LONDON (AP) — England joins on Sunday the growing list of places that ban smoking in public buildings, taxis and other places including even Buckingham Palace with a tough law.
Pubs, clubs and restaurants will all be smoke-free. Taxi and delivery drivers have been warned that they too could be fined 50 pounds, or about $100, if caught lighting up inside work vehicles.
Experts say the bans have bee an irreversible (不可逆转的) tread because of greatly rising health costs and public uneasiness over second-hand smoke. Some of the strictest smoking bans are in the United States, even though there is no federal anti-smoking policy. New York and Florida have strict bans, while California has certain outdoor smoking bans.
Spain, Italy, Iran, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Uruguay and new Zealand have passed legislation(立法) to restrict smoking. France banned smoking in many public places in February and plans to extend the ban to cafes and restaurants next year. Finland is introducing a ban in 2009.
Despite the spread of bans, the World Health Organization predicts a steady rise in tobacco sales. In its Tobacco Atlas, the WHO said that by 2030 there will be “at least another two billion smokers in the world” and an expected decrease in male smokers “will be offset by an increase in female smoking rates, especially in developing countries.”
In advance of the English ban, anti-smoking ads have coated bus stops and the British government has subsidized(资助) programs to help people quit. The rest of Britain—Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland —already have smoking bans in place.
【小题1】The first two paragraphs mainly tell us A．Buckingham Palace bans smokingB．smoking ban es into force in EnglandC．there’s no smoking in Buckingham PalaceD．smoking is against the law in England【小题2】Which of the following places may still be smoking areas in England?A．Private housesB．Taxis.C．Restaurants.D．London clubs【小题3】The underlined word “offset” in paragraph 5 probably means “ ”.A．decreasedB．raisedC．encouragedD．balanced【小题4】What do we know from the passage?A．Smoking has strictly been forbidden in cafes in France.B．There is an extremely strict smoking ban everywhere in America.C．Smoking situation is still serious across the world.D．Related ads didn’t appear in England until the English ban was lifted.（解除）B
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(答案→)B
解析：本文介绍了在世界各地展开的禁烟活动，但虽然各国都展开了活动，抽烟的人数仍然不少，形式仍然很严峻。
【小题1】B 段落大意题。前两段讲述的是在英国很多的地方都禁止吸烟。说明的禁烟令的实施，故B正确。
【小题2】A 细节题。根据文章第二段Pubs, clubs and restaurants will all be smoke-free. Taxi and delivery drivers have been warned that they too could be fined 50 pounds, or about $100, if caught lighting up inside work vehicles.说明BCD三个地方都不允许抽烟，A项文章没有提及，故A正确。
【小题3】D 推理题。根据本句an expected decrease in male smokers “will be offset by an increase in female smoking rates, especially in developing countries.说明男性抽烟的下降和女性抽烟的上升形成平衡，故D正确。
【小题4】C 段落大意题。根据文章倒数第二段说明虽然在世界上很多的地方都禁止抽烟了，但是整个的形式仍然不乐观，抽烟的人仍然很多，故C正确。