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Smokers in England have been asked to give up smoking for 28 days this month, in a campaign backed by Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

Research shows people who manage not to light up for this length of time are five times more likely to kick the habit for good.

Public health experts say campaigns that include a combination of hard-hitting adverts and supportive messages work best.

Quitting smoking can be difficult. People are much more likely to succeed if they get support than if they try to do it alone and go cold turkey.

Robert West, Director of Tobacco Studies at University College London, points out how peer pressure can prevent a tobacco addict's resolve going up in smoke.

"We are social animals, we are herd animals and we are influenced by each other," he said.

The initiative has met some scepticism among readers of the BBC News Online website. Some compared it to asking people to stop eating as a way of combating obesity. Others doubt the campaign's effectiveness.

"Its weakness is that it fails to address why a person smokes, and these reasons are as varied as the number of smokers", says someone who signed as BluesBerry.

Another reader, Cazz, has decided to give it some credit. He says: "Campaigns like this won't necessarily prompt the majority of smokers to quit, but may prompt those thinking about quitting to set a date and try. Surely it's worth a shot."

The number of smokers in England is estimated at 8 million.

According to the Department of Health, smoking is the biggest cause of premature death in the country.

Quiz 测验

For how long is the campaign asking smokers to be smoke-free?

28 days

Look at the article. Why is it easier to stop smoking when other people are doing the same?

According to the University College London's commentator Robert West, people are social animals and are influenced by each other.

Is the following statement true, false or not given? Most of the BBC News Online website readers do not believe the anti-smoking campaign will succeed.

False. The article mentions reader Cazz saying that it is worth for smokers who are thinking about quitting to take part in the campaign.

What adjective in the article means something done with the objective to cause shock?

'Hard-hitting'

What are the three verbs used to say 'not to smoke anymore'?

To give up, to kick the habit, to quit.

Glossary 词汇表

to give up 放弃

to back 支持

to light up 点燃

to kick the habit 要戒掉恶习

a public health expert 公共健康专家

hard-hitting 强硬的

to quit 戒掉，放弃

to go cold turkey 突然停止(做某事)

peer pressure 同伴压力

an addict 瘾君子

to go up in smoke 化为乌有，成为泡影

scepticism 怀疑，怀疑主义

to address 解决

to prompt 促使

to be worth a shot 值得一试的

premature 过早