For thousands of years, humans have been on a quest to find the perfect smell. 數千年來，人類一直在追尋完美的香味。
Putting on some perfume is like putting on your favorite outfit. If you look good and smell good, chances are you’ll feel good. However, perfume isn’t a modern invention. Its story actually goes back thousands of years.
quest [ kwɛst ] n.（長期的）追尋 chances are (that)...很可能……
If you look at the pictures on ancient Egyptian tombs, two things are clear. One, ancient Egyptians had a thing for cats, and two, they liked to smell their best. Perfume production began as far back as 3,000 years ago in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Some of the ingredients used back then, such as jasmine, frankincense, and Madonna lilies, are still in use now. Originally, however, those scents were mostly made to make rooms where animals were slaughtered for the gods smell better, or to be put in Pharaohs’ tombs.
The Greeks later invented perfumes that were applied to the skin by blending plants and herbs with oils. During the time of Alexander the Great, perfume was as valuable as gold. Louis XIV of France, who disliked bathing, was said to demand a new fragrance to be made for each day of the week. In the 19th century, the first scents to use synthetic blends were manufactured. Modern fragrance masters like Creed and Chanel continue with this practice to this day.
