Unit 87
The countdown goes something like this: 3）IRS auditor, 2）ex-husband’s new 20-year-old girlfriend, 1）dentist. The top three people we most hate to see.
“Let’s face it,” says Dr. Lorin Berland, a dentist in Dallas. “Dentistry can suck.” A third of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, haven’t even set foot in the dentist’s office in the past year. Berland, along with an increasing number of dentists all over the country, is trying to change that. ① He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massageand soothing aromatherapy.
Spa dentistry, as it’s called, means you can enjoy a hot paraffin-wax hand treatment while getting your teeth cleaned. Or you can slip on some virtual-reality glasses and watch your favorite movie. Or you might just lie back and let the scent of lavender and the sound of falling water quiet your anxiety, while a licensed massage therapist eases the crick in your neck. Most vacations aren’t this good. In response to spa dentistry’s growing popularity, the Chicago Dental Society will teach its first course on the practice at its annual midwinter meeting in February, expected to attract 35,000 industry professionals.
“Some people are born to cater to people, and others have to be taught,” says Dr. Grace Sun, a dentist in Los Angeles who, without benefit of a lecture, offers massage, fruit smoothies and movies. In addition, she provides luxury hotel-style concierge services: while you’re in the（vibrating, of course） chair, her staff makes dinner reservations, takes your cell-phone calls, baby-sits, dog-sits, orders in food or does just about anything else you ask.
Dr. Debra Gray King of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry calls her practice “the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry” and in fact sends her “dental concierges” to the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center for training in client relations. They’re taught to squire each patient as he or she navigates the various rooms of the center’s luxe 8,400-sq. -ft. Twelve Oaks-esque mansion. Once in the dentist’s chair, King’s patients can use the attached flat-panel monitor to watch TV, play a DVD or surf the Web. Can’t see the screen? No worries, there’s one wired to the ceiling too. ② Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage. “The more relaxed the patient is,” says King, “the easier our job.”
Patients are responding. Martha Dickey, a magazine publisher in Atlanta, says a hot paraffin-wax treatment can “change your whole feeling about going to the dentist. You feel like you’re there to get nurtured and pampered. It’s fabulous. Every one of your senses is taken care of.” If only the offices of the IRS were as pleasant.
注（1）：本文选自Time；
注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2004年真题Text 1。
1. How do Dr. Berland and some other American dentists try to change the image of dentistry?
A) They try to change it by facing it bravely.
B) They try to change it by teaching patients how to take good care of their teeth.
C) They try to change it by providing new services to help patients feel relaxed and at home.
D) They try to change it by relieving patients’ pain with new pills.
2. Which of the following is NOT a service provided by spa dentistry?
A) A vacation.
B) Spa.
C) Massage.
D) Dental treatment.
3. The expression “cater to” （Line 1, Paragraph 4） most probably means ______.
A) to meet the requirements of somebody
B) to be somebody’s liking
C) to take somebody seriously
D) to serve somebody well
4. Why does Dr. Debra Gray King call her practice “the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry”?
A) Because her “dental concierges” are trained at the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.
B) Because her cosmetic dentistry center provides the kind of concierge services luxury hotels like Ritz-Carlton provide.
C) Because her dentistry center is located in a mansion as large as Ritz-Carlton.
D) Because her patients are also guests at Ritz-Carlton.
5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A) Dr. Grace Sun learned her new practice from the course offered by the Chicago Dental Society.
B) The author hopes that dentists’ offices can be as comfortable as the offices of the IRS.
C) The patients like the new services provided by the dentists mentioned in the text very much.
D) Dental appointments are often associated with relaxation.
篇章剖析
本篇文章从怕牙医入手，介绍牙医诊所改变牙医可怕形象的一些做法以及患者的反馈意见。第一段作者罗列人们最不愿见的三种人，牙医排在第一位；第二段引出博兰德等医生努力改变牙医形象；第三段介绍了温泉保健牙科，并指出这种牙科日渐流行的趋势；第四段介绍了格蕾斯·桑大夫自己摸索出来的一些改善牙科诊所服务的办法；第五段介绍了亚特兰大美容牙科中心的金博士为患者提供的服务项目；第六段指出患者对牙医们的新举措的看法。
词汇注释
IRS 美国国税局（Internal Revenue Service）
auditor /ˈɔːdɪtə/ n. 审计员
Dallas 达拉斯（美国得克萨斯州东北部城市）
suck /sʌk/ v. 〈美俚〉 使人极度不快
the National Center for Health Statistics （美国）国家卫生统计中心
drilling /ˈdrɪlɪŋ/ n. 钻（牙）
foot massage 足底按摩
soothing /ˈsuːðɪŋ/ adj. 抚慰的
aromatherapy /əˌrəʊməˈθerəpi/ n. 用香料按摩
spa /spɑː/ n. 温泉疗养
dentistry /ˈdentɪstri/ n. 牙科，牙医学
paraffin-wax n. 石蜡
virtual-reality n. 虚拟现实
lavender /ˈlævɪndə/ n. 熏衣草
therapist /ˈθerəpɪst/ n. 临床医师
crick /krɪk/ n. 肌肉痉挛
cater to 提供服务
fruit smoothie 水果冰沙
concierge /ˌkɔːnsɪˈeəʒ/ n. 门房
dog-sit v . 照看小狗（在本篇中指“照看宠物”）
cosmetic dentistry 美容牙科
squire /ˈskwaɪə/ v. 护卫，随侍
luxe /lʌks, lʊks/ adj. 豪华的 n. 豪华，奢华
-esque 〈法〉…式样的
screech /skriːtʃ/ n. 尖锐的声音
pamper /ˈpæmpə/ v. 纵容
难句突破
① He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.
