Man drinks gasoline for 42 years

 　　BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Gasoline powers vehicles all around the world, but a sick Chinese man has been drinking the sticky liquid for 42 years under the illusion that it can relieve his physical pain.

　　Chen Dejun, 71, lives by himself in shabby thatched cottage on a hill in Shuijiang township, Nanchuan district of southwest China's Chongqing municipality. The short and bony man said he drinks 3 to 3.5 kilograms of gasoline every month, which he buys from a station at the foot of the hill.

　　Chen is known locally as a stonecutter and master of weaving bamboo with a good business sense. But he’s also known for his undying love of drinking gasoline.

　　He developed the habit back in 1969 when he suddenly began coughing and felt pain in his chest. Seeing no progress after trying some medicine, he took up the folk remedy of drinking kerosene¹, Chongqing Evening News reported.

　　It turned out to be helpful for him after the first sip², and he since became addicted³ to kerosene. Then he moved on to gasoline.

　　Chen said it is hard to calculate exactly how much gasoline he has swallowed throughout his life, but the newspaper reported Chen has consumed an estimated 1.5 tons over the past 42 years.

　　Chen's wife Yuan Huibi and their three sons tried many times to stop Chen's addiction⁴ to gasoline, but those efforts only made the family relations tense. Eight years ago Chen moved to the cottage to live alone.

　　Sources from Honglou Hospital in Chongqing said Chen‘s health is fine despite having symptoms of emphysema. Chen refused to receive free check ups from the hospital.

　　Feng Fu, an associate professor with the Second Hospital Affiliated⁵ to Chongqing Medical University, said Chen may have developed some resistance to gasoline. Otherwise, Feng said, it would be impossible for Chen to live. Feng also said gasoline may only work as anaesthetic for Chen but can’t cure his pain.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

2 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

3 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

4 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

5 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。