US Signs Global Tobacco Treaty

　　1. The United States has taken the first step toward approving a global tobacco treaty that promises to help control the deadly effects of tobacco use throughout the world.1 Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)this week at the United Nations. The Senate must still approve the treaty before the US can implement its provisions.

　　2. The FCTC was developed by the World Health Organization and approved by members of the World Health Assembly,including the United States,last year. Countries that ratify it would be required to enact strict tobacco control policies.2

　　3. For instance,cigarettes sold in those countries would have to have health warnings on at least 30% of the front and back of every pack.3 The treaty calls for higher tobacco taxes,restrictions on smoking in public places,and more promotion of tobacco prevention and cessation programs. It also requires bans on tobacco advertising,though there are some exceptions for countries like the United States,where the Constitution prohibits such an outright ban.

　　4. The impact of the treaty could be huge. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco use kills nearly million people worldwide every year. In the US alone,about 440,000 people die each year from tobacco-related illnesses; about one-third of all cancers in the US are caused by tobacco use. If current trends continue,WHO estimates,by 2025 tobacco will kill 10 million people each year.

　　5. The treaty must be ratified by at least 40 countries before it can take effect.So far,109 countries have signed it,and 12 have ratified it.

　　練習(xí)：

　　1.Paragraph l _______

　　2.Paragraph 2 _______

　　3.Paragraph 3 _______

　　4.Paragraph 4 _______

　　A What the FCTC Demands

　　B US Signing of the FCTC

　　C Opposition to the FCTC

　　D How the FCTC Came into Being

　　E What the FCTC Will Bring about

　　F Ratification of the FCTC

　　5.Signing the FCTC is only the first step toward _______.

　　6.Countries that ratify the FCTC will have to,among other things,_______.

　　7.It is hoped that the FCTC will greatly help to reduce deaths _______.

　　8.Much more countries have signed the FCTC than those that _______.

　　A have ratified it

　　B approving it

　　C implement its provisions

　　D restrict smoking in public places

　　E caused by tobacco use

　　F including higher tobacco taxes

　　答案與題解：

　　1.B　文章第一段主要講美國(guó)朝著批準(zhǔn)一項(xiàng)全球性煙草協(xié)議邁出了第一步，這一步指的就是美裹本周在聯(lián)合國(guó)簽署了煙草控制框架性協(xié)議(FCTC)一事。

　　2.D　文章第二段簡(jiǎn)要介紹了煙草控制框架性協(xié)議的形成過(guò)程。

　　3.A　文章第三段列舉了煙草控制框架性協(xié)議的一些具體要求。

　　4.E　文章第四段通過(guò)列舉吸煙所造成的危害旨在說(shuō)明實(shí)施煙草控制框架性協(xié)議將產(chǎn)生的影響。

　　5.B　通過(guò)文章的第一句可知，簽署煙草控制框架性協(xié)議只是批準(zhǔn)該協(xié)議的第一步。

　　6.D　文章第二段說(shuō)，通過(guò)煙草控制框架性協(xié)議的國(guó)家必須實(shí)施嚴(yán)格的煙草控制措施，而文章的第三段便列舉了具體應(yīng)實(shí)施的措施，其中便包括限制在公共場(chǎng)所吸煙。

　　7.E　文章第四段的第一句說(shuō)，實(shí)施煙草控制框架性協(xié)議將產(chǎn)生巨大的影響。接下來(lái)便列舉了吸煙所造成的巨大危害。可見(jiàn)人們希望該協(xié)議的實(shí)施將大大減少吸煙所造成的危害，尤其是大量的死亡。

　　8.A　從文章的第五段可知，簽署煙草控制框架性協(xié)議的國(guó)家的數(shù)量大大超過(guò)批準(zhǔn)該協(xié)議的國(guó)家的數(shù)量。