主体句式：He wants dental appointments.
结构分析：本句的难点有两处。第一处是句型“less about... more about...”。这个句型表示“少一些……多一些……”。第二处难点是“foot massage and soothing aromatherapy”中的专业词汇。foot massage表示“足底按摩”，aromatherapy表示“香料按摩（香精油按摩）”。
句子译文：他希望牙科预约让人们少想到疼痛、钻牙，多想到放松、足底按摩、镇痛香料按摩等。
② Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage.
主体句式：Headphones block the screech and play a CD, and the chair channels the sound waves.
结构分析：该句的难点是主谓关系难辨清，因为一些不常搭配在一起的词在其中表示主谓关系。例如，第一个分句中play与主语noise-reduction headphones之间的关系，并列连词and后主语chair和谓语channels之间的关系有悖常识。因此理解这个句子时，我们不能局限于常识。
句子译文：隔音耳机使你听不到牙钻刺耳的噪音，为你播放你自己挑选的CD。特别定制的治疗椅将音乐的声波转换成全身按摩。
题目分析
1. C 细节题。从第二段最后一句“He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.”以及后面几段中介绍的spa dentistry和cosmetic dentistry等做法可以看出，博兰德和其他牙医都希望通过提供缓解患者紧张情绪的服务来改善牙医形象。在这个句子中有一个句型“be less about... more about...”，表示“少一些…，多一些…”。
2. A 细节题。根据第三段有关温泉保健牙科的介绍，温泉保健牙科为患者提供热石蜡手工治疗、洗牙等牙科治疗、电影、按摩等，而不包括度假，因此答案是A。
3. D 语义题。根据上段最后一句有关温泉保健牙科培训课程的内容，以及下文中格蕾斯·桑所在诊所为患者提供的服务项目可以判断出第四段第一行中的“cater to”表示为某人提供良好的服务。
4. B 细节题。第四段中提及luxury hotel-style concierge services“豪华饭店式门房服务”。在第五段中，作者详细介绍了丽嘉酒店式牙科的具体服务内容，从中可见金博士称她的牙科为丽嘉酒店式牙科是因为她的牙科诊所提供丽嘉酒店那样的周到的门房服务。
5. C 细节题。从最后一段第一句“Patients are responding.”以及接下来的“You feel like you’re there to get nurtured and pampered. It’s fabulous.”等句子可以推断出患者喜欢牙医们提供的新服务。
参考译文
人们最不愿见的三个人倒着数过来是：3）国税局审计员，2）前夫20岁的新女友，1）牙医。
“我们要正视这个问题，”来自达拉斯的牙医罗林·博兰德说，“牙科有时确实令人反感。”美国卫生统计中心的数据显示，过去一年里三分之一的美国人没看过牙医。博兰德以及越来越多的美国牙医正努力改善牙医可怕的形象。他希望牙科预约让人们少想到疼痛、钻牙，多想到放松、足底按摩、镇痛香料按摩等。
温泉保健牙科，顾名思义，指在你洗牙的同时，可以享受热石蜡手工治疗，或戴上虚拟眼镜观看你最喜欢的电影，或平躺在治疗椅上，闻着熏衣草的香气，倾听潺潺的流水声，放松你焦虑的心情，同时还能享受专业按摩治疗师为你做颈部按摩。这可比大多数度假还要放松。随着温泉保健牙科的不断流行，芝加哥牙医协会决定在二月份冬季年会上推出第一期温泉保健牙科培训。他们预计课程班将吸引3.5万名专业人士。
“有的人生来就会照顾别人，有的人需要学习，”来自洛杉矶的牙医格蕾斯·桑博士这样认为。她没听过讲座，却推出了按摩、水果冰沙、电影等服务项目。此外，他们还提供豪华饭店式门房服务：当你躺在治疗椅上接受治疗的时候（当然治疗椅不断振荡），服务人员为你提供一系列服务，包括预定晚餐、接手提电话、照看小孩、照看宠物、定外卖以及任何其他你提出的要求。
亚特兰大美容牙科中心的黛布拉·格蕾·金大夫称她的做法为“里兹·卡尔顿牙科”。事实上，她的确派诊所的“牙科服务员”到里兹·卡尔顿领导阶层培训中心学习如何处理好与顾客的关系。在面积达8400平方英尺，风格类似十二橡树庄园那样的豪华中心里，经过专业培训的“牙科服务员”陪送每位顾客到不同的房间接受治疗。躺在治疗椅上，金的顾客可以使用固定在上面的平面控制器看电视、播放DVD，甚至上网。看不到电视屏幕？不用担心，天花板上也安装了电视屏幕。隔音耳机使你听不到牙钻刺耳的噪音，为你播放你自己挑选的CD。特别定制的治疗椅将音乐的声波转换成全身按摩。“患者越放松，”金说，“我们的工作就越容易。”
患者反响很好。亚特兰大杂志发行人马撒·迪珂说，热石蜡治疗能“彻底改变你对看牙医的看法。你会觉得受到百般呵护。那感觉真美妙。你的每个感官都得到呵护。”如果国税局办公室的氛围也能变这样就好了。
