Stopping teens from smoking is a big challenge many communities face today. Many communities can only watch without being able to act while local businesses continue to sell tobacco products to children, even under the risk of punishment by law.
Recent studies show that a large percentage of teens today are getting their cigarettes from stores, mostly gas stations or convenience stores. As teens continue to be able to buy their own cigarettes, more and more communities begin to punish those who sell cigarettes to the teens.
One community has experienced success in their attempts to stop the sale of tobacco products to children. Woodridge, Illinois, started a program seven years ago which forbade and strictly punished the sale of tobacco products to children. The entire program includes local licensing of vendors (小贩), repeated undercover inspections to see if the sale to children has stopped, and education programs in schools. Woodridge has become a model community as other communities are moving to stop teen tobacco use.
A recent national study showed that 36.5% of females, and 40.8% of males buy their cigarettes from stores, whether it is a gas station or a supermarket. Hopefully, as more and more sellers see the trouble they face if caught selling to children, they will stop selling.
True, tightening down on stores that sell tobacco to children isn’t going to completely stop the problem of teen tobacco use. Teens continue to get them from other sources. But it definitely does prevent their efforts. With more education in schools, and perhaps stronger punishments for teens caught with tobacco, more and more teens will see the problems with the tobacco usage, and will stop the habit.
1. To stop teens from smoking, more and more communities are ________.
A. punishing those who sell cigarettes to teens more severely
B. punishing teens caught with tobacco more severely
C. educating those who sell cigarettes about the danger of teen smoking
D. stopping the sale of tobacco products in stores
2. Which of the following is NOT a way Woodridge uses to stop tobacco sale to children?
A. Local licensing to tobacco sale. B. Repeated undercover inspections.
C. Education programs in schools. D. Stronger punishment of teens caught smoking.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.
A. teens can only buy cigarettes from gas stations and convenience stores
B. more communities have succeeded in stopping teen tobacco use
C. More males than females have the habit of smoking in America
D. Punishment alone cannot solve the problem of teen tobacco use
4. What attitude does the writer have towards stopping teen tobacco abuse?
A. Negative B. Optimistic C. Uncertain D. Uncaring
