Smokeless cigarettes

For more than a decade hundreds of scientists at the US tobacco companies have been working to develop a cigarette which is acceptable to non-smokers as well as smokers. Now they have discovered Eclipse, which works by healing tobacco instead of burning it, and so it reduces smoke by 90 per cent.

According to the companies, this product is an intelligent alternative to cigarettes. But the cigarette has not been a success in those European cities where people have been invited to try them. One of them said: “I have a packet at home, but I don’t like them. They always go out. The only people who are smoking them are young people who get them free in discos and bars.” Another said that they tasted of plastic.

Anti-smoking groups believe that this is just a new way of distributing nicotine, but the companies defend themselves by arguing that their purpose is not to develop a healthy cigarette. They simply want to create one which will not disturb non-smokers.

READING COMPREHENSION

 

ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

1) Why do Europeans dislike Eclipse?

2) Can you buy these cigarettes? Why?

3) Is Eclipse as dangerous for smokers as conventional cigarettes? Why?

LEXICON 

4) Give one opposite for REDUCE (adverb) (line 3).

5) Find one opposite in the text for FAILURE (noun).

6) Find one synonym for INTENTION (noun).

7) Find in the text the word which has the following definition: ‘Good for the body.’

GRAMMAR 

8) Join the following sentences in an appropriate way. Make changes if necessary (do not use AND):

Eclipse reduces smoke by 90 per cent. It is not a healthy cigarette.

9) Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the verbs in brackets:

If Europeans (LIKE) the smokeless cigarette, it (BE) a success.

10) Put the following sentence into the passive voice:

US tobacco companies have employed hundreds of scientists to develop Eclipse.

11) Put the following sentence into reported speech:

A woman said: “I tried the new cigarette two weeks ago. I didn’t like them.”

PRODUCTION

WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.

12) a. Smoking is not allowed in many places. What do you think of this?

      b. What do you do to keep fit?