今天带大家精读的几段话选自经济学人20190914一期的Leaders板块E-cigarettes一文。讲的是电子烟的流行在美国所带来的争议，文章不涉及任何专业知识，难度中等，其中有很多表达和语言点值得我们学习和模仿。
原文
E-cigarettes are not good for you. The vapour that vapers inhale is laced with nicotine, which is addictive. Some of the other chemicals in it may be harmful. But vaping is far less dangerous than smoking tobacco—a uniquely deadly product. If people turn to e-cigarettes as a substitute for the conventional sort, the health benefits are potentially huge. Smoking kills 450,000 Americans every year, and a staggering 7m people worldwide.Anything that weans people off tobacco is likely to save lives.
The big worry about e-cigarettes is that they will create a new generation of nicotine addicts. Some people who have never previously smoked have taken up vaping, including a worrying number of children. In America, for example, one quarter of high-school pupils vape.
This is alarming, and helps explain why so many governments, such as those of Egypt, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and Brazil, have banned e-cigarettes. They should not. Prohibition usually causes more harm than good. Forbidding e-cigarettes will lead vapers to buy illicit products—the type that are far more likely to poison them. It will also deter many law-abid- ing smokers from switching to something less deadly.
第一段
①E-cigarettes are not good for you. ②The vapour that vapers inhale is laced with nicotine, which is addictive. ③Some of the other chemicals in it may be harmful. ④But vaping is far less dangerous than smoking tobacco—a uniquely deadly product. ⑤If people turn to e-cigarettes as a substitute for the conventional sort, the health benefits are potentially huge. ⑥Smoking kills 450,000 Americans every year, and a staggering 7m people worldwide. ⑦Anything that means people off tobacco is likely to save lives.
①E-cigarettes are not good for you. ②The vapour that vapers inhale is laced with nicotine, which is addictive. ③Some of the other chemicals in it may be harmful.
第①句看上去很像段落的中心句，其中关键词为not good。②③两句是对第①句的展开，addictive和harmful对应第①句的not good。
第一句当中用了you这个人称，这在正式的英文写作中(书信除外)是不允许的。在正式的英文写作中，我们可以改成人称代词us或者people/users/smokers。
E-cigarette当中的E是英文单词electronic的缩写，表示电子的。类似的词还有e-reader电子阅读器，e-book电子书。注意，中间的连字符不能漏掉。如果是全称的话就不需要缩写，如electronic book。
vaper这个词在很多英语词典当中是查不到的，因为这是一个近些年出现的新词，所以还未被很多词典收录。其实我们可以通过上下文来推测出这个词的意思。第一句话说到e-cigarette，说明下文说的是关于吸电子烟，根据vaper的构词法可知，vaper可能是一类人，那么放在这个语境中就是吸电子烟的人，类似于smoker。实际上vaper来源于动词vape。vape又是来源于vapour(蒸气)，表示吸蒸气。
inhale [ɪnˈheɪl](to breathe air, smoke, or other substances into your lungs) 吸入。in-表示向内的，与之相反的是ex-。呼气就是exhale。类似词还有ingest摄入(食物)。
laced with与...掺和在一起。
nicotine尼古丁。根据单词的发音就能猜出来单词的中文意思。
④But vaping is far less dangerous than smoking tobacco—a uniquely deadly product. ⑤If people turn to e-cigarettes as a substitute for the conventional sort, the health benefits are potentially huge.
第④句转折，既然前面讲的是电子烟的缺点，那么下面可能就要讨论电子烟的优点了。第④句的far less dangerous实际上就相当于safer，也就是电子烟的优点。第⑤句是对safer的具体解释说明。由此可见，第④句才是段落的中心。
vaping在这里也可以通过上下文推测出来。上面讲了，vape是吸电子烟。那么vaping就是吸电子烟的行为。而且第④句话将vaping和smoking tabacco进行了比较。由此可见，vaping是与smoking tabacco相对的行为，也就是吸电子烟。
外刊中除了deadly，还经常出现另一个表示致命的词：lethal，比如下面这篇关于高温杀手的文章，同时出现了这两个词：
sort在句子中的功能相当于ones，用于代指前面出现的名词(cigarettes)。不同的是，sort是将前面出现的名词当成一个整体，表示某类东西。第三段出现的type也是这种用法。
turn to A as a substitute for B是个非常好的写作句型，比如写到环境污染的解决措施时，可以说：
If cities turn to renewables such as solar power as a subsititute for the conventional/traditional sort, urban environment may be greatly improved.
