Public toilets around the world have a bad name for being dark, dirty and dangerous. Some public restrooms in Tokyo’s train stations don’t have hand soap inside. A kindergarten in Southern Japan stops taking children to a city park because they are afraid of the flies in the restrooms. People have long called for a change.
Tokyo recently introduced new restrooms in two public parks. For one thing, they are brightly lit and look colourful. For another, they are transparent (透明的). This way, people who need to go to the toilet can check out the cleanness and safety of the restrooms without walking inside or touching anything.
The new restrooms, designed by Shigeru Ban, are made out of “smart glass” that has already been used in different buildings to provide privacy when needed. When used and locked properly, the colourful glass toilet will become opaque. When the door is unlocked, it will become transparent again.
The toilets are considered as a futuristic example of the country’s technological achievements. However, people hold different opinions about these new public toilets.
“It will take time to get used to the idea,” said Ming Cheng, whose job is designing buildings. But he would like to give it a try. Sarah Copper white, a technology worker in Tokyo, said that although she always avoided public toilets, she was glad to use the new ones because they looked bright and clean. “I trust science, ” she said in a phone interview.
“I don’t want to put my privacy at risk,” Sachiko Ishikawa, a 32-year-old writer and translator, said. Ms Ishikawa worried that some small mistakes might make restroom users accidentally expose (暴露) themselves. Talia Harris, a writer who has lived in Tokyo for seven years, said she did not see it as a useful way to make people feel comfortable in public restrooms. “Personally, I think this will make people feel more uncomfortable, especially for women.” Ms Harris, 29, said.
71. What do we know about the toilets in the Japanese city park?
A.They are always crowded. |
B.They are very dirty. |
C.They have no toilet paper. |
D.They have no hand soap. |
72. Why did Tokyo introduce new restrooms in public parks?
A.To show its technological achievements. |
B.To make the public parks more popular. |
C.To improve the present conditions. |
D.To help disabled people out. |
73. What does the underlined word “opaque” possibly mean in English?
A.Not able to be seen through. |
B.Not clean enough to be used. |
C.Warm enough for people to use. |
D.Big enough to hold many people. |
74. What does Sachiko Ishikawa think of the new public toilets?
A.They cost too much. |
B.They are quite amazing. |
C.They make users uncomfortable. |
D.They cannot make people feel safe. |
75. Which is the best title of the passage?
A.How do we use a public toilet |
B.Public toilet around the world |
C.New public toilet in Tokyo |
D.Never use public toilet |