Even mild smoking can cause early death

Pre-reading questions:

  1. What comes to mind when you hear the word “smoking”?
  2. Do you think it is easy to quit smoking?
  3. Do you think banning smoking in public places could seriously hurt the economy?

 

People who smoke one cigarette a day or less still have greater chance of dying earlier than those who don’t smoke at all, according to a new study released in JAMA Internal Medicine journal. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute conducted the study that analyzed the effects of low-intensity smoking compared to mortality rates for people who don’t smoke.

The study also examined that people are prone to develop lung cancer especially among those who smoked at low rates, or no more than one cigarette per day, and found that they were nine times more likely to die from lung cancer compared to those who never smoked. People who smoked between one and 10 cigarettes a day were 12 times more likely to die early from lung cancer.

Vocabulary:
low-intensity – [adjective] not extreme
prone – [adjective] having the tendency
mortality – [noun] the death of large numbers
lung cancer – [noun] an uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells that start off in one or both lungs, and form tumors
conduct – [verb] to plan and do

Comprehension Questions:

  1. What is the article about?
  2. Why do people who smoke have higher risk of dying early?
  3. Which institute conducted the study?
  4. Where was the study published?
  5. What is more likely to happen to those who smoke between one to ten cigarettes a day?

Express Your Opinion:

  1. Do you believe we all should live a healthier life?
  2. Do you think health is a matter of luck? Discuss.
  3. How do you feel about teenagers smoking?