礼节美语 Business Etiquette 264 Anti-smoking campaigns 2
英语课
Marissa 和同事 Hank 正在讨论吸烟的问题。Hank 说,有不少研究都发现,涨价确实能起到一定的抑制作用,促使一部分人戒烟。Marissa 说,
M: I see. The high prices act as "the straw that broke the camel's back." Smokers 1 that have been meaning to quit see the price increase and it gives them a little push.
H: Yeah. But on the other hand, prices are already quite high in many places. A pack of cigarettes in London costs about US$10... in New York a pack costs roughly 2 8 dollars.... and in Norway it's already around $14....but I was in London not that long ago and I saw plenty of smokers!
M: Yeah. The last time I was in New York there also seem to be plenty of smokers. I guess there are some people who are wealthy enough to afford whatever price.
因此说,给香烟涨价就好像是 the straw that broke the camel's back 压倒骆驼的最后一根稻草,帮了那些本来就想戒烟的烟民一把,give them a little push. 但是高价格也只能对某些人发挥作用。现在伦敦一盒烟卖十美元,纽约卖8美元,挪威卖14美元,可抽烟的人还是很多,看来价格再高,也拦不住那些经济上能负担得起的烟民。
H: Definitely 3. I think the best way forward is to push education efforts for young people. If we can convince 4 the next generation that smoking isn't "cool", eventually we might be able to eradicate 5 smoking.
M: I suppose you're right. You can pass all the laws you want but that doesn't mean people will follow them. People's attitudes need to change.
H: Exactly! In the 1920s they banned alcohol 6 in America, but of course people didn't stop drinking. Instead, lots of people got sick and even died from drinking industrial alcohol.
Hank 觉得,要真想杜绝吸烟,the best way forward 接下来最好的办法还是要通过宣传和教育,让年轻一代觉得,抽烟不是一件很酷的事情。Marrissa 表示同意,不管你通过多少项法律,只要大家的观念没有发生变化,法律就无法得到有效执行,就好像美国20年代时的禁酒令,并没有让人们停止饮酒,反而有很多人因为没有酒喝,结果饮用工业酒精而死亡。
M: I would imagine that as cigarettes get more expensive, smokers looking for a cheaper option will turn to counterfeit 7 ones. I wonder if those would be even worse than the originals!
H: You're probably right. But I do think smoking will not be nearly as common a couple decades from now. That article about New Zealand said that country hopes to eradicate smoking by 2025.
M: That's not that long from now! Maybe I should start thinking about moving to New Zealand!
H: (Chuckles) Perhaps you should!
Marissa 觉得,如果香烟价格不断上涨,很多经济上负担不起的烟民,恐怕就会转向 cheaper option, 相对便宜的替代品,也就是 counterfeit ones, 假烟,counterfeit is spelled c-o-u-n-t-e-r-f-e-i-t, counterfeit 是假冒伪劣的意思。这些假烟的危害八成比正品的危害还要大。Hank 觉得,未来的前景还是很乐观的,新西兰就打算在2025年之前,彻底铲除烟草。也许,Marissa 真的可以考虑移民到新西兰去。
1 smokers
吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )
- Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
- Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。
2 roughly
adv.概略地,粗糙地,粗鲁地
- If you treat your coat so roughly,it will be worn out soon.你如果这么糟蹋你的外套,它很快就不能穿了。
- The island is roughly circular in shape.这个岛屿大致是圆形的。
3 definitely
adv.一定地,肯定地;明确地,确切地
- The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛,这个队肯定会输。
- I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前,我一定回家。
4 convince
vt.使确认,使信服;使认识错误
- It requires a lot of talking to convince him.要说服他很费口舌。
- I have given over trying to convince him.我已经不再试图说服他了。
5 eradicate
v.根除,消灭,杜绝
- These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
- They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。
6 alcohol
n.酒精,乙醇;含酒精的饮料
- The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
- The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。
7 counterfeit
vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的
- It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
- The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远,实际是最近的一幅赝品。
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