Section 3: Anti Smoking Law Proposed in the USA

Pre-reading questions:

1. What countries, if any, have anti-smoking laws?

2. Where are such laws being debated, as far as you know?

Skim and scan:

Read the text quickly and say for what age category the law is proposed and who opposes it.

 

 

President Clinton has called for new laws aimed at cutting the number of teenagers who smoke, including penalising tobacco companies for failure to meet new targets. «The President is going to call for national legislation to reduce youth smoking», Bruce Reed, a domestic policy adviser, said on the ABC television program «Good Morning America» on Sunday morning.

 

Clinton aims to curb juvenile smoking by 60 per cent in 10 years

 

Reed said 3,000 young people were taking up smoking every day, with 1,000 of them dying early as a result. «We want to cut that in half over the next 10 years, and we want to put in place financial penalties that will give the tobacco industry an incentive to stop marketing to children and start taking responsibility for reducing youth smoking», he said. Reed added that the Administration favoured a combination of payments and penalties that could raise the price of cigarettes as much as $1.50 a pack over ten years. The Administration also favoured a national «counter-advertising campaign» to warn young people of the dangers of smoking, he said. However, because of stiff criticism from anti-smoking advocates, the agreement is unlikely to be taken up in Congress this year, leaving it open to further changes and possible collapse.

Under the settlement reached in June, 1998, tobacco companies agreed to curb advertising and marketing and to pay cash penalties if they failed to meet targets for reducing youth smoking. In exchange, they would be protected from certain categories of lawsuits.

The settlement currently says smoking by those 18 or under must fall 30 per cent in five years, 50 per cent in seven years and 60 per cent within 10 years. If those targets are not met, the companies would collectively be required to pay an $80-million fine for each percentage point they fall short. This penalty would be capped at $2 billion a year.

Clinton said that he would invite congressional leaders to the White House to fashion a bipartisan stance on tobacco legislation.

He also said that legislation must protect the interests of tobacco farmers and ensure broad disclosure of tobacco industry documents. The President made no mention of the possibility of any immunity from class-action lawsuits for the tobacco industry, a key part of the original tobacco settlement that was negotiated between the industry and states suing it to recover the vast health-care costs of treating smokers.

 

Vocabulary notes

 

to cut to cut prices, taxes		1) резать, стричь; 2) урезать, сокращать, снижать снижать цены, налоги
failure		1) неуспех, неудача, провал; 2) недостаток, отсутствие; 3) банкротство, несостоятельность; 4) не способность; 5) неудачник, неудавшееся дело
the Administration		правительство (США)
stiff		жесткий, негибкий, неэластичный, тугой
collapse	[k@'l{ps]	1) обвал, разрушение, осадка; 2) крушение, гибель, падение, крах, провал
to curb		обуздать, сдерживать
to fall short		не хватать, иметь недостаток в чем-либо
to cap		1) покрывать голову; 2)
		покрывать, перекрывать
to fashion		придавать форму, вид,
		смоделировать, демонстрировать
bipartisan	[baI'pa:tIzn]	двухпартийный
stance		отношение (дело)
to negotiate		1) вести переговоры, договариваться; обсуждать
		условия; 2) устанавливать, улаживать; 3) продать
to negotiate a deal, loan		обсуждать условия сделки, кредита
to negotiate an exchange bill		продать вексель
to sue	[sju:]	1) преследовать судебным порядком, возбуждать дело; 2) просить, искать
to sue a person for libel		возбуждать дело против кого-либо за клевету
to sue a low court for redress		искать защиты у суда
to sue out		выхлопотать (в суде)
vast vast costs vast scheme		громадный, безбрежный, грандиозный огромные расходы грандиозный план

 

Words and Grammar

 

a Find the English equivalents in the text:

 

предложить закон......................................................................

призвать к принятию новых законов......................................................................

наложение штрафных санкций на......................................................................

табачные компании..........................................................................

несоблюдение новых предельных...........................................................................

объемов производства государственные..........................................................................

законодатели принять соглашение.........................................................................

оставить соглашение непринятым..........................................................................

для дальнейших изменений..........................................................................

оставить соглашение непринятым..........................................................................

с тем, чтобы провалить его воз-...........................................................................

можно и в будущем...........................................................................

 

b Translate the following into Russian and write down short sentences:

 

adomestic policy adviser..................................................................................................................

an anti-smoking advocate................................................................................................................

cash penalties...................................................................................................................................

to reach settlement...........................................................................................................................

to meet the target.............................................................................................................................

to ensure broad disclosure of documents........................................................................................

to recover the health-care costs.......................................................................................................

 

с Choose the synonyms from the box and write down a few short sentences with them:

to support, to prosecute, to show, to curb, to adopt, to discuss

to cut....................................... to fashion........................................

to favour................................. to sue................................................

to take up.............................. to negotiate.....................................

 

d Write down synonyms and antonyms of the following words and a few sentences with them:

 

	synonym (s)	antonym (s)
stiff
vast
certain
broad
original
current

 

e Make the following short assignments and translate the texts into Russian:

 

1 About 3,000 young people take up smoking every day, with 1,000 of them dying early as a result. 2 The agreement is unlikely to be taken up in Congress this year.   3 to pay an $80-million fine     4 the dangers of smoking, costs of treating smokers

What Grammar construction is used in this sentence after with?   Underline the Nominative with the Infinitive Construction. Say if the verb to take up is used in the same meaning as in sentence 1. Say why the Indefinite Article is used here. Write down a few similar phrases   Write down a few similar word combinations.

 

§ Translating and Speaking

 

f Translate the following sentences into Russian:

 

1 If those targets are not met, the companies would collectively be required to pay the fine for each percentage point they fall short.

2 Congressional leaders will be invited to the White House to fashion a bipartisan stance on tobacco legislation.

3 The President made no mention of the possibility of any immunity from class-action lawsuits for the tobacco industry.

 

g Write down a few sentences about the viewpoint of President Clinton on American youth smoking and his consequent actions.

 

h Sum up what the article said about the standpoint of the American tobacco companies.

 

i Answer the following questions:

 

 

j Agree or disagree and substantiate your viewpoint:

 

1 No laws can curb smoking and drugs taking.

2 It is easier to make laws than enforce them.

3 Legislation should not be concerned with law enforcement.

 

k Write a short essay about anti-smoking campaigns and laws.