Smoking and Diseases of the Respiratory Track

The irritant effect of smoking on the upper-respiratory tract is often evident in the condition known as " smoker's cough" or " cigarette cough". It clears up when smoking is stopped or greatly reduced. More serious conditions in the respiratory tract - bronchitis, emphysema, and cancer of the lung - have also been attributed to heavy smoking. But here the evidence is not indisputable positive. Whatever injury smoking may do to the respiratory tract appears to have far less to do with the nicotine content of tobacco than with the tars and resins and dust it contains and with other products of combustion that a burning cigarette yields.

The relationship of smoking to cancer of the lung is now firmly established. The possibility that increase in smoking practice in the United States was a " cause" of the rapidly increasing death rate from lung cancer was suggested many years ago. The statistical department of the American Cancer Society released an impressive study which appeared to confirm this possibility. And in a later refinement of this statistical study, it has been stated that lung cancer is about 27 times as frequent among men who smoke two packages of cigarettes a day as among men who have never smoked.

The American Cancer Society and other national health organisations have conducted strong campaigns against smoking

It seems reasonable to suppose that something in the air we breathe is also playing a role in the increase in lung cancer deaths. These air pollutants may arise in varying amounts from sources other than tobacco smoke. Suggested sources of these pollutants are industrial waste and automobile exhausts.

1.irritant раздражитель

Evident очевидный

Evidence очевидность, основание

Reduce понижать, ослаблять

Attribute приписывать

Injury повреждение

Appear проявляться

Tar смола, деготь

Resin смола

Combustion сгорание, окисление

yield производить

2.establish устанавливать

Release выпускать

Confirm подтверждать

Possibility возможность, вероятность

Refinement обработка

Package пачка

3.reasonable (благо)разумный, приемлемый

Suppose предполагать, допускать

Arise появляться

Suggest предлагать, советовать

waste отходы

exhausts выхлопные газы

Упражнение 1. Прочитать текст, используя новую лексику. Сделать литературный перевод 1-го абзаца.

Упражнение 2. Найти правильные ответы на вопросы:

Questions:

1. What does the irritant effect of smoking lead to?

2. What diseases of the respiratory tract does smoking lead to? 3. What confirms the relationship of smoking to cancer of the lung?

4. What are the results of this statistical study?

5. What have the American Cancer Society and other national health organisations conducted?

6. What else except smoking increases lung cancer death?

Answers:

1.Strong campaigns against smoking.

2.To the condition known as " smoker's cough" or " cigarette cough".

3.Lung cancer is about 27 times as frequent among men who smoke two packages а day as among men who have never smoked.

4.To bronchitis, emphysema and cancer of the lung.

5.Industrial waste and automobile exhausts.

6.The study of the statistical department of the American Cancer Society.