在网上，可乐被称为“肥宅快乐水”，因为它含糖量高，喝多了容易长胖。现在有些地方会对可乐等含糖饮料征收额外的税，目的是减少其消费量，从而在一定程度上缓解肥胖问题。
Tax on sugar may work
by Amrit K. Kamboj, M.D.
Can a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages help mitigate the consumption of these products? The answer may be yes, according to a new study carried out in Berkeley, California, where a so-called "soda tax" has been in effect since 2015.
sweeten /ˈswiːt(ə)n/ v. 使变甜（由sweet加后缀-en变成动词）
beverage /ˈbev(ə)rɪdʒ/ n. 饮料
mitigate /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/ v. 缓解、减轻
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃ(ə)n/ n. 消耗、食用
California /ˌkælɪˈfɔːniə/ n. 加利福尼亚（美国西部的州）
so-called 所谓的、叫做…的
soda /ˈsəʊdə/ n. 苏打汽水（通称，指加糖、有汽、不含酒精的饮料）
be in effect 已生效、在实施中
Why impose a tax on sugary drinks? Sugar-sweetened beverages are the leading source of added sugar in the American diet, and they've been associated with weight gain, obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, all of which are pervasive public health concerns across the country.
impose /ɪmˈpəʊz/ v. 强加、强制执行
sugary /ˈʃʊɡ(ə)ri/ adj. 含糖的（由sugar加后缀-y变成形容词）
leading /ˈliːdɪŋ/ adj. 最重要的
source /sɔːs/ n. 来源
associate /əˈsəʊʃieɪt/ v. 联系、关联
gain /ɡeɪn/ n. 增加
obesity /əʊˈbiːsəti/ n. 肥胖
diabetes /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ n. 糖尿病
pervasive /pəˈveɪsɪv/ adj. 到处都是的、随处可见的
concern /kənˈsɜːn/ n. 让人担忧的事
About 50 percent of adults and 63 percent of children and teens drink at least one sugary beverage each day, including soda, sports drinks, fruit drinks that aren't 100% juice, energy drinks and sweetened coffees and teas.
energy drink 能量饮料、功能饮料
For these reasons, the city of Berkeley imposed an excise tax of $0.01 per ounce for sugar-sweetened beverages in March 2015 in an effort to cut down on the consumption of these drinks. It worked, according to a study from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.
excise /ˈeksaɪz/ tax 消费税
ounce /aʊns/ n. 盎司（1美制盎司=30毫升）
cut down 减少、削减
The study found that between 2014 and 2017, the consumption of sugary drinks dropped by 52 percent. During the same time period, water consumption rose by 29 percent, according to the study. By comparison, there were no significant changes in sugary beverage consumption in the two cities closest to Berkeley – Oakland and San Francisco.
comparison /kəmˈpærɪs(ə)n/ n. 比较
significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪk(ə)nt/ adj. 显著的
"The prevalence of obesity and diabetes is the highest it has ever been in the United States, despite 20 years of alarm about this," said Dr. Kristine Madsen, faculty director for the Berkeley Food Institute at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. "Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single dietary item that has been shown to cause obesity."
prevalence /ˈprev(ə)ləns/ n. 随处可见、盛行
alarm /əˈlɑːm/ n. 警报
faculty /ˈfæk(ə)lti/ n. （大学里的）学院
institute /ˈɪnstɪtjuːt/ n. 学院、研究所
single /ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l/ adj. 单一的、单独的
dietary /ˈdaɪət(ə)ri/ adj. 饮食的（由diet加后缀-ary变成形容词）
cause /kɔːz/ v. 造成
The study's results were based on information from questionnaires given to 1,513 people in Berkley and 3,712 people in Oakland and San Francisco over the three-year period. Some were given the surveys before the tax went into effect and others were given the survey afterward.
base /beɪs/ v. 以…为基础、基于
questionnaire /ˌkwestʃəˈneə(r)/ n. 调查问卷
survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ n. 问卷调查
go into effect 生效
But while the study offers a glimpse into the potential effects of a soda tax, it also had a few limitations. For one, there was a relatively small amount of people surveyed and self-reported studies tend to have higher margins of errors.
glimpse /ɡlɪmps/ n. 一瞥、一眼
potential /pəˈtenʃ(ə)l/ adj. 潜在的
limitations /ˌlɪmɪˈteɪʃ(ə)nz/ n. 局限、局限性
relatively /ˈrelətɪvli/ adv. 相对地
survey /səˈveɪ/ v. 做问卷调查（注意它做动词和做名词时发音不同）
tend /tend/ v. 倾向于
margin /ˈmɑːdʒɪn/ of error 误差范围
Since Berkeley implemented its tax, other cities have followed suit, including Oakland, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle and Boulder, Colorado. At least 10 countries now have similar taxes including the United Kingdom and Mexico. In Mexico, specifically, a peso-per-liter excise tax on sugary beverages has led to 5 to 10 percent drop in purchases of them since 2014.
implement /ˈɪmplɪment/ v. 执行、施行
follow suit 跟着做、照着做
Colorado /ˌkɒləˈrɑːdəʊ/ n. 科罗拉多州（美国西部的州）
Mexico /ˈmeksɪkəʊ/ n. 墨西哥
specifically /spəˈsɪfɪk(ə)li/ adv. 具体说（由specific加后缀-ally变成副词）
peso /ˈpeɪsəʊ/ n. 披索（墨西哥货币单位）
lead to 导致
purchase /ˈpɜːtʃəs/ n. 购买
（如果您使用的是火狐浏览器，可能会发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，这是简书系统的Bug，换成Chrome或其他浏览器就能正常显示了。）
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