美国调查:吸烟与教育水平有关

    States with a highly educated populace and higher taxes on cigarettes have fewer smokers¹, according to a new Gallup study of poll data。
    The study found that one out of five American adults smoke, a number that has held relatively² steady in recent years. Utah had the fewest smokers, at just 13 percent, while Kentucky and West Virginia tied for first place at 31 percent。
    The South and Midwest dominated in smoker-heavy states. Besides Kentucky and West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Louisiana, South Carolina and Alabama all had populations in which 25 percent or more people smoked. States that were under the national smoking average of 21 percent included: California, Idaho, Montana, the District of Columbia, New Jersey³, Minnesota, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Arizona and Maryland。
    Higher rates of smoking correlated with lower rates of formal education, according to the Gallup organization. West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee and Oklahoma, for example, are all states where fewer than 25 percent of residents have college degrees. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and the District of Columbia, all areas with high rates of education, had some of the lowest rates of smoking。
    Cigarette taxes are also associated with low smoking rates, though it's not clear whether taxes discourage smoking or whether states with fewer smokers are more likely to pass high cigarette taxes. In states where smoking was well above average, the average state cigarette tax was $0.66 a pack. In average states, it was $1.59, and in below-average states, it was $2.02.
    据美国“趣味科学”网站8月30日报道：吸烟率和教育以及香烟税有关盖洛普一项最新调查显示，在美国，教育水平较高、税率较高的州，其烟民数量较少。
    研究发现五分之一的美国成年人吸烟，近几年一直保持在比较稳定的水平。犹他州成年人吸烟比例最低，为13%，而肯塔基、西弗吉尼亚双双以31%的比例位居第一。
    美国南部和中西部的大部分州吸烟比例较高。除了肯塔基、西弗吉尼亚，田纳西、印第安纳、阿肯色、密苏里、俄亥俄、路易斯安那、南加利福尼亚和亚拉巴马州的吸烟人口所占总人口比例都超过了25%。国民吸烟率低于21%的州包括：加利福尼亚、爱达荷、蒙大拿、哥伦比亚特区、新泽西、明尼苏达、夏威夷、马萨诸塞、亚利桑那以及马里兰。
    盖洛普调查发现，教育水平是影响吸烟人口比例的因素之一。比如，西弗吉尼亚、肯塔基、阿肯色、印第安纳、田纳西和俄克拉荷马州拥有大学学位的居民人数比不到25%。马萨诸塞、康涅狄格、马里兰、新泽西以及哥伦比亚特区的受教育程度较高，故烟民比例也最低。
    与吸烟人口比例相关的另一个因素是税收，尽管目前尚不清楚是较高的税率挫败了吸烟行为，还是少数烟民才能承担高税收。在烟民比例高于全国平均水平的州，每包香烟的税率为0.66美元；在烟民比例处于全国平均水平的州，每包香烟的税率为1.59美元；在烟民比例低于全国水平的州，每包香烟的税率为2.02美元。
 

1 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。