文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）
作者：Rebecca Solnit
原文标题：US companies push guns as blithely and murderously as they once did tobacco
原文发布时间：2 Nov. 2023
US companies push guns as blithely and murderously as they once did tobacco
The gunman who a week ago killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, finished his bloodbath by shooting himself. Like many mass shootings, his rampage appears to have been a suicide that took others with him. Mass shootings draw deserved media attention, but they are a small percent of all gun deaths in the US; suicide is the most common way people die by gun. That is, if you own or have access to a gun, the person you're most likely to kill is yourself. Fifty-four percent of US gun deaths are suicides, which means access to a gun is a major risk factor for dying this way.
This fact, often cited but rarely examined, means the gun industry is pushing guns the same way the tobacco industry pushed cigarettes: their intentions toward their customers are blithely murderous. It also undermines the advertisements and arguments claiming that guns provide safety and protection. Of the 48,117 reported gun deaths in the US in 2022, 26,993 were suicides – a stunning number, a gun death every 11 minutes, the equivalent to a mid-sized town being wiped out annually.
Gun sales went up in Maine after the mass shooting and the two days the public feared a killer on the loose. The desire for protection is understandable but guns rarely provide it. Cases in which guns really are used to protect against harm are far, far, far rarer than the gun lobby and the macho fantasies of skillful gun use fed by films and video games suggest. Guns are rarely actually used in such situations, and when used, are seldom as effective as the fantasies suggest (and sometimes kill bystanders or are used against the gun owner).
美国公司像曾经推销烟草一样，欢快而凶残地推销枪支
精听党背景导读
美国“枪支暴力档案馆”的数据显示，今年截至10月10日，全美已报告至少540起大规模枪击事件。美国儿科医生专家巴尔加瓦9月底接受《米德兰日报》采访时表示，美国已成为一个被困在枪支暴力中的国家，枪支暴力正引发民众的恐惧和焦虑。
文本选自：The Guardian（卫报）作者：Rebecca Solnit原文标题：US companies push guns as blithely and murderously as they once did tobacco原文发布时间：2 Nov. 2023关键词：枪支 烟草 推销
精听党带着问题听
1.“大屠杀”用英语可以如何表达？2. 如何理解第二段的“wipe out”？3. 什么是人们最常见的持枪死亡方式？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
US companies push guns as blithely and murderously as they once did tobacco
美国公司像曾经推销烟草一样，欢快而凶残地推销枪支
push vt. 力劝…接受；推销；1. The interview gave him a chance to push his latest movie. 这次采访使他有机会推销他的新电影。
blithely adv. 快活地；无忧无虑地；
murderously adv. 蓄意谋杀地；凶残地；
tobacco n. 烟草，烟叶；烟草制品；
段一
The gunman who a week ago killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, finished his bloodbath by shooting himself. Like many mass shootings, his rampage appears to have been a suicide that took others with him. Mass shootings draw deserved media attention, but they are a small percent of all gun deaths in the US; suicide is the most common way people die by gun. That is, if you own or have access to a gun, the person you’re most likely to kill is yourself. Fifty-four percent of US gun deaths are suicides, which means access to a gun is a major risk factor for dying this way.
gunman n. 枪手；持枪歹徒；
Lewiston n. 刘易斯顿（美国缅因州西南部城市）；
Maine n. 缅因州（美国州名）；
bloodbath n. 大屠杀；
mass shooting 大规模枪击事件；
rampage n. 暴跳如雷；狂暴行为；
appear to 似乎，好像；
suicide n. 自杀；自杀性的行为；
deserved adj. 应得的；理所当然的；该受的；
a small percent of 一小部分的；
gun death 枪支死亡；
have access to 能够到达或进入某个地方；1. As a member of the club, I have access to the gym and swimming pool. 作为俱乐部的会员，我有权使用健身房和游泳池。
a major risk factor 一个主要的风险因素；
参考译文
一周前在缅因州刘易斯顿杀死18人的持枪歹徒，以自杀结束了他的大屠杀。与许多大规模枪击事件一样，他的暴行似乎是自杀，带走了其他人。大规模枪击事件引起了媒体应有的关注，但它们只占美国所有枪击死亡人数的一小部分；自杀是人们最常见的持枪死亡方式。也就是说，如果你拥有或有权使用枪支，你最有可能杀死的人就是你自己。美国54%的涉枪死亡是自杀，这意味着获得枪支是以这种方式死亡的主要风险因素。
段二
This fact, often cited but rarely examined, means the gun industry is pushing guns the same way the tobacco industry pushed cigarettes: their intentions toward their customers are blithely murderous. It also undermines the advertisements and arguments claiming that guns provide safety and protection. Of the 48,117 reported gun deaths in the US in 2022, 26,993 were suicides – a stunning number, a gun death every 11 minutes, the equivalent to a mid-sized town being wiped out annually.
