Not since humans invented shoes or underwear has a single item of clothing become so common in such a short amount of time. From Melbourne to Mexico City, Beijing to Bordeaux, many people can be seen wearing this piece of clothing: the face mask.
从人类发明鞋子和内衣开始，没有哪种服饰能在这么短时间内变得如此普遍。从墨尔本到墨西哥城，从北京到墨西哥，都能看到很多人戴着口罩。

But rarely, maybe never, has anything else worn by humans created such widespread debate.
但是，人类的其它穿戴可能永远不会引发如此广泛的争议。

Jeremy Howard is the co-founder of #Masks4All, a group supporting face mask use for everyone. Speaking recently about masks, Howard said there has probably never been such a quick and "dramatic" change in worldwide human behavior.
杰里米·霍华德是全民戴口罩组织的创始人，该组织支持让所有人都戴上口罩。霍华德最近在谈到口罩时表示，全球人类行为可能从未发生过如此迅速和剧烈的变化。

Yet not everyone is accepting of this safety measure, which health officials say is aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Plenty of people do not like being told what to do. Many also do not trust scientific evidence suggesting that masks can be an effective way to reduce new infections.
卫生官员称戴口罩旨在降低新冠病毒的传播，然而并非所有人都能接受这项安全措施。很多人不喜欢别人指手画脚。还有很多人不相信口罩是降低新感染有效途径的这一科学证据。

At demonstrations in the United States, Canada and Britain, people have criticized face masks. At one recent protest in London, a person argued against mask-wearing requirements in stores, saying: "People die every year. This is nothing new."
在美国、加拿大和英国的示威活动中，人们批评了口罩。在伦敦最近一次示威互动中，有人反对进入商店需要戴口罩的规定，说：“哪天不死人吧，这不是什么新鲜事。”

Mohammed al-Burji, a 42-year-old government worker in Lebanon, shared his thoughts on wearing masks with The Associated Press. He said he walks to work without a mask and does not worry. "There is no coronavirus, brother. They're just deceiving people."
黎巴嫩政府一位42岁的工作人员穆罕默德·布尔吉跟美联社分享了他关于戴口罩的想法。他称自己走路上班，没戴口罩，也不担心。“兄弟，哪有什么新冠病毒，他们是在欺骗人民。”

As of July 24, Lebanon had reported over 3,400 coronavirus infections and 46 deaths. Officials have made public appeals for people to keep wearing masks and to practice social distancing.
截至7月24日，黎巴嫩报告了3400多例新冠病毒感染以及46例死亡。有关官员公开呼吁人们要一直戴着口罩并保持社交距离。

In Mexico City, Estima Mendoza says she feels shock and fear when seeing people not wearing masks. "I feel defenseless. On one hand I judge them, and on the other I ask myself 'Why?" Mendoza said. "As human beings, we always judge."
在墨西哥城，埃斯蒂马·门多萨表示，看到人们不戴口罩，她会感到震惊和恐惧。门多萨表示：“我感觉无力自保。一方面我批评他们，另一方面我也问自己，这是为什么？作为人类，我们总是在评判。”

In France, masks resulted in an unexpected benefit for Maria Dabo. She no longer feels so different in a country that has made laws to prevent Muslim women from wearing face coverings.
在法国，口罩给玛丽亚·达博带来了意想不到的好处。在法国这个已经制定法律禁止穆斯林妇女戴面纱的国家，她不再感到格格不入。

"I feel like we are a bit better understood," Dabo said. "Everyone is obliged to do the same as us, which makes me believe that God is busy teaching people a lesson, that covering up isn't religious or anything else. It's about not being a fool and protecting oneself."
达博表示：“我觉得我们更加更了解了。每个人都有义务跟我们一样做，这让我相信，上帝正忙于教导人们，那就是蒙上面纱不是宗教或其它什么。这是关于不要犯傻和保护自己。”

Masks can even divide families. Yu Jungyul, a child-health worker in Seoul, South Korea, says she has to ask her husband to wear one often. She says she tells him: "‘We have to wear masks for other people now, rather than only for ourselves.'"
口罩甚至会让家庭分裂。韩国首尔一名儿童保健工作者Yu Jungyul表示，她经常得要求丈夫戴口罩。她称自己告诉他：“我们现在必须为别人戴口罩，而不仅仅是为了自己戴口罩。”

Shopping with her young children, French museum worker Celine Brunet-Moret said she misses not being able to see emotions on people's faces.
法国博物馆工作人员席琳·布鲁内特·莫雷特跟孩子一起在购物，她说，她看不到人们脸上的表情。

