How badly do you want smoother, fresher-smelling feet? Would you place your feet into a cool basin of fish? Though not a new phenomenon, the “fish pedicure(鱼疗)” is a growing trend.

What is a fish pedicure? It’s kind of what it sounds like. The way it works is that a person places their feet in a water tub containing little Garra rufa fish, which are native to the Middle East. In turn, the fish go to work snacking on the person’s dead skin cells. Those favoring the treatment argue that the fish help lighten dark cuticles(表皮) and increase circulation. However, fish pedicures are banned in many places. Why?

In the first place, tubs for the fish pedicure can’t be sufficiently cleaned between customers when the fish are in them. Also, fish make waste, which collects in the pedicure tubs, too. There’s no effective way to disinfect(消毒) the tubs or the fish themselves. Experts say fish pedicure tubs provide a fertile breeding ground for bacteria, and even tiny cuts or sores can become infected when you put your feet in them. The Garra rufa fish themselves have also been found to carry strains of several infection-causing bacteria.

In addition, anyone with a credit card can buy the fish from importers, and the animals are mailed to the salon owners inside water-filled plastic bags. But some don’t survive the journey. In the fish pedicure salon, owners may use the same fish many times with different customers, due to the cost of fish. That increases the risk of spreading infection. What’s more, Garra rufa fish don’t want to eat people’s dead skin. They do it because they’re so severely starved that they’ll try to eat human skin to remain alive. Those can be considered animal cruelty.

So, before you dive in, a more traditional, fish-free pedicure is probably the better, safer option.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，未经书面授权，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！（作者投稿及时文阅读定制请联系微信：18980471698）

1.How do Garra rufa fish work?

A By washing people’s feet in the basin.

B By eating people’s dead skin cells.

C By taking people’s blood with their mouth.

D By helping people make more dark cuticles.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第二段的“In turn, the fish go to work snacking on the person’s dead skin cells.”可知，在鱼疗过程中，这种鱼主要吃人脚上的死皮细胞。故选B。

2.Fish pedicures are banned mainly because of __________.

A health risks

B its high cost

C its popularity

D ecological protection

解析：选A。A推理判断题。根据第三、四段的“tubs for the fish pedicure can’t be sufficiently cleaned”“tiny cuts or sores can become infected when you put your feet in them”以及“That increases the risk of spreading infection”可知，鱼疗可能带来健康隐患。故选A。

3.What does the underlined word “starved” probably mean?

A Effective.

B Hungry.

C Powerful.

D Energetic.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据划线部分后面的“they’ll try to eat human skin to remain alive”和“animal cruelty”可知，淡红墨头鱼其实并不想吃死皮角质，它们这样做是因为它们非常饥饿（hungry），它们只有吃死皮角质才能存活。故选B。

4.What is the author’s attitude to fish pedicures?

A Favorable.

B Neutral.

C Negative.

D Curious.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。最后一段作者建议，更传统的、不含鱼的足疗可能是更好、更安全的选择，由此可知作者对鱼疗持消极态度。故选C。