cite vt. 引用；
rarely adv. 罕有地，很少地；
intention n. 意图，目的；
murderous adj. 蓄意谋杀的；凶残的；
undermine vt. 逐渐损毁；暗中破坏；
claim vt. 声称，断言；
stunning adj. 令人震惊的；极有魅力的；给人以深刻印象的；1. You look absolutely stunning! 你看上去漂亮极了！
equivalent to 等于，相当于；
wipe out 彻底摧毁；消灭；
参考译文
这一事实经常被提及，但很少被研究，这意味着枪支行业正在推动枪支，就像烟草行业推动香烟一样：他们对客户的意图是愉快的杀戮。这也削弱了声称枪支提供安全和保护的广告和论点。在2022年美国报告的48117起枪击死亡事件中，26993起是自杀——这是一个惊人的数字，每11分钟就有一起枪击死亡，相当于每年有一个中等规模的城镇被摧毁。
段三
Gun sales went up in Maine after the mass shooting and the two days the public feared a killer on the loose. The desire for protection is understandable but guns rarely provide it. Cases in which guns really are used to protect against harm are far, far, far rarer than the gun lobby and the macho fantasies of skillful gun use fed by films and video games suggest. Guns are rarely actually used in such situations, and when used, are seldom as effective as the fantasies suggest (and sometimes kill bystanders or are used against the gun owner).
go up 上升；
on the loose 逍遥法外；
protect against 使免受；
rarer adj. 更稀罕的；
gun lobby 枪支游说团体；
macho adj. 大男子气概的；
fantasy n. 梦想，幻想；
as effective as 和…一样有效；
bystander n. 旁观者；
参考译文
大规模枪击事件发生后，缅因州的枪支销量上升，这两天公众担心凶手逍遥法外。人们对保护的渴望是可以理解的，但枪支很少能提供这种保护。枪支真正被用来防止伤害的案例，远比枪支游说团体以及由电影和视频游戏所灌输的熟练使用枪支的男子气概幻想要少得多。枪支实际上很少在这种情况下使用，即使使用，也很少像幻想中那样有效（有时会杀死旁观者或用来对付枪支所有者）。
精听党每日单词
push
/pʊʃ/ vt. 力劝…接受；推销；
blithely
/ˈblaɪðli/ adv. 快活地；无忧无虑地；
murderously
/ˈmɜːrdərəsli/ adv. 蓄意谋杀地；凶残地；
tobacco
/təˈbækoʊ/ n. 烟草，烟叶；烟草制品；
gunman
/ˈɡʌnmən/ n. 枪手；持枪歹徒；
Lewiston
/ˈluːɪstən/ n. 刘易斯顿（美国缅因州西南部城市）；
Maine
/meɪn/ n. 缅因州（美国州名）；
bloodbath
/ˈblʌdbæθ/ n. 大屠杀；
mass shooting
大规模枪击事件；
rampage
/ˈræmpeɪdʒ/ n. 暴跳如雷；狂暴行为；
appear to
似乎，好像；
suicide
/ˈsuːɪsaɪd/ n. 自杀；自杀性的行为；
deserved
/dɪˈzɜːrvd/ adj. 应得的；理所当然的；该受的；
a small percent of
一小部分的；
gun death
枪支死亡；
have access to
能够到达或进入某个地方；
a major risk factor
一个主要的风险因素；
cite
/saɪt/ vt. 引用；
rarely
/ˈrerli/ adv. 罕有地，很少地；
intention
/ɪnˈtenʃ(ə)n/ n. 意图，目的；
murderous
/ˈmɜːrdərəs/ adj. 蓄意谋杀的；凶残的；
undermine
/ˌʌndərˈmaɪn/ vt. 逐渐损毁；暗中破坏；
claim
/kleɪm/ vt. 声称，断言；
stunning
/ˈstʌnɪŋ/ adj. 令人震惊的；极有魅力的；给人以深刻印象的；
equivalent to
等于，相当于；
wipe out
彻底摧毁；消灭；
go up
上升；
on the loose
逍遥法外；
protect against
使免受；
rarer
/'reərə/ adj. 更稀罕的；
gun lobby
枪支游说团体；
macho
/ˈmɑːtʃoʊ/ adj. 大男子气概的；
fantasy
/ˈfæntəsi/ n. 梦想，幻想；
as effective as
和…一样有效；
bystander
/ˈbaɪstændər/ n. 旁观者；
精听党文化拓展
美国司法部报告显示，许多造成群体性伤亡的枪击事件中，袭击者使用的凶器都是半自动攻击步枪，这是美国市场最为热销的枪种。此外，消费者还越发青睐“便宜又好用”、类似最常见美国警用枪的半自动9毫米口径手枪。
另外，在民用市场，普通手枪和杀伤力类比半自动攻击步枪的短管步枪也很受欢迎。按照报告的说法，2020年售出的枪支中，差不多一半、即550万支是普通手枪，其市场份额较2000年翻了一番。另有100万支转轮手枪进入流通。
一个值得注意的情况是，近年来，由个人购买零部件组装、没有生产序列号而难以追踪的“幽灵枪”日益泛滥。利用法律漏洞，个人购买和使用这类枪支可以躲过政府监管，包括无须接受购枪人背景审查，增加了控枪执法难度。
仅2021年，美国执法部门就收缴了19224支“幽灵枪”，而5年前的这个数字是1758支。
强劲的市场需求，拉动美国造枪业20年来“飞黄腾达”：2000年只有2222家注册并运营的枪械制造商，2020年增至16963家。民用枪产量随之暴涨：2000年年产390万支，20年后增至1130万支，不过较2016年的1190万支有所回落。
精听党每日美句
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson
“不要以你收获的成果来评判每一天，而要以你种下的种子来评判。”——罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森