( A ) Japan’s smoking rate has dropped below 20 percent for the first time, according to a new survey, as a recent rise
in cigarette prices helped to further discourage the habit. The proportion of adult smokers stood at 19.7 percent, down 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier and the lowest rate since the survey started in 1965. The number of smokers in Japan stands at about 20.6 million, according to the study, which is conducted by
cigarette monopoly Japan Tobacco (JT). About 30.3 percent of adult men and 9.8 percent of adult women were
smokers, it said. The overall figures put Japan roughly on par with the United States, where the Centers for Disease
Control estimates that some 18.1 percent of the adult population smokes.
The survey was conducted a month after Tokyo raised sales taxes for the first time in 17 years, pushing up the
price of cigarettes, alcohol and other consumer goods. JT said Japan’s rapidly aging population may also be playing a
role in lowering smoking rates, along with public health campaigns and tighter rules on where people can light up.
Many restaurants still allow smoking, although the number of non-smoking areas or outright bans is growing.
Japan’s smoking rate peaked at 49.4 percent in 1966, when a record 83.7 percent of adult men and 18.0 percent
of women smoked, the company said. The rate declined in the ensuing decades, slipping below 30 percent in 2004.
【題組】34. Which of the following are likely to contribute to the drop of Japan’s smoking rate?
(A) The decline of death rate.
(B) A recent rise in cigarette prices.
(C) Japan’s rapidly aging population.
(D) Tighter rules on where people can smoke.
(E) The allowance of smoking in many restaurants.
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