Passage Eighteen
If you smoke and you still don t believe that there s a definite link between smoking and bronchial troubles, heart disease and lung cancer, then you are certainly deceiving yourself. No one will accuse you of hypocrisy. Let us just say that you are suffering from a bad case of wishful thinking. This needn t make you too uncomfortable because you are in good company. Whenever the subject of smoking and health is raised, the governments of most countries hear no evil, see no evil and smell no evil. Admittedly, a few governments have taken timid measures. In Britain for instance, cigarette advertising has been banned on television. The conscience of the nation is appeased, while the population continues to puff its way to smoky, cancerous death.
You don t have to look very far to find out why the official reactions to medical findings have been so lukewarm. The answer is simply money. Tobacco is a wonderful commodity to tax. It s almost like a tax on our daily bread. In tax revenue alone, the government of Britain collects enough from smokers to pay for its entire educational facilities. So while the authorities point out ever so discreetly that smoking may, conceivable, be harmful, it doesn t do to shout too loudly about it.
This is surely the most short-sighted policy you could imagine. While money is eagerly collected in vast sums with one hand, it is paid out in increasingly vaster sums with the other. Enormous amounts are spent on cancer research and on efforts to cure people suffering from the disease. Countless valuable lives are lost. In the long run, there is no doubt that everybody would be much better-off if smoking were banned altogether.
Of course, we are not ready for such a drastic action. But if the governments of the world were honestly concerned about the welfare of their peoples, you d think they d conduct aggressive anti-smoking campaigns. Far from it! The tobacco industry is allowed to spend staggering sums on advertising. Its advertising is as insidious as it is dishonest. We are never shown pictures of real smokers coughing up their lungs early in the morning. That would never do. The advertisement always depict virile, clean-shaven young men. They suggest it is manly to smoke, even positively healthy! Smoking is associated with the great open-air life, with beautiful girls, true love and togetherness. What utter nonsense!
For a start, governments could begin by banning all cigarette and tobacco advertising and should then conduct anti-smoking advertising campaigns of their own. Smoking should be banned in all public places like theatres, cinemas and restaurants. Great efforts should be made to inform young people especially of the dire consequences of taking up the habit. A horrific warning say, a picture of a death s head should be included in every packet of cigarettes that is sold. As individuals, we are certainly weak, but if governments acted honestly and courageously, they could protect us from ourselves.
1. Why do a few governments take timid measures toward smoking?
because they are afraid of people.
Because diseases cost a lot.
Because they are afraid of the cutting down of their revenue.
Because they are afraid of manufacturers.
2. The tone of this passage is
critical.
ironical.
distaste.
amusing.
3. What does the sentence because you are in good company mean?
you are backed by the government.
You are not alone.
You have good colleagues.
Governments are blind to evils of smoking too.
4. What is the best title of this passage?
World Governments should conduct serious campaigns against smoking.
World governments take timid measures against smoking.
smoking is the most important source of income to many countries.
tobacco industry spends a large sum of money on medical research.
2014年宁夏中考英语作文题目
2014年浙江台州中考英语作文题目:看图写作
2014年江苏泰州中考英语作文范文:中学生的课外生活
2014年广东广州中考英语作文范文:弘扬广府文化
2014年浙江丽水中考英语作文范文:中考后的假期安排
2014年浙江台州中考英语作文范文:妈妈阻止他
2014年上海中考英语作文题目
2014年云南中考英语作文题目:新学期的计划
2014年成都中考英语作文范文:寄宿还是走读
2014年浙江温州中考英语作文范文:申请寄宿(范例3篇)
2014年广东广州中考英语作文题目:广州文化节
2014年广西中考英语作文范文
2014年云南中考英语作文范文:关于新学期
2014年内江中考英语作文题目:残疾人的故事
2014年辽宁中考英语作文题目
2014年浙江杭州中考英语作文范文:考试不及格怎么办
2014年上海中考英语作文范文
2014年江苏南京中考英语作文范文:交换生的咨询信
2014年新疆中考英语作文范文
2014年枣庄中考英语作文范文:参加夏令营
2014年山东中考英语作文题目
2014年浙江湖州中考英语作文范文:养成良好生活习惯
2014年山东中考英语作文范文
2014年内蒙古考英语作文范文:好习惯的养成
2014年青海中考英语作文题目
2014年浙江丽水中考英语作文题目:假期安排
2014年浙江绍兴中考英语作文范文:课外学习调查
2014年山东聊城中考英语作文题目:健康饮食
2014年辽宁中考英语作文范文
2014年内蒙古中考英语作文题目:养成良好习惯
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |