时间:2018-12-11 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2016年(一月)


英语课

Lesson 24


                                  Want to Kill Yourself ?


                                            Text A


    I wonder whether smoking is as harmful as doctors make us believe it to be? Some of the things they say are really hair-raising, and even if only half of what they say is true , then it is , if not suicidal, at least a self-inflicted chronic 1 disease.


    This afternoon our League branch organized a discussion on the harmful effects of smoking and what effective measures should be taken to prevent young people from smoking. According to our form master , 50 % of our class smoke , or have smoked at one time or another. If that is true, then all the boys because we make up about 50 % of our class- I can hardly believe that.



I, for one, certainly don't smoke, though I must admit I did once take a few puffs 2 just out of curiositys , but you can't call that smoking.
    The discussion was quite a lively one. The girls , of course , all spoke 3 in one voice against smoking , but for the most part , they had nothing original to offer besides repeating what we can read in the papers and popular science magazines. At first the boys listened in glum 4 silence and I could see boredom 5 and disdain 6 on their faces. Then the cross-fire between Fatty and Liu Dandan livened the meeting up.


Dandan has always been something of an actress and in her theatrical 7 manner she went on and on describing how bad a cigarette tastes. Fatty couldn't contain himself any longer and muttered under his breath, "Heavens , you must be a very experienced smoker 8! " Everybody burst out laughing and Dandan spluttered with rage. The girls rallied round her and began to attack Fatty. Of course we could have none of that and the classroom was soon in uproar 9.



    "All right you boys and girls , that is quite enough. Show some sense. " Our form master's firm voice had quite a sobering effect and order was restored again. "Those who do smoke, please put up your hands. " Taken by surprise, nobody made any move. "Come on. There is nothing to fear. This is not for punishment.



I only want statistics. I only want information so that we can really find out something about smoking. " We looked at each other. First Fatty, then about half a dozen boys raised their hands. Then our form master proceeded to ask each of them why they smoked and whether they liked smoking. Did they ever try to give it up? Why not? And so on and so on. Soon he didn't have to ask any questions as we all volunteered information and the discussion became very lively and the atmosphere relaxed.



    Some interesting facts came out. Family and surroundings play a very important part in influencing smokers 10. All those who smoke come from smoking families or are surrounded by smoking friends and relatives. Films and TV plays also play a part. In the past only villains 11 smoked and drank. Now heroes also smoke and drink, and heroes now are mostly young people with the "spirit of the 80s" fighting feudalism and conservatism.


As to those who smoked and have given up , they did so because they didn't enjoy smoking and found it too expensive. Very few people think about health dangers. All those who still smoke admit that they don't derive 12 any great pleasure out of smoking. Srncking haa not bccome a a.a:rdenecl habit with them and they could give it up easily if thcy really wanted to. They just haven't felt any urgent need to do it.
    A very interesting and rewarding discussion . Those smokers who haven't given much thought to their smoking will, I'm sure, give more thought to it now.



                                            Text B


    Few people like changing their habits , good or bad , and , whether it is smoking, drinking or over-eating, they continue `enjoying' them to the end, often the bitter end. On every packet of cigarettes and in every advertisement , Americans are warned against the dangers of smoking, "Warning ; The Surgeon Gcneral Has Determined 13 That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health".


In spite of this, millions of them start smoking or go on smoking. Why ? One reason rnay be that people watch their 'heroes' on TV drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and fighting their way from adventure to adventure, `heroes' who seem to fear nothing, neither killing 14 other people nor killing themselves with alcohol and cigarettes.


 If they are not afraid of the effects of smoking and drinking alcohol, why should John Smith , sitting at home in his armchair watching all this, be afraid? The simple warning on the cigarette packet does not influence his "hero's" habits either. But even stronger warnings, likc showing pictures of smokers who have lost a leg or died of canccr, seem to have no effect on people's smoking habits. Knowing and believing seem to be two different things.


 The young girl smoking a cigarette in the advertisement runs the risk of dying of cancer in a few years. The smoker sitting next to you may have a heart attack next week. But don't worry ! The chance of dying in an accident is just as great. Particularly if enough people agree with one advertiser that driving a car at 212 m. p. h. and smoking interesting cigarettes is all that life is really
about.


 


                               Additional lnformation


                                              (A)


                                    World 'No Tohacco' Day
    People in all parts of the world are observing "No Tobacco Day". It is the day when the World Health Organization appeals to people to stop using tobacco products. The W-H-O hopes if people stop smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco for one day, they will stop permanently 15.



    The day includes special observances and awards ceremonies in onehundred-sixty-six countries. The target group for this year's "No Tobacco Day" is women. Organizers want to make sure women know the dangers of smoking.
    Health experts have warned for years that smoking can lead to heart disease, cancer and other problems. The World Health Organization says diseases linked to smoking kill at least two-million five-hundred-thousand persons each ycar.



    Still, many people find it difficult to stop smoking. One reason is nicotime,
a substance found in cigarettes. Nicotine 16 is a drug. 'The effects of nicotine are similar to the effects of cocaine 17 and heroin 18.
    "No Tobacco Day" is aimed at smokers and those who earn money from tobacco sales. So businesses are asked to stop selling tobacco products for twenty-four hours. Newspapers are asked not to publish advertisements for cigarettes.



    Two important developments have been observed in recent years. In inciustrial count.ries, the number of smokers has been falling about one percerit a vear. But in developing countries, the number has bcen rising two percent a year.
    This is the result of increased efforts by tobacco companies to sell their products in developing countrics.



