英酒吧使用防碎酒杯 应对酗酒暴力

The UK government proudly unveiled a shatterproof pint glass on Thursday. Officials said the country would save billions in healthcare costs by coming up with a glass that doesn't double as a lethal weapon.

There are about 87,000 alcohol-related glass attacks each year in the UK, with many resulting in hospital visits, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said, as he introduced the two prototype shatterproof pint glasses.

"Glassing causes horrific injuries and has a lasting and devastating impact on victims and their families," Johnson said. "I hope these designs will help bring an end to such attacks."

Two types of shatterproof glass were unveiled. One has a thin bio-resin coating on the inside that strengthens it, and the other bonds two thin layers of glass together in the same way as car windshields. Both are difficult to break and keep the shards together if they do fracture, rendering them useless as weapons.

The government is touting the prototypes as the first significant improvement in bar glassware in decades. The plan is to introduce the new glasses for use on a voluntary basis in pubs if tests show they are durable, cost-effective and safe.

Alcohol Concern, a charity working to lessen alcohol abuse in Britain, praised the new designs.

"We're very much in favor," chief executive Don Shenker said. "There has been good local research showing this could reduce the use of glass in violent incidents."

Half of all violent assaults in Britain are alcohol-related and it has become common for drinkers to smash glasses and use them as weapons, he added.

"You are five times more likely to be involved in a violent incident if you are in or around a licensed bar," he said. "There is a clear correlation."

The government estimates that alcohol-related problems cost the National Health Service roughly 2.7 billion pounds ($4.3 billion) per year.

In the North London district of Camden, where heavy drinking bouts are commonplace, bartender Mirjam Linzie said the staff at the Elephants Head pub would welcome safer glasses.

"One time there was a big fight and 50 glasses were smashed in one minute," she said. "One man smashed a glass over another one's head. One person's eye was popping out. It was a bloodbath. There was glass raining. People were hiding behind the counter."

英国政府于上周四高调推出一种防碎玻璃酒杯。据有关官员介绍，这种玻璃杯无法再被用作互相袭击的“致命武器”，可为英国节省数十亿的医疗开支。

英国内政大臣阿兰•约翰逊在展示两种新推出的防碎玻璃杯时介绍称，英国每年发生约8.7万起因喝酒引发的玻璃杯袭击事件，许多遭到袭击的人不得不被送往医院。

约翰逊说：“玻璃杯袭击事件会造成严重的伤害，并会对受害者及其家人带来持久和毁灭性的影响。我希望这种新杯子的使用将终止此类事件的发生。”

目前推出的防碎玻璃杯有两种，一种是在杯子内层涂上一层薄薄的生物树脂进行加固，另一种是像制作汽车挡风玻璃一样，将两层薄玻璃结合到一起。这两种杯子都不容易被弄碎，即使碎了，碎片也仍然连在一起，不会伤到人。

英国政府称这是数十年来首次对酒吧使用的玻璃杯做出显著改进。如果实验证明这种杯子确实耐用、节约成本又安全，那么政府计划以自愿的原则在酒吧推广这种新型杯具。

英国一家致力于减少酗酒暴力行为的慈善组织“关注酗酒”对这一新举措表示赞同。

该组织理事长唐•辛克说：“我们十分赞同。对当地民众的调查显示，这种杯子的使用会减少玻璃杯暴力袭击事件的发生。”

他说，英国一半的暴力袭击事件都是由醉酒造成的，而醉酒者往往喜欢用玻璃杯当作武器攻击别人。

他说，“如果你在一家有酒类销售许可证的酒吧或其附近，你被牵涉进一场暴力事件的可能性要大五倍。二者之间具有明显的联系。”

据英国政府估计，英国国民医疗保健体制每年要为因喝酒引发的问题支付约27亿英镑（合43亿美元）的费用。

伦敦北部的卡姆登区是酗酒打架事件的高发区，该区一家名为“象头酒吧”的招待米莉亚•琳琪说，酒吧的员工将会很欢迎这种安全性更高的杯子。

“这里曾发生过一次严重的打架事件，当时50只杯子瞬间被摔碎。一名男子用杯子砸向另一个人的头，还有一个人眼睛暴出，真是一场血战。当时的情景是玻璃乱飞，像下雨一样，人们都躲到吧台后面去了。”

Vocabulary:

pint: a container with a pint capacity 一品脱的容器

double as sth.: to have another use or function as well as the main one 兼任；兼作

prototype: the first design of something from which other forms are copied or developed 原型；雏形；最初形态

shard: a piece of broken glass, metal, etc. （玻璃、金属等的）碎片

tout: to try to persuade people that somebody/something is important or valuable by praising them/it 标榜；吹捧；吹嘘

bloodbath: a situation in which many people are killed violently 大屠杀