"You don't see people smiling or if they are OK or not," Brunet-Moret said. "It's not the same life and it's not the normal life," she added. "So I'm thinking that we'll never get used to it..."
莫雷特表示：“你看不到人们的微笑，看不到他们好不好。”她还说：“这是不一样的生活，不是正常的生活。所以我觉得我们永远不会习惯戴口罩。”

But across the street from the shop where Brunet-Moret was buying cheese, Laure Estiez said that going out without one of her home-made masks now feels "almost unnatural." She says every morning she goes through a process of picking colors to match her mood and clothing. She says this daily activity has become "a pleasure."
但是，在莫雷特买奶酪的商店的街对面，劳雷·埃斯蒂兹表示，现在出门如果不戴上她自制的口罩，她就感觉不自在。她说，每天早上，她都要选个口罩颜色来搭配自己的心情和服装。她说，这一日常活动已经成为一种乐趣。

"We have a very strong capacity for adaptation," she said. "You get used to everything."
她说：“我们的适应能力很强，你会习惯的。”

I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·罗素。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)

Not since humans invented shoes or underwear has a single item of clothing become so common in such a short amount of time. From Melbourne to Mexico City, Beijing to Bordeaux, many people can be seen wearing this piece of clothing: the face mask.

But rarely, maybe never, has anything else worn by humans created such widespread debate.

Jeremy Howard is the co-founder of #Masks4All, a group supporting face mask use for everyone. Speaking recently about masks, Howard said there has probably never been such a quick and "dramatic" change in worldwide human behavior.

Yet not everyone is accepting of this safety measure, which health officials say is aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Plenty of people do not like being told what to do. Many also do not trust scientific evidence suggesting that masks can be an effective way to reduce new infections.

Paul Tomo poses for a photo in front of a souvenir stand in Westminster in London, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. "Two things, if we really needed them why weren't they introduced in the beginning," he said.

At demonstrations in the United States, Canada and Britain, people have criticized face masks. At one recent protest in London, a person argued against mask-wearing requirements in stores, saying: "People die every year. This is nothing new."

Mohammed al-Burji, a 42-year-old government worker in Lebanon, shared his thoughts on wearing masks with The Associated Press. He said he walks to work without a mask and does not worry. "There is no coronavirus, brother. They're just deceiving people."

As of July 24, Lebanon had reported over 3,400 coronavirus infections and 46 deaths. Officials have made public appeals for people to keep wearing masks and to practice social distancing.

In Mexico City, Estima Mendoza says she feels shock and fear when seeing people not wearing masks. "I feel defenseless. On one hand I judge them, and on the other I ask myself 'Why?" Mendoza said. "As human beings, we always judge."

In France, masks resulted in an unexpected benefit for Maria Dabo. She no longer feels so different in a country that has made laws to prevent Muslim women from wearing face coverings.

"I feel like we are a bit better understood," Dabo said. "Everyone is obliged to do the same as us, which makes me believe that God is busy teaching people a lesson, that covering up isn't religious or anything else. It's about not being a fool and protecting oneself."

Masks can even divide families. Yu Jungyul, a child-health worker in Seoul, South Korea, says she has to ask her husband to wear one often. She says she tells him: "‘We have to wear masks for other people now, rather than only for ourselves.'"

Shopping with her young children, French museum worker Celine Brunet-Moret said she misses not being able to see emotions on people's faces.

"You don't see people smiling or if they are OK or not," Brunet-Moret said. "It's not the same life and it's not the normal life," she added. "So I'm thinking that we'll never get used to it..."

But across the street from the shop where Brunet-Moret was buying cheese, Laure Estiez said that going out without one of her home-made masks now feels "almost unnatural." She says every morning she goes through a process of picking colors to match her mood and clothing. She says this daily activity has become "a pleasure."

"We have a very strong capacity for adaptation," she said. "You get used to everything."

I'm John Russell.

John Leicester wrote this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

Words in This Story

mask – n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth

dramatic – adj. sudden and extreme

deceive – v. to make (someone) believe something that is not true

benefit – n. a good or helpful result or effect

oblige – v. to force or require (someone or something) to do something because of a law or rule or because it is necessary

mood – n. the way someone feels : a person's emotional state

capacity – n. the ability to do something : a mental, emotional, or physical ability

adaptation – n. a change in a plant or animal that makes it better able to live in a particular place or situation; the process of changing to fit some purpose or situation : the process of adapting

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