BBC随身英语:When life loses its smell 当生命失去它的气味

It's not only scents which are missing for people with anosmia. Food and drink lose their appeal too, because smell accounts for around 80% of our sense of flavour. They can't taste herbs, spices or garlic and fruit and wine simply taste sour.

Anosmia can also be dangerous. People with anosmia can get food poisoning, because they can't smell when food is bad. They can't smell smoke from a house fire, or leaking gas. Sarah Page is a patient at the new taste and smell clinic. She once turned the gas cooker on by mistake. Unable to smell it, Sarah was unaware that the house was filling with gas, which could have exploded at any time. It was some time before her mother came home and realised the problem.

Sarah is going to have an operation to treat her condition in the next few months. If it's successful, she says that what she wants most isn't to avoid danger. She would like to share the olfactory world of other people, including the bad smells. Sarah says, "People go 'Oh, that stinks' - I want to be able to understand why that's a bad smell and join in with that conversation."

Quiz 测验 How many people are anosmic in the UK?

Around 3 million

Which phrase is used to mean 'born without a sense of smell'?

Congenitally anosmic

Why don't anosmic people enjoy wine?

It tastes sour/because 80% of flavour is smell

Why do anosmic people get food poisoning?

They can't smell when food is off/bad

What kind of treatment is Sarah Page going to have at the clinic?

An operation

Glossary 词汇表 detect发现，检测 sense of smell嗅觉 follow our noses跟着鼻子走 wake up and smell the coffee!（比喻）认清事实 something smells fishy（比喻）什么事情有猫腻 she has a nose for a bargain（比喻）某人特别会找价廉物美的东西 idioms 成语 telling判断 off（食品）坏了，馊了 head injury头部创伤 depressed沮丧，失落 scents 气味 food poisoning食物中毒 leaking gas 煤气泄漏 patient 病人 operation 手术 treat her condition 治疗她的病症 olfactory 嗅觉 go说 stinks 臭