Recently, Baltimore, Maryland, became the largest city in the United States to ban restaurants from including sodas and other sugary drinks on their menus for children. 近期，馬裡蘭州巴爾的摩市成為美國禁止餐廳在兒童菜單中加入碳酸飲料和其它含糖飲料的最大城市。
Now, Baltimore's restaurants can only offer milk, water or 100 percent fruit juice as drinks with meals meant for children. 現在，巴爾的摩的餐廳只能給兒童提供牛奶、水或100%純果汁作為兒童套餐的飲料。
At places to eat in the city, boys and girls can still drink soda. 在該市的各大餐館，兒童仍然可以飲用碳酸飲料。
But an adult will have to order it for them. 但是必須由成年人代為購買。
Restaurants failing to obey the new law face a $100 fine. 不遵守新法律的餐廳將面臨100美元的罰款。
Doctor Leana Wen is Baltimore's Health Commissioner. 利阿娜（Leana Wen）博士是巴爾的摩的衛生專員。
She said that the "law will help families make the healthy choice the easy choice." 她說，這項法律將幫助家庭更輕鬆地做出健康選擇。
"The science is clear," Wen said. "One of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity is sugary drinks." 利阿娜表示：「科學證據十分明確。含糖飲料是兒童肥胖的罪魁禍首之一。」
She added that "childhood obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and early death." 她補充說，「兒童肥胖是導致糖尿病、心臟病和早逝的主要風險因素。」
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, in Baltimore, one in three school-aged children is obese. 美國疾病控制和預防中心報告稱，巴爾的摩有三分之一的學齡兒童肥胖。
CDC officials define obesity as weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy weight for a given height. 該中心的官員將肥胖定義為：體重高於某一特定身高的健康體重。
A federal study of Baltimore showed that about one in four schoolchildren drink soda every day. 巴爾的摩的一項聯邦研究顯示，有四分之一的學齡兒童每天飲用碳酸飲料。
The America Heart Association suggests that children two years of age and older drink no more than one 227-gram soda per week. 美國心臟協會建議，2歲及以上年齡的兒童每周飲用碳酸飲料不超過227克。
The CDC website states that nationwide "the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s. 美國疾病控制與預防中心網站指出，自上世紀70年代以來，全國「受肥胖症影響的兒童和青少年的比例增加了兩倍以上」。
Records from 2015 and 2016 show that nearly 1 in 5 school-age children and young people (6 to 19 years) suffer from obesity. 2015年和2016年的數據表明，近五分之一的學齡兒童和6-19歲的青少年患有肥胖症。
The Restaurant Association of Maryland opposes the new law. 馬裡蘭州的餐廳協會反對這項新法律。
It says Baltimore's restaurants are already facing enough business challenges. 該協會表示，巴爾的摩的餐廳面臨的商業挑戰已經足夠多了。
It warns the law will make those challenges even worse. 它警告說，這項法律將導致這些商業挑戰更為嚴苛。
Other smaller U.S. cities – seven in California and one in Colorado -- have already banned sodas from children's restaurant menus. 美國其它一些較小的城市，其中加州7個城市和科羅拉多州的1個城市已經禁止在兒童的菜單中列出碳酸飲料。
However, Baltimore is the first large city to take this step. 然而，巴爾的摩是採取這一措施的首個大城市。
Whether or not such bans are approved in other cities, both large and small, remains to be seen. 這類禁令是否能在其它大或小城市獲批仍然有待觀察。
I'm Anna Matteo. 安娜·馬特奧為您播報。