Until the twentieth century cigarettes were not an important threat to public health.Men used tobacco mainly in the form of cigars.Most women did not use tobacco at all.
The cigarette industry began in the 1870s with the development of the cigarette manufacturing machine.This made it possible to produce great numbers of cigarettes very quickly,and it reduced the price.
Today cigarette smoking is a widespread habit.About forty-three percent of the adult men and thirty-one percent of the adult women in the United States smoke cigarettes regularly.It is encouraging to note,however,that millions of people have given up the smoking habit.Seventy-five percent of the male population and forty-six percent of the female population have smoked cigarettes at some time during their lives,but twenty-six percent of these men and eleven percent of the women have stopped smoking.The number of persons who have given up smoking is increasing.
Men as a group smoke more than women.Among both men and women the age group with the highest proportion of smokers is the age group 24-44.Income,education and occupation all play a part in determining a person’s smoking habits.City people smoke more cigarette than people living on farms.Well-educated men with high incomes are less likely to smoke cigarettes than men with fewer years of schooling and lower incomes.On the other hand,___________,he is likely to smoke more packs of cigarettes per day.
The situation is somewhat(有點)different for women.There are slightly more smokers among women with higher family incomes and higher education than among the lower income and lower educational groups.These more highly educated women tend to smoke more heavily.
Among teenagers the picture is similar.There are fewer teenager smokers from upper-income and well-educated families.High school students who are preparing for college are less likely to smoke than those who do not plan to continue their education after high school.Children are most likely to start smoking if one or both of their parents smoke.
小題1:How did men mainly use tobacco?(no more than 1 word)
In the form of ________________.
小題2:What were the results of the development of the manufacturing machine?(no more than 4 words)
More cigarettes are _________________________________________.
小題3:What are the three main factors closely related to one’s smoking habits?(no more than 4 words)
__________________________________________________________________________
小題4:Please fill in the blank with proper words or phrases.(no more than 9 words)
__________________________________________________________________________
小題5:Which kind of children is most likely to pick up the habit of smoking?(no more than 6 words)
Children __________________________________________ are most likely to smoke.
