If you work in an office, the chances are there are some colleagues you would rather sit next to than others. But we’re not just talking personality likes or dislikes here – what can also be a factor is how clean they keep their desk.

　　如果你在办公室里工作，那么有些同事你很有可能更愿意挨着坐，而不愿挨着另一些人，不过我们这里讨论的不仅仅是性格问题——同事的办公桌整洁与否也是因素之一。

　　The average office desk is said to contain 400 times more germs than a toilet seat – meaning that many office workers could be at risk of sickness due to dirty desks.

　　据说一张办公桌的平均细菌数目是厕所的400多倍——这意味着许多白领可能因办公桌过脏而患病。

　　Research by the University of Arizona found that humans are the most common source of bacteria and that, compared to women, men have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items. Theories as to why this might be include men having bigger desks, meaning an increased surface area available for depositing, as well as having on average, lower standards of personal grooming.

　　美国亚利桑那大学的研究发现，人类是最常见的细菌来源，而且男性在办公桌、手机、电脑、键盘、抽屉和个人物品上的细菌是女性的三到四倍。对于这种情况的解释是男人的办公桌更大，意味着有更大的表面面积供细菌栖息，也意味着平均来看，男性的个人卫生标准比女性更低。

　　Humans are the biggest source of microorganisms at the desk – most bacteria in an office comes from people. The computer keyboard and mouse are a common part of office life for many. Unsurprisingly each key strike both deposits and picks up microorganisms. Studies of keyboards outside of offices has found pathogenic bacteria within hospitals, whereas within universities, multi-user keyboards have a greater range of organisms – including some gut bacteria.

　　人类是办公桌微生物的最大来源——办公室的大多数细菌来自于人。电脑的键盘和鼠标是许多人办公生活的标配，那么，每个按键既是微生物的栖居地又吸引着微生物也是意料之中的。对办公室以外键盘的研究发现医院中的致病细菌，而在大学内，有多人使用的键盘上的微生物范围更广——包括一些肠道细菌。

　　Most paperwork these days is digital, so is prone to very different viruses and bugs. But still, many of us will regularly come into contact with different bits of paper – think, taking minutes in a meeting, leaving notes on a colleagues desk, or even when reading books or newspapers on a lunch break.

　　如今大部分的文字工作都已电子化，因此容易产生不同的病毒和细菌。然而，我们中的许多人还是经常会接触到不同的纸张——思考，做会议记录，给同事留言，甚至是在午餐时阅读或者看报纸。