2024考研英语同源外刊12月:为什么说英国的电子烟是一笔大生意？
Even after Britain’s ban on indoor smoking came into force in 2007, the smell of cigarette smoke was never far away. It wafted across pub gardens and lingered outside workplaces. Today you are almost as likely to inhale the scent of blue razz lemonade or the “refreshing, mellow tones” of watermelon.
即便在2007年英国颁布了室内禁烟令后，烟草的气息仍然难以消散。它在酒馆的庭院里飘散，在办公室的门口徘徊。而如今，你吸到的烟味，很可能是蓝色柠檬水的香气或西瓜的“清新、醇厚”的味道。
Almost one in ten Britons is now a regular or occasional user of electronic cigarettes. On current trends vaping is set to become more common than smoking by the mid-2020s. But many in the industry fear that a government consultation, due to conclude in December, will be followed by a regulatory clampdown.
如今，英国有近十分之一的人经常或偶尔吸电子烟。按照现有的发展势头，到本世纪20年代中期，电子烟的普及程度将会超过传统香烟。然而，许多行业人士忧心忡忡，政府的一项咨询即将于12月结束，届时或许会出台更为严苛的管制政策。
Catering to Britain’s 4.7m vapers is increasingly big business. A report for the industry, carried out by the Centre for Business and Economic Research, a think-tank, put the industry’s turnover at £2.8bn ($3.4bn) in 2021 and calculated that it supported almost 18,000 jobs. The number of vapers has risen by almost a third since.
迎合英国470万电子烟用户的需求已成为一个日渐壮大的商业领域。由智库商业和经济研究中心为行业撰写的报告显示，该行业在2021年的营业额达到了28亿英镑（34亿美元），并创造了近1.8万个就业机会。从那时起，电子烟使用者的人数增长了将近三分之一。
The country has almost 3,500 specialist vape shops, according to the Local Data Company, a research firm. The largest chain, VPZ, was founded in Leith, in Edinburgh, in 2012 and now has more than 150 stores across Britain. The firm began manufacturing its own liquids in Scotland in 2016. It reported turnover of £36m in 2022, up by almost 60% over five years.
据研究机构本地数据公司的统计，英国有近3500家专营电子烟的店铺。其中最大的连锁品牌，VPZ，于2012年在爱丁堡的利斯区成立，如今在英国各地拥有超150家分店。该公司自2016年起在苏格兰开始生产自有品牌的雾化液。据报道，该公司在2022年的营业额达到了3600万英镑，较五年前增长了近60%。
The industry’s rapid growth partially reflects a supportive stance from public-health authorities. Although many governments have sounded cautious on the potential health benefits of inhaling nicotine by breathing in a vapour rather than tobacco smoke, the National Health Service has consistently made the case for switching. In April the government announced a “swap to stop”’ scheme that will give free vape starter-sets to up to 1m smokers, the first scheme of its type globally.
行业的迅猛发展部分归功于公共卫生机构的鼎力支持。虽然许多政府对于通过吸入雾化液而非烟草烟的方式来摄取尼古丁的健康效益持保留意见，但国家卫生服务系统（NHS）一直为吸烟者转用电子烟提供了充分的理由。今年4月，政府推出了一个“换烟戒烟”方案，将为多达100万名烟民免费发放电子烟初级套装，这是全球首创的此类方案。
In recent years the industry has also been one of few direct beneficiaries of Britain’s cost-of-living squeeze. An average packet of 20 cigarettes now costs £14.57, compared with around £5 for roughly the same number of puffs from a disposable vape and half that for the equivalent amount of nicotine in a refillable device. More and more cost-conscious smokers have been making the switch.
近年来，这个行业也是英国生活成本攀升的少数直接受益者之一。一包20支的香烟现在要花费14.57英镑，一支一次性的电子烟能吸大概相同的次数，却只需5英镑左右，而一种可充电的电子烟设备里含有相当于一包香烟的尼古丁量，价格更是只有一半。因此，越来越多的精打细算的烟民已经改用电子烟了。
But clouds loom. Just six months after announcing the giveaway of vaping kits, the government unveiled a consultation on vaping regulation that appears to herald a much tougher line. The change in attitude has been driven by two related issues—rising use of disposable devices and concerns over under-age vaping.
