常摸自己的臉
Humans have a unique habit that many other animals don’t have and, unfortunately, it makes us particularly prone to catching contagious diseases like COVID-19 — we touch our faces very often.
人類有一個許多其他動物都沒有的獨特習慣，而不幸的是，這讓我們更容易染上像是COVID-19這種傳染病，那就是：我們很常摸自己的臉。
unique(adj.)獨特的be prone to容易…、有…傾向的（疾病、負面）tend to傾向於contagious(adj.)俱有傳染力的=infectious
Very few of us are aware that we touch our faces hundreds of times every day, especially around the chin, mouth, nose and eyes.
很少人會注意到自己一天竟然觸碰臉部好幾次，特別是下巴、嘴巴、鼻子、和眼睛周遭等部位。
aware(adj.)注意、察覺到
In 2015, a study analyzing the behavior of medical students in Australia found that they touched their faces an average of 23 times an hour.
2015年，有一項研究對澳洲的醫科學生進行了分析，發現他們平均一小時會摸自己的臉高達23次。
analyze(v.)分析
Given that medical students should be more aware of the risks than others, it is believed that ordinary people touch their faces with a much higher frequency.
基於醫科生應該比其他人更意識摸臉的風險，研究認為一般民眾觸摸自己臉部的頻率還要更高。
given有鑒於be aware of注意、察覺到be unaware ofrisk(n.)風險frequency(n.)頻率、frequent(adj.)頻繁的
Touching our face makes it easier for bacteria and viruses that we have picked up from surfaces and objects to spread to our mucous membranes.
觸摸臉部讓我們從周遭環境和物品中接觸到的細菌和病毒更容易散播。
bacteria(n.pl.)細菌=germsvirus(n.)病毒mucus(n.)黏液、mucous(adj.)黏液的mucous membrane黏膜
Considering the novel coronavirus has been found to survive for as long as 72 hours on certain materials, it’s all too easy for it to be transmitted from one person to another.
由於新冠病毒在特定物體表面下可存活長達72小時，這讓病毒人傳人的風險更高了，
survive(v.)存活material(n.)材料、原料transmit(v.)傳播、傳輸
That is why health authorities have warned against touching our faces in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
因此各衛生部官員提醒民眾不要觸摸臉部，以望減少COVID-19的散播。
In order to help people to avoid touching their face, experts have provided some advice that may help us cut out the habit.
專家提供了一些建議幫助民眾戒掉觸摸臉部的習慣，
Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds in the UK, says that wearing a mask can reduce a person’s tendency to touch their face, as it can act as a physical barrier to stop us from touching our nose and mouth.
英國里茲大學病毒學教授格里芬說，戴口罩能防止人們觸摸臉部，口罩可以做為物理屏障，讓我們不去觸摸口鼻。
tendency(n.)傾向barrier(n.)屏障、隔閡
Substituting face-touching with another calming behavior, such as keeping our hands busy with fidget spinners or stress balls, is also helpful, says Paul DePompo, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Institute of Southern California.
臨床心理醫師、南加州認知行為醫療機構創辦人迪蓬波則說，可以用其他舒壓的動作代替摸臉，像是讓雙手找點事做，比如玩指尖陀螺或是減壓球。
substitute(v.)取代、代替clinical(adj.)臨床的cognition(n.)認知、cognitive(adj.)認知的
However, some specialists admit that after trying all the recommended methods, we may still struggle to stop this involuntary habit.
然而，有些專家承認就算試過以上建議的方法，叫人們不去做一些下意識的行為還是很困難，
struggle(v.)掙扎、有困難voluntary(adj.)自願的involuntary(adj.)非自願、不自主的
They believe that regular hand washing is still a much easier and more effective way to protect ourselves from the virus.
他們認為洗手還是相對簡單且有效的病毒防禦方法。
effective(adj.)有效的
“I think it’s probably more important to keep your hands clean than to stop touching your face,” says Brad Stulberg, a performance coach and researcher.
績效教練、研究學者史特爾伯格說：「我認為保持雙手清潔比停止摸臉更重要，