全新版大学英语听说教程第四册 unit7

Unit7

Part B

Last Gasp¹ for Smokers²

  It was a normal day and in their New York office, Ken³ and his colleagues stopped for their coffee break. But while his colleagues were able to sit at their desks and drink their coffee, Ken had to go outside. He couldn't stay inside, because he wanted to smoke. If the smokers of the Big Apple want to enjoy a cigarette, the authorities have decided⁴ they must go out into the street or up onto the rooftops.

     Throughout the United States, the number of places where people are allowed to smoke has gradually dwindled⁵. First it was banned on trains, buses, and planes, then in public places such as theaters and airports. Now you can't smoke in any workplace. Nonsmokers are definitely winning the battle. "Why should we breathe their smoke?" they say.

     If they're lucky, smokers can still find some bars and restaurants or parks and recreation centers where they can light up a cigarette, but it may soon be banned there, too. In fact, smoking in parks and recreation centers is already banned in California. On August 9, 2001, Los Angeles City and County officials announced the implementation⁶ of a smoke-free park policy, officially designating smoke-free zones in all 375 parks and recreation centers in the city. And since January 1, 2002 all parks in California have become smoke-free to safeguard children from the harmful effects of secondhand tobacco smoke and dangerous tobacco waste. Anti-smoking groups even think that smoking ought to be banned in people's homes. Under new plans you won't be able to smoke in any house where there are more than ten visitors in a week, or where there are children.

     In 1996, nicotine⁷ was classed as a drug, like cannabis, cocaine⁸ or heroin⁹. And scientists all over the world agree that exposure to secondhand smoke poses a serious health risk and there is no safe level of exposure. It is especially dangerous for children because when they are exposed to tobacco smoke, they have much higher rates of lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia¹⁰ and are also at greater risks of developing asthma¹¹.

     In the country that gave tobacco to the world, smoking might one day be illegal. And then Ken will have to give up.

 

 

Questions:

 

1. What is the main idea of the passage you've heard?

2. What does the speaker think about banning smoking in public places?

3. Where is smoking not banned according to the passage?

4. Which of the following is true about nicotine?

5. What can be inferred from the sentence "In the country that gave tobacco to the world, smoking might one day be illegal"?

 

   

Part C

Making Smoking Socially Unacceptable

The World Health Organization has named May 31 as World No Tobacco Day. Marking the day this year, the WHO announced that there was a 33 percent growth in the Asian cigarette market from 1999 - 2000.

     In Singapore, there has been an increase of smokers, which reflects the popularity of the addictive¹² habit in Asia. Statistics show that seven Singaporeans die every day from smoking-related diseases in this country of 3.5 million people.

     Now, smoking will become socially unacceptable under a campaign by Singapore's government to use family and social pressure to get smokers to kick the habit. The campaign, launched in April 2002, is the latest weapon employed by the state against the spreading smoking habit. "Show them you care. Help them stop smoking," is the campaign's slogan, aimed at obtaining the help of loved ones to help smokers stop their nicotine habit. As part of its effort to discourage smoking, the government of Singapore has been putting up advertisements in newspapers, on TV and the Internet, showing parents quitting smoking so as not to worry their children.

 

 

Questions:

 

1. Which of the following days is World No Tobacco Day?

2. What did the WHO announce on World No Tobacco Day?

3. Why did the speaker cite Singapore as an example?

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

 

   

Part D

Developing World Becomes a Huge Ashtray¹³

  As the tobacco industry in high-income countries faces stern legal measures, it turns to the developing world for market. The fragile economies of many developing countries have created perfect market conditions for the transnational cigarette companies. Investment in tobacco farming in Africa, for example, has increased rapidly. At present, out of the 33 million people engaged in tobacco farming worldwide, one million are in sub-Saharan African countries and the number is growing.

     And across Africa, farmers are reluctant to grow alternative crops to replace tobacco for fear of losing profit. Even if crop substitution were to succeed, there is little evidence that this would reduce tobacco consumption.

     So far, governments in Africa have avoided action to control smoking, as they are afraid that intervention¹⁴ might trigger harmful economic consequences on their fragile economies. In Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Malawi, there is a general fear that reduced tobacco production would mean a permanent loss of jobs and lower government revenue.

     While a price increase on cigarettes has been viewed as a measure to control smoking among the poor, the strategy is not working in sub-Saharan Africa. Millions of people who could not afford manufactured cigarettes are increasingly turning to smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, which were traditionally common in India and Southeast Asia but are now taking root in Africa.

     Partial bans on cigarette advertising¹⁵ in sub-Saharan Africa have had little or no effect on smoking patterns. Researchers say most smokers in the region start smoking when too young and are addicted¹⁶ quite early.

     Today, a tremendous number of people in the developing world are smokers. In fact, the whole developing world has become a huge ashtray.

 

 

Questions:

 

1. According to the passage, what is the reason that cigarette companies in industrialized countries have turned to the developing world for market?

2. What do we learn about tobacco farming in Africa?

3. Why are African farmers reluctant to give up growing tobacco?

4. What actions have some African governments taken to control smoking?

5. What kind of tobacco products do many African smokers use instead of manufactured cigarettes?

 

5. What is the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful according to DeJoria?

6. Why is there no middle management in his company?

7. How many employees does the company have? How many should the company probably have?

8. How are the employees treated?

9. What is DeJoria's attitude toward philanthropy?

10. What is his motto?

1 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

2 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

7 nicotine   

n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱

参考例句：

• 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。

8 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• 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。

9 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• 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。

10 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

11 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

12 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

13 ashtray   

n.烟灰缸

参考例句：

• He knocked out his pipe in the big glass ashtray.他在大玻璃烟灰缸里磕净烟斗。
• She threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray.她把烟头扔进烟灰缸。

14 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

15 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

16 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。