私醫聯招 英文歷屆試題｜第 27 題

You needn’t have tried aromatherapy to understand the therapeutic powers of essential oils. These magical liquids,  (26)  from a range of aromatic plants, offer a truly holistic therapy, because they work on both body and mind. When you put  (27)  oils in your evening bath to help you to relax, you are recreating the rituals that are thousands of years old. Hippocrates claimed that the secret of health was an aromatic bath and a scented massage every day. Cleopatra often took a jasmine bath, while other Egyptians blended oils to use as medicines. In Shakespearean Britain, women spread rosemary and lavender on floors to  (28)  and purify rooms. Now it has been shown in various scientific studies that many of these essential oils have powerful anti-septic and anti-bacterial actions. It seems that every essential oil consists of hundreds of chemicals, all with potential healing and medicinal properties. When an oil is  (29) , these chemicals enter the body’s system and bloodstream. Compared to drugs, oils have relatively weak effects. But this in itself makes the oils safe remedies. For this reason, aromatherapy is often introduced as treatment  (30)  conventional medicine, to complement mainstream medical practices.