但是麻烦也随之而来，就在宣布免费赠送电子烟套件的半年后，政府推出了一项有关电子烟监管的咨询，似乎意味着一种更加强硬的立场。导致态度转变的是两个相关的问题——一次性设备的使用增加，以及对未成年人吸食电子烟的忧虑。
Material Focus, a charity, thinks that sales of single-use devices have doubled since 2022 and are running at 360m a year. Rex Zhang, the strategy director at China-based Smoore International, the world’s largest vape manufacturer, reckons that Britain accounts for about 40% of the European disposables market. Supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations and launderettes all stock them.
慈善组织Material Focus估计，一次性设备的销售量自2022年起已经翻了一番，每年高达3.6亿个。世界最大的电子烟制造商，总部位于中国的斯摩国际的战略总监雷克斯·张认为，英国在欧洲一次性电子烟市场中占据了约40%的份额。这些电子烟在超市、便利店、加油站和洗衣店都能买到。
Both the Local Government Association and the Scottish government have called for a total ban on disposables. That’s partly because most of them wind up in landfill. It’s also because youngsters can get hold of them easily. Although sales to under-18s are already illegal, enforcement is patchy. Responses to freedom-of-information requests covering ten London boroughs and the 11 largest provincial cities revealed that between 2018 and 2021 there were only 21 successful prosecutions for illicit vape sales and the total value of all fines was a minuscule £2,188.
地方政府联合会和苏格兰政府都要求全面取缔一次性电子烟设备。这一方面是因为它们大部分都会被丢弃在垃圾堆里，另一方面是因为青少年可以轻易地买到它们。尽管向未成年人销售已经是非法的，但执行力度并不完善。对涵盖10个伦敦区和11个最大的省级城市的信息自由请求的回复显示，从2018年到2021年，只有21宗非法销售电子烟的案件被成功起诉，而所有的罚款加起来也只有区区2188英镑。
Incumbents are open to more regulation. Douglas Mutter, a director at VPZ, says that sales of disposable devices account for less than 15% of its revenue. The industry is calling for a licensing scheme, similar to that required to sell alcohol, and automatic fines of up to £10,000 for breaches
现有的厂商对于更严的监管是持欢迎态度的。VPZ的一名董事Douglas Mutter表示，一次性设备的销售只占其收入的不到15%。行业正在呼吁建立一个类似于销售酒类所需的许可制度，以及违规者将自动被处以高达1万英镑的罚款。
What it does not want is for the government to follow Australia and some American states by banning flavours to reduce the appeal of vaping to young people. Even ex-smokers tend to prefer flavours. “Just because kids are buying alcohol doesn’t mean we should only be allowed methylated spirits to drink,” is how one attendee at a vaping-industry bash in London put it this week. According to Mr Zhang, Britain is a global leader on vaping regulation. International manufacturers will be watching to see if the industry’s prospects smell as sweet as the vapours it produces.
该行业不希望政府效仿澳大利亚和一些美国州的做法，通过禁止各种风味来减少电子烟对青少年的诱惑。就连戒烟者也多半喜欢各种风味。本周在伦敦一个电子烟行业聚会上，一位参与者这样说，“不能因为孩子们在买酒，就让我们只能喝酒精”。据张先生介绍，英国是全球电子烟监管的领先者。国际厂商将会密切关注行业的前景是否和它们制造的雾化液一样甜美。
写作搭配
1、According to ……, …… is a global leader on ……. International …… will be watching to see if the industry’s prospects smell as sweet as …… it produces.
释义：根据……的说法，……在……方面是全球的领导者。国际的……将会关注这个行业的前景是否和它生产的……一样香甜。
例句：According to The New York Times, France is a global leader in perfume. International consumers and fashionistas will be watching to see if the industry’s prospects smell as sweet as the enchanting fragrances it produces.
翻译：根据《纽约时报》的说法，法国在香水方面是全球的领导者。国际的消费者和时尚界将会关注这个行业的
According to the article, what is the main benefit of switching from smoking to vaping?
A. It can save money, as vaping devices and liquids are cheaper than cigarettes.
B. It can improve health, as vaping devices and liquids are less harmful than cigarettes.
C. It can increase choice, as vaping devices and liquids have more flavours than cigarettes.
D. It can reduce waste, as vaping devices and liquids are more environmentally friendly than cigarettes.
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