Hand Washing

Eighty million people contract diseases related to food every year and about five thousand of them die because of these diseases. Food-related diseases cause about twenty-two billion dollars of damage, due to health care costs and loss of productivity.
We are encouraged to wash our hands as an effective and easy way to prevent common cold, influenza, diarrhea and more serious diseases although we often forget to do so. No special device or cleanser is necessary to wash our hands. The campaign of the American Society for Microbiology says " All we need to clean our hands are soap, water and elbow grease." This means that we need to scrub our hands with soap at least for ten to fifteen seconds in running water. They advise us to do so not only after going to the bathroom but after touching our pets, coughing or sneezing, blowing our nose, handling money and changing diapers.
It is possible to prevent infection from antibiotic resistant bacteria by washing our hands. That is because when we touch our noses, mouth or wounds with infected hands, microbes can get into our bodies.

表現

* 健康保健費用 = health care cost

* 水道を流して手を洗う = wash our hands in running water

* 鼻をかむ= blow one's nose

* 抗菌薬耐性の細菌 = antibiotic resistant 

* 微生物 = microbes

Pet care

I sometimes see foreign mass media report how pets are treated in Japan. Some reports, such as the one that in Japan pets are abused, are not true and are made just to aim for sensation. Others report burial sites specifically for pets, mobile cremation vehicles, fortune-telling based on pet's name and the service that looks for lost-pets, all of which seem quite unique to foreigners.
What is not well known in Japan is that in the U.S., more and more people freeze-dry their dead pets in order to preserve them. I found a website of the biggest freeze-drying company in the U.S. that was founded in 1989. On the website, they explained the advantages of freeze-drying pets and showed several pictures of freeze-dried pets. They say, "There is another way to say goodbye to your beloved pets besides burial and cremation. Technology has made it possible to freeze-dry your pets as a way for your pets to sleep at rest. Using our method, your pets will be preserved in a peaceful condition."
When I heard the word "freeze-dry", I was reminded of instant food, but with this method they can even preserve the subtle expression on their face, which is not possible with taxidermy. What's more, it costs four times cheaper than  taxidermy.
According to the estimation of the Pet Lovers Association, whose headquarters is in Maryland, less than one percent of dead pets are freeze-dried annually, so it is not common, but the number of people who choose to freeze-dry their pets is steadily increasing.
The price varies according to the size of the pet. As for a toy-poodle, it costs anywhere from five hundred fifty to six hundred dollars. Of course, there are people who are opposed to freeze-drying pets.

表現

* 興味本位の報道

 report that aim for sensation/ report that is made just to stir up controversy

report that is made to entertain people

* 霊園＝burial site

* 移動火葬場= mobile cremation vehicle

* 姓名判断= fortune-telling based on one's name 

* 設立された= found/establish

* 安らかに眠る＝rest peacefully

* 剥製= taxidermy

* AはBの四分の一のコストで= A cost four times cheaper than B

Cooking Lesson

Women began to join the workforce in 1970s in the U.S. , most of them stopped cooking at home. As a result, there are many couples who can't cook because both of them work. Young people these days are busy with their work and do not want to waste time making meal and washing dishes. In the U.S. , there is a very convenient type of frozen food called the "TV dinner", which you can eat after heating it in the microwave. People really appreciate it especially when they live alone.

An agricultural promotion foundation made a small booklet called "Beyond Boiling Water". What they suggest is that even the laziest person can boil water and that is the first step to starting to cook. If you filled in the application form and sent it with a stamped addressed envelope they would send you a cook book for beginners with simple recipes.

表現

* 職につく= join the workforce

* ~している暇はない = do not want to waste time doing

* インスタント食品= instant food/ convenient food

* レンジでチンして = after heating it in the microwave

* 振興財団= promotion foundation

* する第一歩 = the first step to doing