conventional/traditional sort指的就是煤炭等传统燃料。
其中，a substitute for也可以替换成an alternative to，这个表达在上面一张图当中也出现了。注意两个表达搭配的介词的不同。
the health benefits are potentially huge这句话写的非常简洁地道。如果是我们写很可能会写成：it may be very beneficial to their health.
作者直接省去了人称代词their，将对形容词的修饰(very beneficial)变成了对名词的修饰(health benefits are huge)，使得表述更加简洁形象。这里的potentially表示可能地，are potentially就相当于may be。
⑥Smoking kills 450,000 Americans every year, and a staggering 7m people worldwide. ⑦Anything that weans people off tobacco is likely to save lives.
第⑥句当中的smoking指的是传统的烟，和第⑦句的tabacoo一样。⑥⑦两句通过反面论证强调了电子烟的优点，即比传统烟更安全。
staggering表示令人震惊的。经常放在数值前面用来形容数值。其作用一方面是形容程度之大，另一方面是表达作者的语气。这里的staggering也可以替换成surprising。这类词除了修饰具体的数值，还可以变成副词修饰形容词，比如：
The number of people who dropped out of school last year is staggeringly/surprisingly high.
翻译成中文就是，数量高的惊人。staggeringly在这里不仅拥有very的功能(强调程度)，还包含语气。
细心的同学可能会注意到，staggering前面有个不定冠词a，而修饰的名词成分7m people却是一个复数。实际上，7m people在句子中是作一个具体的数值，因此是单数形式。
再比如：The cost was a surprising $10 million. 如果将形容词修饰词去掉，就是The cost was $10 million.
worldwide既可以作副词，也能作形容词。如
Our company employs 1,500 staff worldwide.
a worldwide reputation
类似的一个词：nationwide
wean sb off sth(to make someone gradually stop doing something you disapprove of)使某人逐渐放弃某事。相当于make someone quit sth。
Anything that...is likely to...翻译成中文就是“只要...就有可能...”，比如写到现代人们的生活方式时，可以说：
Anything that encourages people to adopt a less sedentary lifestyle is likely to improve their physical health.只要能鼓励人们改掉久坐不动的生活方式，就有可能提高他们的身体健康。
参考译文
电子烟对人们身体不好。电子吸烟者吸入的烟当中掺入了尼古丁，而尼古丁是容易使人上瘾的物质。烟当中的一些其他化学物质可能也有害。但是吸电子烟相比于吸传统的烟(一种独特的有害产品)来说，要安全的多。如果人们将电子烟作为传统烟的替代品，对他们的健康可能会有巨大的好处。每年美国有45万人因吸烟而丧命，而在世界范围内，这一数值为700万，这一数值十分惊人。只要让人们远离传统烟，就能拯救生命。
第二段
①The big worry about e-cigarettes is that they will create a new generation of nicotine addicts. ②Some people who have never previously smoked have taken up vaping, including a worrying number of children. ③In America, for example, one quarter of high-school pupils vape.
worry在这里作名词表示令人担忧的问题(a problem that you are anxious about or are not sure how to deal with)，在写到事情可能存在的问题时，就可以用worry替代problem。
比如写到人工智能的负面影响时，可以说：Another major worry is that artificial intelligence may make many low-skilled workers redundant.
addict是个名词，表示有瘾的人。比如玩手机上瘾的人：screen addicts。第一段还出现了addict的形容词形式addictive。
take up(to start doing something regularly as a habit, job, or interest)开始做某事。如Some people may take up swimming when they want to lose weight.
worrying令人担忧的。在写作中可以用这个词来形容一些现象或趋势，如That many people rely on social media to obtain information is a worrying trend.
worrying在这里的用法同第一段的staggering，可以用来形容数值之高，也可以变成副词worryingly使用，比如前面staggeringly下面举的例句就可以变成：
The number of people who dropped out of school last year is worryingly high.
