VOA慢速英语2014 吸烟对健康的影响是致命的

 

AS IT IS 2014-06-29 Health Effects from Smoking are Deadly 吸烟对健康的影响是致命的

A report earlier this year from the United States Surgeon General finds that smoking tobacco is even deadlier than had been known.  The report says smoking causes birth defects -- a leading cause of death among babies.  It also links smoking to cancer of the liver and colon¹, diabetes² and other diseases.       The first US surgeon general’s report on tobacco and health was released in 1964.  It was the first scientific report to link smoking with lung cancer and heart disease.

Now, 50 years later, Acting³ Surgeon General Boris Lushniak has released a new report.  His report provides more evidence about smoking tobacco and how it can harm health.

“If we’re going to work together to achieve a society free of tobacco-related disease, this must be understood.”

The report urges increased use of tobacco-control measures.  The suggested controls include raising prices of cigarettes and expanding bans on smoking in enclosed spaces. 

The 2014 report calls for research on whether lowering the amount of nicotine⁴ in cigarettes could help people stop smoking.  It also contains new findings.

“Today we know that smoking is a cause of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis⁵, and poor response to treatment of arthritis, erectile dysfunction, an increased risk of tuberculosis⁶, disease and death. We’re adding colon, rectal and liver cancer to the long list of cancers caused by smoking.”

Dr. Lushniak also said smoking suppresses the body’s natural defenses for fighting disease.  He said this increases a smoker’s likelihood of getting an infectious disease. 

“One of the most disturbing findings is that the disease risk from smoking by women have risen sharply over the last 50 years. Women are now as likely to die from smoking as men.  Women smokers’ risk of lung cancer is now the same as men, and more women die from chronic⁷ lung disease than men.”

The 2014 report finds that those who do not smoke are at a higher risk for stroke if left unprotected from tobacco smoke.

The latest research also shows damage to unborn children.  Babies are more likely to be born with cleft⁸ palates if the mother smokes.  The chemicals in tobacco smoke can have lasting⁹ effects on brain development in a fetus¹⁰.

The surgeon general would like to see more action to keep young people from developing a smoking habit.  He supports higher prices on cigarettes, more anti-smoking media campaigns, and more help for people who want to quit smoking.

1 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

2 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 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。

5 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

6 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

8 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。