拒绝二手烟为何这么难？|《纽约时报》外刊精读|she|外刊|译文|语法|阿曼达

这是一直夫妇的第 916 篇文章

当你在等红绿灯时，总能遇到这样一类人。他们或骑着自行车、摩托车，或坐在汽车中，但做出了同一个自认为潇洒的动作，将烟在车把上或者伸出车窗外，抖几抖，然后吞云吐雾，不知天地为何物。

至于二手烟的危害？他们是决计不会考虑的。但凡会考虑到别人的健康，怎么会在人群拥挤的路口喷出一行行烟圈？

Amanda Zhang was planning a quiet dinner out with her mother, who had recently undergone surgery for lung cancer. But as Ms. Zhang walked through a shopping mall, she was suddenly confronted by clouds of cigarette smoke in the corridor outside the restaurant.

整段译文：阿曼达 · 张原本想带刚做完肺癌手术的母亲安安静静地出门吃顿饭。可当她穿过一座购物商场，来到那家餐厅外的走廊时，烟雾弥漫，阵阵烟味扑面而来。

undergo

四级 + 考研词汇

很常用的一个动词，表示 to experience sth, especially a change or sth unpleasant「经历，经受」变化、不快的事等。它由 under 和 go 组成，字面意思是「走到……下面」。假设事情是有形的实体，那么我们可以理解成：一个人从某件事情下面走过去，也就是亲身承受、经历这一过程。

正所谓「人教人教不会，事教人，一次就会」，亲身经历才有切实体验。例如 undergo treatment「接受治疗」，undergo a transformation「经历转变」。对应的过去式为 underwent。2026 年英一选项刚考过。

confront

四级 + 考研词汇

这个词多次在「外刊精读训练营」介绍过，足可见其使用频率之高。前缀 con- 表示「面对面」，front 是「正面」，故字面含义为「正面朝向对方」，实际含义便是「与某人对峙」。后来，它衍生出其他几个义项。比如它可以表示问题、困境等「使……无法回避」。常用于被动语态，构成 be confronted with。be confronted with a difficult choice 就是「面临艰难的选择」。

第三，它还表示 to deal with something very difficult or unpleasant in a brave and determined way「勇敢地面对，正视」。我们需要 confront our problems 才能解决问题。来看 2025 年六级阅读。

This statistic represents a flood of issues we've failed to confront as a nation.

这一数据折射出的是我们作为一个国家始终未能正视的问题洪流。

Worried about her mother’s health, Ms. Zhang, a student in her 20s, approached the source, a middle-aged couple, and pointed out that smoking in indoor public areas was not allowed in Nanjing, a city in eastern China. When they persisted, she went into the restaurant, pulled out her phone and began photographing them through the window.

整段译文：出于对母亲健康的担忧，这位二十多岁的在校生朝烟雾的源头走去。那是一对中年夫妇。她指出在南京这座中国东部城市的室内公共场所不允许吸烟。对方不为所动，她便走进餐厅，掏出手机，隔着玻璃窗拍下了他们。

approach

同样是「精读训练营」的常客。作动词时，它一方面表示「接近，走近」，如 approach the building「走近建筑物」，也可以引申为某个时间、某事件「临近」，如 Winter is approaching「凛冬将至」。

第三，它还常用于表示「着手处理，应对」，approach a problem 就是「处理一个问题」。因此咱们可用它替换常用的 deal with, solve 等。上周我们在《》学过了一个类似短语，大家还记得不？dispose of。

indoor public areas

指「室内公共场所」。indoor 是形容词，表示「室内的，户内的」，反义词大家都猜到了对吧？outdoor。那么 indoors 是怎么回事？这是它的对应副词。

The man rushed inside and started berating her. He shoved his own phone in her face, taking photos. His family members, who were also eating at the restaurant, joined in the scolding. “If you don’t want to breathe smoke, stay home!,” his daughter can be heard screaming in a video Ms. Zhang recorded, which was reviewed by The New York Times.

整段译文：那名男子冲了进来，对她破口大骂，还把自己的手机杵到她脸前，把她拍下来。他的家人当时也在餐厅用餐，加入指责的行列中。「不想闻烟味，就待在家里！」《纽约时报》核实了张女士录下的一段视频，期间可以听到他女儿尖声叫嚷。

berate /bɪˈreɪt/

表示 to criticize or speak angrily to sb「痛斥，训斥」，语气比 criticize 和 scold 更重，用于表达强烈不满、愤怒。berate sb for sth 意思是「因某事斥责某人」。来看《经济学人》。

It shows up in the behaviour of employees who phone in and bosses who bully and berate.

这在那些敷衍了事的员工以及欺凌辱骂下属的老板身上体现得淋漓尽致。

shove /ʃʌv/

指「猛推，乱挤」这个动作，相比 push 来说较为粗暴或者更粗心。伦理、宫斗类电视剧经常有 A 把 B 推下楼梯的戏码，英文就是 shove sb down the stairs。

The crowd was pushing and shoving to get a better view.

人们挤来挤去，想看得清楚点儿。

While tensions have simmered for years, disputes over smoking are becoming more visible — often amplified by social media — as a younger generation increasingly confronts smokers in public venues and demands stronger enforcement of rules.

整段译文：尽管相关矛盾已郁积多年，但围绕吸烟问题的争议正日益凸显，因为年轻一代更频繁地在公共场所与吸烟者正面交锋，并呼吁加大执法力度。这些冲突往往经由社交媒体传播而被更多人知道。

simmer /ˈsɪmə/

本义是「用小火慢煮，煨」，液体保持在接近沸腾但没有剧烈沸腾的状态，因此很自然地引申为情绪、矛盾、紧张局势等 to develop for a period of time without any real anger or violence being shown「即将爆发，酝酿」。2024 年英二阅读考过这个词。

Instead, says Coyle, resentment is simmering among many as the benefits are perceived to go to elites in a handful of prosperous cities.

相反，科伊尔表示，许多人心中的不满情绪正在不断积聚，因为人们认为这些好处都落到了少数几个繁荣城市中的精英阶层手中。

amplify

六级 + 考研词汇

前几天刚学过，忘记的同学可移步

“My mother told me not to meddle in others’ business, even though she has lung cancer,” Ms. Zhang said in an interview. “But the smokers have become out of control these days.”

整段译文：「我去制止，我妈还会觉得我多管闲事，哪怕她自己有肺癌，」阿曼达 · 张在接受采访时说，「但是近两年吸烟者越来越猖狂。」

meddle in others’ business

意思是「多管闲事，干涉别人的事情」。meddle /ˈmedl/ 表示「干涉，插手」，通常带有贬义，强调插手本来不关自己的事。常见结构是 meddle in sth。这里的 business 不是「生意」，而是「私事，事务」。这个表达和 mind your own business「管好你自己的事」相近。

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