经济学人:全球自杀率下降的背后(3)

 Efforts to curb¹ access to the means to kill oneself can help, too. 限制自杀途径也能有所帮助。

Suicide is surprisingly impulsive². 自杀通常都是意料之外的冲动所致。

A study of young Chinese women who had tried to kill themselves showed that three-fifths had been contemplating³ suicide for less than two hours, and one in ten for less than a minute. 一项针对试图自杀的中国年轻女性的研究表明，五分之三的女性在不到两个小时的时间里一直在考虑自杀，十分之一在不到一分钟的时间里就考虑过自杀。

Of 515 people who had survived the leap from San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge between 1937 and 1971, 94% were still alive in 1978—which suggests that a suicide postponed⁴ is likely to be a suicide prevented. 在1937到1971年间，从旧金山金门大桥跳下去的515名幸存者，94%在1978年仍然在世——这表明推迟自杀很可能就是预防自杀。

Governments can do a lot to put self-slaughter a little further out of reach. 各国政府可以采取更多措施让自杀更难实现。

The most toxic⁵ pesticides⁷ account for one-seventh of suicides. 自杀的人当中用有毒农药的人数最多，占七分之一。

When South Korea outlawed⁸ paraquat in 2011, it saw a decline in suicides but no drop in agricultural output. 2011年，韩国宣布“百草枯”为违禁品，但并没有影响农业产出。

Requiring potentially lethal⁹ medicines to be sold only in small quantities, as some countries have done with aspirin¹⁰ and paracetamol, has also been shown to help. 致命的药物规定只能以少量出售，正如某些国家限制购买阿司匹林和扑热息痛，也起到了帮助抑制自杀的作用。

But the most effective measure of all is limiting access to guns. 但最有效的措施还是限枪。

Half of all Americans who commit suicide shoot themselves, and the overall rate in America is about twice that in Britain, which has strict gun controls. 半数自杀的美国人是开枪自杀的，美国整体自杀率约为严格控枪的英国的两倍。

The difference in gun ownership largely accounts for the state-by-state variation in suicide rates. 枪支拥有率的差异很大程度上解释了各州自杀率的差异。

The media can also do their bit. 媒体也可尽自己的力量。

Suicide is strangely contagious¹¹. 自杀有怪异的传染性。

When Robin¹² Williams, an actor, killed himself in 2014, his method and motives¹³ were reported in great detail. 2014年，演员罗宾·威廉姆斯自杀时，其自杀方法和动机被详细报道。

Researchers calculated that there were 1,800 more suicides than would otherwise have been expected in the next four months, often using the same method. 研究人员计算出，在接下来的四个月里，自杀人数比原本预计的要多出1800人，自杀方法都相同。

Journalists should cover such tragedies in less detail, and with more restraint. 记者在报道此类悲剧时，应少些细节，多些限制。

For a few people—those who are terminally ill, in severe pain and determined¹⁴ to die—suicide may be the least terrible option. 对少数人来说——那些身患绝症、痛苦不堪、决心求死的人——自杀或许并非糟糕的选择。

In such circumstances, and with firm safeguards, doctors should be allowed to assist. 在这种情况下，在有严格保障的前提下，应允许医生提供协助。

But many of the 800,000 people who kill themselves each year act in haste, and more could be saved with better health services, labour-market policies and curbs¹⁵ on booze, guns, pesticide⁶ and pills. 但每年自杀的80万人当中，有很多在匆忙中结束自己的生命，更多人本可能会因更好的医疗服务、劳动力市场政策和对酒精、枪支、杀虫剂和药片的限制而挽救生命。

America, in particular, could spare much pain by learning from the progress elsewhere. 特别是美国，可从别国吸取先进经验，从而减轻很多痛苦。

 

1 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

2 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

3 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

4 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

5 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

6 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

7 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

9 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

10 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

11 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

12 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

13 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

14 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

15 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句