参考译文
人们对于电子烟的一大忧虑就是，电子烟将滋生新一代的吸尼古丁上瘾的人。一些从未吸过烟的人也开始吸电子烟了，包括一些儿童，其数量令人担忧。以美国为例，有四分之一的高中生吸电子烟。
第三段
①This is alarming, and helps explain why so many governments, such as those of Egypt, Mexico, Singapore and Brazil, have banned e-cigarettes. ②They should not. ③Prohibition usually causes more harm than good. ④Forbidding e-cigarettes will lead vapers to buy illicit products—the type that are far more likely to poison them. ⑤It will also deter many law-abiding smokers from switching to something less deadly.
①This is alarming, and helps explain why so many governments, such as those of Egypt, Mexico, Singapore and Brazil, have banned e-cigarettes. ②They should not.
这一段紧接上一段，第①句的This代指上一段的吸电子烟的人数多，并引出了当前一个现象，即反对电子烟。第②句在内容上相当于转折(should not)，也就是对这些政府的行为进行批评，从这里可以看出来作者的态度依然是支持电子烟。
alarming就相当于worrying。两个形容词都是由使动词变过来的：worry sb/alarm sb使某人担忧。alarming也可以变成副词alarmingly，用法类似worryingly：
The number of people who dropped out of school last year is alarmingly high.
They should not.是非正式的表达。在正式的英文写作中，我们应该写成They should not have done so.其中done so代指上一句的动作banned e-cigarettes。
③Prohibition usually causes more harm than good. ④Forbidding e-cigarettes will lead vapers to buy illicit products—the type that are far more likely to poison them. ⑤It will also deter many law-abiding smokers from switching to something less deadly.
第③句为本段的中心，即禁烟弊大于利。④⑤两句并列(also)，为两个具体的弊端(harm)。
第④句话当中的破折号与第一段第④句当中的破折号作用相同，都是引导同位语，对前面的名词成分进行解释说明。
这一段当中，用了多种表达来表示禁电子烟，第①句的动词形式banned e-cigarettes、第③句的名词形式prohibition、第④句话的动名词形式Forbidding e-cigarettes和第⑤句话的代词it。在平时写作中我们也可以进行模仿。
cause more harm than good表示弊大于利，上一篇精读文章中还讲到过一个类似的表达：do more harm than good。利大于弊就是do more good than harm。这些地道表达都可以用在写作当中，尤其是在讨论一个社会现象或趋势的利弊时。
lead sb to do sth导致某人做某事。相当于cause sb to do sth。如Differences over minor issues may lead couples to break up.
这句话也可以改成Differences over minor issues may lead to a break-up between couples.
illicit [ɪˈlɪsɪt](not allowed by the law or rules)非法的。与illegal是同义词。
deter sb from doing sth (to make someone decide not to do something)使某人打消做某事的念头。如Raising the price of oil may deter potential drivers from driving when going out.
deter也可以直接使用，比如上面那句话就可以改成：Raising the price of oil may deter potential drivers.
law-abiding遵守法律的。将这个词变成动词短语就是abide by the law遵守法律。表示遵守(法律/规定)的词还有obey、comply with
switch to表示改变，相当于turn to。前面举的例句：
If cities turn to renewable energy such as solar power as a subsititute for the conventional/traditional sort, urban environment may be greatly improved.
就可以变成：
If cities switch to renewable energy such as solar power as a subsititute for the conventional/traditional sort, urban environment may be greatly improved.
参考译文
这种现象令人担忧，并且有助于解释为什么如此多的国家政府，包括埃及、墨西哥、新加坡和巴西政府，已经禁止了电子烟。他们不应该这么干。禁止电子烟有时弊大于利。禁止电子烟会导致电子吸烟者去购买非法产品，而这种非法烟更容易对他们健康造成危害。禁止电子烟也会阻止很多遵守法律的吸烟者选择更安全的产品。
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