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 become 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 smoking
B．smoking ban comes into force in England
C．there’s no smoking in Buckingham Palace
D．smoking is against the law in England小题2:Which of the following places may still be smoking areas in England?
A．Private houses
B．Taxis.
C．Restaurants.
D．London clubs小题3:The underlined word “offset” in paragraph 5 probably means “________”.
A．decreased
B．raised
C．encouraged
D．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）