Cigarette smoking is a health hazard of sufficient importance in the United States to warrant appropriate remedial action. It was 50 years ago this month that America"s surgeon-general sounded that warning, marking the beginning of the end of cigarette manufacturing—and of smoking itself— as a respectable activity. Some 20m Americans have died from the habit since then. But advertising restrictions, smoking bans and stigma have had their effect: the proportion of American adults who smoke has dropped from 43% to 18% ; smoking rates among teenagers are at a record low. In many other countries the trends are similar.
The current surgeon-general, Boris Lushniak, marked the half-century with a report on January 17th, declaring smoking even deadlier than previously thought. He added diabetes, colorectal cancer and other ailments to the list of ills it causes, and promised "end-game strategies" to stamp out cigarettes altogether.
Were that to happen America"s three big tobacco firms, Altria, Reynolds and Lorillard, could be
snuffed out
, too. Public health officials plot the same fate for multinationals that supply other markets. The hit list includes Philip Morris International(PMI), which along with Altria makes Marlboro, the top-selling global brand; Japan Tobacco; and British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco of Britain.
They are a hardy group, unlikely to be frightened. But the methods they have used to withstand a half-century of battering by regulators may be losing power. In the rich world, where the economy is stagnant, smokers are trading down to cheaper puffs. The regulatory climate in developing countries is becoming more hostile. New technologies such as e-cigarettes promise to deliver nicotine less riskily. Big tobacco firms may master them, but it would be a radical shift, similar to converting the car industry from internal-combustion engines to battery power. David Adelman of Morgan Stanley, an investment bank, does not " see anything that"s reversing the conventional tobacco business model. " But the model needs adjustment.
Some reasons for Mr Adelman"s confidence are sound. Advertising bans and the industry"s status prevent would-be competitors. When cigarette-makers raise prices, smokers cough up. Global consumption keeps rising, thanks largely to population growth in poorer countries. The cigarette giants indulge investors with big dividends atnd share buy-backs; they have flocked to tobacco share.
单选题
According to Paragraph 1, which one is NOT true?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：选项[A]大意为：美国的吸烟禁令有了效果。该项对应第一段第四句：But adver-tising restrictions，smoking bans and stigma have had their effect．由此我们得知该项表述正确。选项[B]意为：在美国，吸烟导致许多人死亡。该项对应第三句：Some 20m Americans havedied from the habit since then．(从那时起，大约2000万美国人死于这个习惯(指吸烟)。)故我们知道该项表述正确。选项[C]意为：除美国以外，吸烟人口数量越来越多。该项对应最后两句：the proportion of American adults who smoke has dropped from 43％to 18％；smoking ratesamong teenagers are at a record low．In many other countries the trends are similar．其中最后一句的in many other countries对应outside America，“the trends are similar”说明其他国家吸烟人数也在减少，与该项表述完全相反，故该项错误。选项[D]意为：成年人和青少年吸烟率下降了。该项对应“American adults who smoke has dropped from 43％to 18％：smoking rates among teenagers are at a record low．”一句，该项表述正确。综上所述，答案为[C]。
单选题
Boris claimed that smoking______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：根据大写词Boris定位到第二段，而“claimed宣称”对应该段第二行的“declaring宣称”，故答案来自declaring后面的内容。选项[B]中的“prohibited禁止”，选项[D]中的“ended结束”与第三行的“promised‘end—game strategies’to stamp out cigarettes altogether”的表述是一致的，但是文章并没有提到什么时候才能实现禁烟，[B]项的soon和[D]项的in the following half-century是错误的，故这两项是错误的。选项[A]和[C]两项表述接近，与原文也接近，原文提到：He added diabetes colorectal cancer and other ailments to the list of ills it causes．大意为：吸烟导致各种疾病。与选项[A]的表述基本一致，[C]项中的usually一词是错误的，文章并没有讲述吸烟导致疾病的频率有多高，因此答案为[A]。
单选题
The underlined phrase "snuffed out"(Para 3, Line 2)means______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：原文：Were that to happen America’s three big tobacco firms，Ahltria，Reynolds andLorillard，could be snuffed out，too．大意为：如果这件事情发生了，美国三大烟草公司也会被snuffed out。“too”一词说明上文提到了与“snuffed out”意思相同的词，我们找到上一段最后一句:．．．and promised“end-game strategies”to stamp out cigarettes altogether．上文说把香烟stampout，下文又说烟草公司被snuff out，说明snuff out=stamp out。即使两个短语都看不懂，至少我们知道out表示“向外”，把烟草和烟草公司“向外”，自然是表达一个否定的意思。我们来看四个选项：“call out召集，叫喊”；“wipe out擦掉，彻底摧毁”；“find out发现”；“fall out争吵，掉队”。[A]和[C]两项明显是中性，没有否定、贬义的意思，肯定不与snuff out相等，故排除。而[D]项“fall out争吵，掉队”也不符合文章要求，故答案是[B]。
单选题
New technologies like e-cigarettes______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的new technologies like e—cigarettes定位到第四段中间部分：New tech-nologies such as e-cigarettes promise to deliver nicotine less riskily．选项[A]中的produce noharmful chemicals显然与deliver nicotine less riskily不符，原文说的是“less更少危害”，而不是“没有危害”，故[A]项可以排除。[B]和[C]两项文章没有提到。而[D]项对应倒数第二句：David Adelman of Morgan Stanley，an investment bank，does not“see anything that’s reversing theconventional tobacco business model．”其中may not easily对应does not see anything；substituteconventional tobacco(取代传统烟草)对应reverse the conventional tobacco business model(转变传统烟草商业模式)。故该项正确。
单选题
When the price of cigarette goes up, smokers may______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的when the price of cigarettes goes up定位到第五段第二行：When ciga—rette-makers raise price…其中goes up对应raise。故本题答案非常好找，但是不好理解。答案句是smokers cough up。即使不认识“cough up咳出，掏出，勉强说出”，我们也可以通过排除法来解题。首先选项[A]的“have a cough咳嗽”这么字面意思的词可以先排除。其次，选项[B]stop buying it和[D]quit smoking at once表达意思差不多，因此这两项可以排除。从而我们可以得出答案为选项[C]be reluctant to buy it(不情愿购买，勉强购买)。