VOA标准英语2012--New York Mayor Takes on Global Smoking

New York Mayor Takes on Global Smoking

New York is increasingly a health conscious city. There's no smoking in restaurants, in bars or even in public parks. That's all the result of the mayor's aggressive anti-tobacco health policies over the past decade. 

The city also runs advertising¹ campaigns alerting residents to the hazards of smoking.

Aiming to raise cigarette taxes

Bloomberg says his donation will be aimed in part at convincing governments overseas to raise cigarette taxes. He says such taxes are the single most important factor to discourage smoking. Bloomberg notes that a pack of cigarettes in New York costs about $12. 

“Only 7 percent of our kids report they smoke, and only 14 percent of adults. Those are amazing numbers - way down from where it was 10 years ago, and that’s why life expectancy² in New York City is three years greater than America as a whole.”

Bloomberg said five countries account for half of the smoking in the world: China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Bangladesh. 

Last year in India, singer Shaan released a music video in Bollywood, Mumbai’s entertainment capital, titled Don’t Play with Your Life. 

“It is a part of our campaign to change the thinking of the youth and to make them understand in their language and in their ways that there is no heroism³ or machismo in chewing tobacco, or smoking cigarettes, or [that] it will make you cool, or you will be a hero. It is nothing like that,” said Shaan.

Pushback likely from tobacco groups

Bloomberg’s effort is not likely to go unopposed. For example, Ukraine recently filed a World Trade Organization suit against Australia for a law that requires plain paper cigarette packaging. Ukraine argues the law hurts Ukrainian tobacco growers who are looking for export markets. And the tobacco industry itself is fighting back. Cigarette producer Philip Morris fears that generic⁴ packaging will strip the corporation of value associated with brands. Spokeswoman Anne Edwards spoke⁵ on Australian radio.

“You may have no sympathy for us whatsoever⁶, but I think the principle is the same; you can’t just take people’s property without compensation,” said the Philip Morris spokeswoman.

Bloomberg is undaunted. He says his donation also will be used to help stop some types of tobacco advertising and to make smoking unglamorous. 

1 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

2 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

3 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

4 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。