-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Cost of Smoking: All Dollars and No Sense
There are many arguments in favor of quitting smoking. Some focus on health concerns, complete with pictures of desiccated lungs and gobs of arterial plaque1. Some arguments appeal to vanity, describing how smokers3’ teeth and fingers turn yellow and their skin ages prematurely4. Others appeal to posterity5, featuring children orphaned6 by smoking-related diseases.
Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S. and although rates have fallen a bit in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 23% of adults between ages 25 and 44 still smoke. Apparently7, appeals to our sense of self-preservation and vanity just aren’t enough.
One of the problems with the usual arguments is that some people find it hard to imagine consequences that won’t take effect for 20, 30, or 40 years. But there’s one effect of smoking that everyone can feel immediately, and that’s the direct cost: not just what it costs the country or health insurance companies, but rather smoking’s very real—and very hefty—impact on people’s pocketbooks.
Cigarettes: Bad for Your Body, Bad for Your Budget
As of October 2010, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes was $5.29, according to Tobacco Free Kids. That cost varies throughout the country, depending on local and state excise8 taxes. On top of the manufacturer’s cost, federal taxes are now $1.01 per pack and states add their own stiff tariffs9 to incentivize people to kick the habit. Currently, New York leads the nation with a $4.35 state tax on cigarettes, followed closely by Rhode Island, which levies10 $3.46 per pack.
Even for smokers in average-cost areas, $5.29 daily adds up quickly. What could you do with that extra five bucks11 in your pocket each day?
In one week, a smoker2 could save about $36, enough to go on a movie date, eat out for lunch every workday, pay a weekly health insurance premium12, get a manicure and pedicure, or buy a tank of gas for a small- to medium-size car.
In one month, a smoker would save about $144. With that money, the person could get a monthly deep-tissue massage13, splurge on an expensive new pair of shoes, have a nice dinner out, upgrade to a professional colorist instead of doing at-home haircare, or pay the monthly bill for a smartphone with unlimited14 minutes and data.
In one year, smokers who quit would save almost $1,880 each. They could put a down payment on a new car, take a vacation, repay credit card debt, buy a top-of-the-line computer, or replace all the major appliances in their kitchen.
In five years, a smoker could save almost $9,400. That money could go toward making a down payment on a house or an apartment, paying off school loans, remodeling part of a home, or buying an expensive piece of jewelry15 for a loved one.
In the long term, there’s almost no limit to what people can buy with money that otherwise would have gone toward cigarettes. If parents stop smoking when their child is born, by the time the kid is 18, they’ll have saved almost $34,000 for his or her college education, not counting interest. If a 30-year-old quits smoking and instead puts the savings16 into a retirement17 account at 6% interest, she’ll have saved an extra $150,000 by the time she’s ready to retire, not counting employer matches.
Smoking’s the Way to a Pauper’s Grave
Besides the better causes their cigarette money could subsidize, smokers incur18 many other extra costs. Some companies require smokers to pay $20 to $50 extra per month for their health insurance; insurers and employers all know that smokers are more prone19 to chronic20 health problems, so they charge accordingly. In some states, employers can legally refuse to hire smokers because of the increased costs. Life insurance is also more expensive for smokers, as is homeowners’ and renters’ insurance. Like it or not, to an insurance company, smokers are more likely to accidentally burn down their house, so they generally pay about 10% more for their habit.
Smokers might be out of luck when trying to sell their home, too. Most real estate professionals say that it’s very difficult to sell a house when the occupants smoke. At the very least, the house will need expensive cleaning services to eliminate the residue21 from carpets and upholstery, but some houses need the entire HVAC system, carpets, and drapes replaced before it will sell. That’s a potential investment of thousands of dollars.
点击
收听单词发音
![收听单词发音](/images/play.gif)
1
plaque
![]() |
|
n.饰板,匾,(医)血小板 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
smoker
![]() |
|
n.吸烟者,吸烟车厢,吸烟室 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
smokers
![]() |
|
吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
prematurely
![]() |
|
adv.过早地,贸然地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
posterity
![]() |
|
n.后裔,子孙,后代 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
orphaned
![]() |
|
[计][修]孤立 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
apparently
![]() |
|
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
excise
![]() |
|
n.(国产)货物税;vt.切除,删去 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
tariffs
![]() |
|
关税制度; 关税( tariff的名词复数 ); 关税表; (旅馆或饭店等的)收费表; 量刑标准 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
levies
![]() |
|
(部队)征兵( levy的名词复数 ); 募捐; 被征募的军队 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
bucks
![]() |
|
n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 );钱;(英国十九世纪初的)花花公子;(用于某些表达方式)责任v.(马等)猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 );抵制;猛然震荡;马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12
premium
![]() |
|
n.加付款;赠品;adj.高级的;售价高的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13
massage
![]() |
|
n.按摩,揉;vt.按摩,揉,美化,奉承,篡改数据 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14
unlimited
![]() |
|
adj.无限的,不受控制的,无条件的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15
jewelry
![]() |
|
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16
savings
![]() |
|
n.存款,储蓄 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17
retirement
![]() |
|
n.退休,退职 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18
incur
![]() |
|
vt.招致,蒙受,遭遇 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19
prone
![]() |
|
adj.(to)易于…的,很可能…的;俯卧的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20
chronic
![]() |
|
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21
residue
![]() |
|
n.残余,剩余,残渣 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22
helping
![]() |
|
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23
muster
![]() |
|
v.集合,收集,鼓起,激起;n.集合,检阅,集合人员,点名册 | |
参考例句: |
|
|