    The World Health Organization has approved plans to help reach its goal of a 'smoke-free' world. One urges governments to offer tobacco farmers the chance to earn money by growing other crops. Another involves improved public information campaigns about the dangers of smoking.


                                              (B)



MIRIAM   Yeah, when, when did you start smoking?
STEVE   Well, I started when I was, er, about sixteen, and I really started  because
   I. . . well , I think my family smoked and that really made me want to,  er,...
   really; somehow it was like growing up.
MIRIAM   Yeah.
STEVE   And, of course, my friends around me were smoking and when we, when we
   left school we'd go over the park and have a s... , and have a quick cigarette.
   And er, I mean, I do remember when I first started that I didn't really draw
   cigarettes at all because I didn't really know how to do it and I didn't think
   it was very pleasant ; and it's only as time goes by you get more and more
   involved in that,erm, in that process until finally you've ... you  realise
   that you, you can't give up. And, in fact, when I first started I used to
   pretend that I was so hooked that I couldn't give up, because it was like
   being a child-it was like being a, being a grown-up. You know, grown-ups say
   they can't give up smoking, they wish they couldn't smoke and I used to pretend
   to say that.And of course , by the time it really happens it's too late.
   It doesn't mean the same thing any more. You actually want to give up but you
   can't.
MIRIAM   I've smoked since I was eighteen and I started , er. . as you did , sort of ...
   sort of socially. And it wasn't a lot of fun to start with.
STEVE   Right.
MIRIAM   It was quite embarrassing, sometimes, you know. You get srnoke in your eyes and
   your eyes would water and it's a dead give-away that you've only just started.
STEVE   Mmm.
MIRIAM   Er. And I didn't care for the taste all that much but everybody. . . people  
   smoked. . . I mean I started smoking a long time ago before anything was
   known about cancer and, er... it was just the thing to do. And as, as you said,
   it was a... , it was being grown-up. It was drawing that line, you know:
   I am, now grown up.
ANNE   I should think I started at nine. .. I started. No, I really started my first  
   year at university. Everybody else smoked. It was just the thing to do.And
   now not.so many people smoke, it's ... it seems to me that it was an awful
   waste of time and money. But my father smoked and my mother didn't so it was
   always a split thing in the house. I don't know, I really.. I think it probably
   just was a social habit more than anything else.
JOHN   Like most people , I started smoking at school , foolishly. Er , I was offered  
   cigarettes by other, er, children and in those days, I suppose smoking was the
   equivalent of drug taking today; er, that it was considered, erm, ... erm,...
   fashionable and sophisticated and adult to smoke.



1 chronic
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
2 puffs
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧
  • We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里,轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
  • Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句
3 spoke
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 glum
adj.闷闷不乐的,阴郁的
  • He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.他是一个很有魅力的人,时而忧伤时而欢笑。
  • She laughed at his glum face.她嘲笑他闷闷不乐的脸。
5 boredom
n.厌烦,厌倦,乏味,无聊
  • Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
  • A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。
6 disdain
n.鄙视,轻视;v.轻视,鄙视,不屑
  • Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
  • A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。
7 theatrical
adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的
  • The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果,叫人失望。
  • She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。
8 smoker
n.吸烟者,吸烟车厢,吸烟室
  • His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
  • He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。
9 uproar
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸
  • She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
  • His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。
10 smokers
吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
  • Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。
11 villains
n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 );罪犯;(小说、戏剧等中的)反面人物;淘气鬼
  • The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
12 derive
v.取得;导出;引申;来自;源自;出自
  • We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
  • We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。
13 determined
adj.坚定的;有决心的
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
14 killing
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
15 permanently
adv.永恒地,永久地,固定不变地
  • The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
  • The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
16 nicotine
n.(化)尼古丁,烟碱
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
17 cocaine
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂)
  • That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
  • Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
18 heroin
n.海洛因
  • Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
  • Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。
学英语单词
Afro pick
air afterheater
antihistories
auriiodide
basket type tower
beating off
beckes
biofabrication
blast sand with tumbling barrel
bottle-os
California Conservation Corps
Cavallo, C.
cerebral parasitic disease
certifiable disease
cheer pine
Ciasna
clik
coincidence resolution time
collector dotting
complete game
contact sheet
control centers
counterbracing
coupled gate
cry content with
Cymatine
dimethyl sulfone
drive sb to the wall
eated
edge crack
external service chain
feather away
felkin
finger fuck
fire resisting door
firetubes
fossile fuels
Fuentidueňa
gave a damn
gleyization
Gln-glutamine
glossiest
grid-controlled arc rectifier
high molecular weight high density polyethylene (hmwhdpe)
Holme
hortencia
igniter squib
Incomplete Fault Liability System
inconsonances
intermediate axle left wheel brake tube
irritable breast
knee-pan
knights bannerets
large amounts of
ligher
Like lambs to the slaughter
lipscomb
lubritoriums
maladie de coit
mesh impedance
minocycline
modern physics
monocillium arctiicola
multimedia journalism
non-stochastic
Nuers
o'ahu
optics of superconductor
oriented sheet
paleophytotaxonomy
pantsula
pastoral
petals
phonier
plate type contact freezer
poor eyesight
prctica
price discrimination
pseudotachylites
public job
pulse measuring oscilloscope
radar mine
radio mirage
reinforcement of multi-openings
robotic
saccharophilous
sacrifice sale
schizaphis (paraschizaphis) scirpi
showcase
Sri Lankans
St Helens Pt.
standing on one's head
swing over gap
Tap Mun Chau/Grass Island
taxation on separate income
transformation on variables
two-wheel undercarriage
utica gracilipes
visual monitor
windows are protected
wireless fog signal
zygoes