VOA标准英语2012--Cigars Are on a Roll in United States

 

Cigars Are on a Roll in United States

While cigarette smoking has been slowly declining in the face of massive regulation and anti-tobacco campaigns in the United States, cigar smoking has held steady generally and is on the rise among teens.

In all socio-economic levels, puffing¹ on a good cigar - or even a bad one - is looked upon by many as a sign of taste and sophistication. A lively cigar culture like that of wine aficionados² flourishes.

This is great news in a little corner of Tampa, Florida, on the Gulf³ of Mexico coast. It’s Ybor - pronounced “EE-bore” - City, an old neighborhood that’s become a tourist destination.

Guess what they’ve been making there for 125 years? 

Aromatic⁴, hand-rolled cigars.

The modern cigar industry began in Cuba, but things got tense there right before the Spanish-American War in the late 19th Century. So a lot of cigar makers⁵ moved their shops to Key West, a little island at the very bottom of Florida.

But up on Florida’s west coast, Tampa’s mayor was looking for something to perk⁶ up what was then a miserable⁷ little fishing village. Come to Tampa, he told cigar makers, and we’ll practically give you thousands of hectares of land.

Hundreds - led by a Spaniard named Don Vicente Martinez Ybor - accepted his offer. Pretty soon a Tampa neighborhood took his name: Ybor City.

More than 250 factories opened there, and Tampa became Cigar City for the entire world. But as cigarettes overwhelmed cigars in popularity in the mid-20th Century, a lot of Ybor City cigar makers closed up shop. And big companies bought out little ones and moved to Central America.

Lately, though, both cigar smoking and Ybor City have come roaring back. More than a dozen factories are rolling tobacco leaves for cigars again, and Ybor City has become a hot spot of nightclubs and restaurants. On weekend nights, the streets look like Carnival⁸ without the masks. 

And since Ybor City is now packed with trendy little brewpubs called “microbreweries,” there’s always a buzz about a good beer and a great cigar.

1 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aficionados   

n.酷爱…者，…迷( aficionado的名词复数 )； 爱看斗牛的人

参考例句：

• West Coast aficionados of postwar coffee-shop architecture(Karal Ann Marling) 西海岸战后咖啡店式建筑的狂热追随者（卡拉尔安马林） 来自互联网
• Clay developed a radical style which appalled boxing aficionados. 克莱发展出一种震惊拳击迷的全新风格。 来自互联网

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 perk   

n.额外津贴；赏钱；小费；

参考例句：

• His perks include a car provided by the firm.他的额外津贴包括公司提供的一辆汽车。
• And the money is,of course,a perk.当然钱是额外津贴。

7 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

8 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。