2007年VOA标准英语-England Goes Smoke-Free in Public Buildings Jul

By Tendai Maphosa
London
28 June 2007

As of July 1 it will be illegal to smoke in enclosed public places in England. The law has divided the country with those for it saying it will save thousands of passive smokers²' lives. Those against it say it is a denial of smokers' civil liberties. Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA from London.

 

billboard3 reminding people passing through London's Leicester Square, 19 Jun 2007, that a no smoking ban inside all public places in England starts July 1" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070704/1409440.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

A cigarette billboard reminds people passing through London's Leicester Square that a no smoking ban inside all public places in England starts July 1

The smoking ban covers all enclosed public places, including offices, factories, pubs and bars, but excludes outdoors and private homes. The government and the anti-smoking lobby view the law as protection for non-smokers from passive smoking. It is also hoped it will encourage some smokers to give up the habit.

Elspeth Lee, a spokeswoman for Cancer Research UK, said the ban should lead to a reduction of smoke-related cancer deaths in the long term.

"106,000 people a year die of smoking-related diseases, which obviously include heart disease and many other illnesses," said Lee. "We know that smoking is the greatest cause of cancer and all those deaths are entirely⁵ preventable."

"This measure is being brought in to protect people predominantly from second-hand⁶ smoke exposure. We also do know from countries that have gone smoke free that it will help some smokers to quit as well, which is a great thing," she added.

 

But despite the scientific evidence that smoking does kill there are those who argue that the ban is a violation⁷ of their civil liberties.

Simon Clark is the spokesman of the pro-smoking Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco. Clark is a non-smoker¹ but he is very passionate⁸ in his belief that the government is being too intrusive⁹ in what should be personal decisions.

"We are not against smoking bans as such but we are against the extent of the ban which is going to include every single pub, club and restaurant in this country," said Clark.

"They want to reduce the smoking rates in this country from 25 to 21 percent by 2010 but tobacco is a perfectly¹⁰ legal product; adults choose to smoke and it's not for government to force them to give up; by all means government [has a] role to play educating people about the health risks of smoking in the same way they have a role to play educating people about the health risks of drinking too much alcohol or eating too much fatty foods and dairy products, but politicians these days seem to be interfering¹¹ in our lives in a way that was unimaginable 20 or 30 years ago," he continued. 

 

Clark also argues that it should be up to the owners of the establishments where the ban is being enforced to choose whether they want them to be smoking or non-smoking areas. However, he acknowledges that the pro-smoking lobby has lost the battle but the war continues. His group intends to keep the pressure on government to amend¹² the law.

 

According to polls, most English people say they are in favor of the ban, but it does have quite a few opponents in that very English institution, the pub. Some pubgoers say it will never be the same after July 1. VOA visited a London pub and spoke⁴ to a few smokers.

"My real objection would be that I don't think it should be legislation I think that it would have been perfectly doable to have made areas within pubs or bars or clubs where people could smoke and those who didn't want to didn't have to," said one smoker. "If it is really about public health and allowing people to not be in smoke-filled environments, then equally you should allow people to be within smoke-filled environments as I clearly would prefer. The idea of legislating¹³ for lifestyle choices is not a good idea in my opinion."

"I am a smoker, but I don't mind the fact that we can't smoke in front of other people," said another smoker. "I look at the civil liberties of my fellow people in the pub. Passive smoking is an obvious fact, so I don't mind the fact that we can't smoke in front of them anymore."

 

A female friend of his who does not smoke said while she has sympathy for her smoking friends, she welcomes the new law.

"I am looking forward to the fact that I can walk into pub or bar and not really have my clothes and hair stinking¹⁴ of smoke at the end of the night so I have to say it's a bonus for non-smokers," she said.

 

So on July 1 no smoking signs will go up in England, just like they have already in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the other countries that make up the United Kingdom.

1 smoker   

n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室

参考例句：

• His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
• He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

2 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。

3 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

4 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。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

7 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

8 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

9 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。

10 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

11 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

12 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

13 legislating   

v.立法，制定法律( legislate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? 为什么那些议员们做在那里不立法？ 来自互联网
• From legislating and protecting peasant's interests organizationally. " 从立法和组织上保护农民利益。 来自互联网

14 stinking   

adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。
• Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的！就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船！是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