2006年VOA标准英语-Activists Accuse Tobacco Industry of Under

By Lisa Schlein
Washington
09 February 2006

Anti-tobacco campaigners accuse tobacco companies of undermining a global tobacco control treaty and national policies based on it. They are urging delegates attending a World Health Organization conference on strengthening the implementation² of the treaty to resist pressure from the industry.

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Anti-tobacco activists³ say the World Health Organization's Global Tobacco Control Treaty owes much of its success to strong leadership from developing countries. They note that 122 countries, representing more than 70 percent of the world's population have ratified⁴ the treaty. Many of these countries already have changed their legislation to reflect tougher policies against smoking.

For example, a representative of the U.S.-based Corporate⁵ Accountability International, Kathryn Mulvey, says countries such as India and Thailand have introduced effective, comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising⁶, promotion⁷ and sponsorship.

"At the same time, throughout the treaty negotiations⁹, the tobacco giants - Philip Morris/Altria based in the U.S., British American Tobacco based in the U.K. and Japan Tobacco - have really fought the treaty's negotiation⁸ and now are engaging in tactics all over the world from Nigeria to Mexico and other places in Latin America in an attempt to interfere¹⁰ in the treaty's implementation," she said.

Akinbode Oluwafemi of Environmental Rights Action in Nigeria says tobacco lobbyists try to undermine implementation of the treaty by bribing¹¹ politicians and journalist.

 "They have also arranged holidays for parliamentarians. They have tried very well to bribe¹² people in the media. They have sponsored programs for journalists. You know awards for journalists where you win computers. And, let me tell you that a laptop is a big award for journalists in developing countries…You know the media helps a lot to mobilize public support, public agenda for tobacco control and they use this indirectly¹³ to get at the media to shift the debate," he said.

Despite this Oluwafemi says Nigeria ratified the treaty at the end of October, bringing the number of African countries to have done so to 26.

Representatives of the tobacco industry are not attending the conference and have not been available for comment.

The World Health Organization reports an estimated five million people a year die prematurely¹⁴ from tobacco-related illnesses. It predicts tobacco will claim 10 million lives a year by 2030 if current smoking trends continue.

The two-week meeting in Geneva aims to strengthen the provisions of the treaty. It also seeks financing to help poor countries implement¹ the treaty. A major concern is to help rural farmers who depend on tobacco cultivation¹⁵ for their livelihoods¹⁶ shift to other crops.

1 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

2 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

7 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

8 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

11 bribing   

贿赂

参考例句：

• He tried to escape by bribing the guard. 他企图贿赂警卫而逃走。
• Always a new way of bribing unknown and maybe nonexistent forces. 总是用诸如此类的新方法来讨好那不知名的、甚或根本不存在的魔力。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

12 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

13 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

14 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

15 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

16 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。