Every year more than 400,000 American deaths are caused by smoking. Reports state even second-hand smoke causes lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

Think about these questions. What do you think about them?

1-What do you think should be done to avoid the evils of smoking?

2-What laws should there be against smoking? Should it be banned in public places? Should it be illegal for cigarettes to be sold to anyone under 18?

Passage

Smoking

      Many people who smoke today would never have started smoking if they had known the facts about smoking and its harmful effects on the body. These people formed the habit before the facts were available. Once the habit of smoking is established, it is a very difficult one to stop.

      Research studies have shown that the more and the longer a person smokes, the greater are his chances of developing a serious illness. Lung cancer is perhaps the most serious illness caused by smoking. Cigarette smoke weakens the lungs’ usual defenses against foreign substances. Its chemicals, in particular its tar and nicotine, accumulate on the lining of the air passages, and may eventually penetrate and injure the living cells. Cancer cells may then develop.

      Smoking can also lead to cancer of the throat and mouth. It can also cause emphysema. In emphysema the lungs become inefficient in supplying oxygen to and removing carbon dioxide from the blood. In addition, constant smokers are more liable to get serious heart disease in adult life than are nonsmokers, because smoking overworks the heart.

      Besides these serious dangers, smoking has other disadvantages. It causes shortness of breath, an unpleasant cough, sinus headaches, and a general loss of energy. Smoking irritates the membranes of the throat, nose, and mouth. The sense of smell is eventually affected. A bad taste may be left in the mouth after smoking, which may, in turn, dull the appetite and the enjoyment of food. Smokers tend to catch more colds than nonsmokers do. Other disadvantages of smoking include bad breath and tobacco stains of the fingers, fingernails, and teeth.

      The best way, of course, to avoid the evils of smoking is to never take up the habit. For those who are already addicted, the best way to stop is to give up smoking all at once. Cutting down on cigarettes gradually seems to work for some people, however. In either case, the first few days or weeks seem to be the most difficult. During this period, many people find it helpful to chew gum. Keeping oneself busy and active also helps. Many individuals find giving up smoking easier if they pamper themselves in some way, maybe by spending cigarette money on book, candy, or something else they want.

      One way to reduce the harmful effects of smoking is not to inhale. How far down the cigarette is smoked is also significant, since the impurities are more concentrated in the last third of the cigarette. Switching to pipes and cigars decreases the likelihood of developing lung cancer, but the risk of developing cancer of the lips increases.

      Many methods have been suggested to solve the problem of cigarette addiction. They have to some extent been effective. However, it has been proved that being aware of the dangers posed by all drugs, including cigarettes, is the most effective way to persuade one to never from the habit.

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New words

Weaken (v.)

Make sb physically less strong and healthy;

Become less strong and healthy:

She began to weaken after running for miles.

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Tar (n.)

A black substance formed by burning tobacco:

High-tar cigarette

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Accumulate (v.)

Make or become greater in quality:

Dust soon accumulates if the rooms are not swept.

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Lining (n.)

Tissue covering the inner surface of sth, e.g. an organ of body:

The stomach lining

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Passage (n.)

A tube in your body for air or liquid to pass along or pass through:

His air passages were blocked.

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Penetrate (v.)

Make a way into or through sth:

The heavy rain had penetrate right through her coat

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Emphysema (n.)

A disease that affects the lungs and makes breathing difficult:

Heavy cigarette smoking often causes emphysema

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Inefficient (adj.)

Not working in the best possible way:

Heating system is inefficient

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Supply (v.)

Provide sb/sth with sth that they need or want:

They used the money to supply the school with new textbooks.

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Liable (adj.)

Likely:

We are liable to make mistakes when we are tired.

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Overwork (v.)

(cause to) work too much or too hard:

He looks exhausted, they’re overworking him.

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Breath (v.)

Take air into your lungs through your nose or mouth and let it out again:

He leaned against the door, breathing deeply.

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Sinus (n.)

One of the several empty spaces in the bones of your face in the area behind your nose:

They always have sinus problem in the summer.

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Irritate (v.)

Hurt a part of your body, making it painful, red, or swollen:

At first my contact lenses irritated my eyes.

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Membrane (n.)

A soft, thin layer of skin covering or connecting parts of the body:

The delicate membranes of the throat

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Dull (v.)

Make a feeling weaker:

The drug can dull the pain.

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Evil (n.)

Something that brings sorrow, trouble, or destruction:

It must be evident to all of you that we need more customers.

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Cut down (on sth) (v.)

Start doing less of sth, esp because it is bad for your health:

He is trying to cut down on salt.

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Chew (v.)

Bit sth continuously but not swallow it:

We’re not allowed to chew gum in class.

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Gum (n.)

A sticky substance sweetened and flavored for chewing:

He walked down the street chewing gum a piece of gum.

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Pamper (v.)

Be too kind and generous to:

He pampered himself after a hard day at work.

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Inhale (v.)

Breathe sth in:

That miner has inhaled coal dust into his lungs

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Impurity (n.)

The state of being mixed with another substance of poorer quality:

In that place, they remove impurities from silver.

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Concentrate (v.)

Bring something together in one place:

The population is concentrated along the river banks.

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Switch (v.)

Shift or change:

He switched the conversation to a different topic.

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Likelihood (n.)

The chance that sth might happen:

There is a strong likelihood that he will run for president next year.

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Pose (v.)

Create a difficult or dangerous situation:

The increase in the number of students poses many problems for the universities.