.
But nowadays, a “spa” can mean a variety of things. Ingeneral, the term is often used to refer to commercial establishment thatprovides many services for health, fitness, weight loss, beauty and relaxation.This may include exercise classes, mud baths, body treatment, facials (美容), etc.
In Japan, traditional hot springs have attractedvisitors for centuries. And thermal baths (温泉浴) have beenfound in the ruins of the Cretan Palace of Knossos (2000-1400 B.C.). It was theRomans who made spas popular in Europe. They established a number of townsaround thermal waters. These include the English town of Aquae Sulis (which iscalled Bath today), and the Belgian town of Aquae Spadanae (which is known asSpa these days).
In the 18th century, spas became thefashionable places to go on holiday. Bath and Harrogate in the UK were popularwith British rich people. And in Europe Carsbad (now called Larlovy Vary),Marienbad and Franzensbsf were Europe’s most important holiday centers.
A typical day in Carsbad in the 19thcentury went as follows. Visitors got up at 6:00 a.m. to take the waters andlisten to music by a band. Next, came a light breakfast, a bath in the waters,and then lunch. In the afternoon, visitors went sightseeing, walked or attendedconcerts. After dinner, there were theatrical performances. Guests returned totheir hotels at about 9 p.m. to rest until six the following morning. Visitorswould stay for as long as a month. Some of the more famous patients at thesespas included the composers Beethoven and Chopin, and the Russian writerTurgnev.
Marienbad was the best spa town. It was popular withthe inventor Thomas Edison, the writer Johann Goethe, and many famous peopleand European emperors.
Today, although taking the waters isn’t as common asit used to be, spa treatments are more popular than ever.
1.What can we learn about a spa?
A．It makesprofits mainly on facials.
B．It is acenter for rich people to relax.
C．It providesmore services than before.
D．It is whereone can get medical treatment.
2. From Paragraph 4, we can infer that ___________.
A．spas have ahistory of about 200 years
B．Japan hasmore spas than any other countries
C．the Romansplayed a positive part in the popularity of spas
D．ordinarypeople could enjoy thermal baths in 18th-century UK
3. At the spas in Carlsbad, ____________.
A．many visitorshad facials
B．guests oftenstayed for at least a month
C．Thomas Edisonwas a regular guest
D．guests had abath between breakfast and lunch
4. What can we learn from the passage?
A．The formername of Larlovy Vary was Carlsbad.
B．Spatreatments are not so popular as before.
C．Chopinvisited Marienbad frequently.
D．Marienbad islocated in the UK.
试题答案
【答案】
1.C
2.C
3.D
4.A
【解析】
试题