I can’t see the logic of your argument...

1. This is what some people might say about drinking alcohol and smoking. Continue the conversation: Speaker 1 is trying to persuade a partner that his/her (Speaker 2) point of view is not sound. To make your argument more convincing use the statistics below:

A. Speaker 1: I know my smoking is probably going to kill me, but I prefer not to think about it.

Speaker 2: ...............................................................................

B. Speaker 1: If you decide to give up smoking and drinking, you don’t actually live longer; it just seems longer.

Speaker 2: ...............................................................................

C. Speaker 1: If you are horrified by what you read and hear about effects of smoking and drinking – just give up reading!

Speaker 2: ...............................................................................

D. Speaker 1: It’s not very polite to tell a friend he’s drinking too much. It’s also rude to refuse a drink.

Speaker 2: ...........................................................................

E. Speaker 1: Drinking beer makes me relaxed. I’m classy with a bottle of beer in my hand. It makes me look more grown-up!

Speaker 2: ............................................................................

SOME STATISTICS:

1. a smoker’s life span (продолжительность жизни) is 10 years shorter than that of a non-smoker.

2. the risk of cancer is 44 times higher for someone who smokes and drinks heavily.

3. 60% of all murders are alcohol related. And 60% of all suicides.

4. smoking kills 420.000 people a year (for example, in the USA)

Make up a few critical remarks about your friend’s lifestyle who

1. always takes work home from his office.

2. smokes 40 cigarettes a day

3. drinks a lot of coffee

4. never goes to bed before 1 a.m.

5. never has time to have a chat

6. hates comedies and humorous stories.

DEFENDING OR REJECTING CLAIMS

   From the following list of claims select the ones that are 1) the claims of value and 2) the claims of policy. Which of them are most controversial? Try to defend or reject each claim.

1. Health is a kind of thing that depends on the amount of money spent on it.

2. People should be free to use drugs, because they are free to decide what to do with their own lives.

3. To prevent the spread of AIDS mass media and universities should launch a wide-range educational campaign against AIDS.

4. The government should allocate more money to find cure for AIDS.

5. Ambulance service in Russia should be made chargeable.

6. Tobacco companies should be held responsible for the damage caused by their product.

7. Being healthy primarily means being careful about your diet.

8. One day drinking should be made illegal.

9. Smoking in public places should be reduced.

10. A crowded sea resort is precisely the place to provoke rather than cure a nervous breakdown.

11. The best way to avoid stress is to concentrate on work.

12. To feel happy you should eat anything you like.

                   DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Gore Vidal (a writer) once said, ‘Each man has the right to do what he wants with his own life and health as long as he does not interfere with his neighbours’s pursuit of happiness’. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

2. Which of the following – overeating – chain smoking – being drug-addicted – overworking – oversleeping – do you thinkis a bigger hazard for health? What are the negative effects of each of these things? What can be the alternative?

3. A lot of people are not willing to consult a doctor if they are unwell. They might say, ‘I’ll wait a little. Let my body cure itself.’ Do you think this attitude is right or wrong? Why?

4. It has been said, ‘He who has health, and he who has hope has everything.’ Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

5. In their professional speech doctors often use the maxim ‘Prevention is better than cure.’ Do you agree or disagree with it? Why or why not?

6. ‘Think before you drink before you drive,’ goes the warning. Why is it very important for those who drive to abstain from drinking? Find some statistics to support your answer.

Living in the Russian Style

This is what a foreign visitor says about the attitude of Russians to their health:

A: Do you have a cigarette? ‘Smoking is a major part of Russian everyday life. I know one Russian businessman who stops smoking every time he sees mebecause he is suddenly inspired to live in the Western style. It rarely takes more than an hour, though, before he resumes living in the Russian style.

The Russian language demonstrates the extent to which Russian culture is suffused (зд. “погружена”, “пронизана”) with smoking. Sometimes it seems that ‘Do you have a cigarette?’ is a more common greeting between people in the street than ‘Hello’. Those who already have a cigarette are likely to greet you instead with something like ‘Do you have a light?’ or ‘Do you have any matches?’

The most interesting thing about the country’s love affair with smoking is the nonchalance (зд. безразличие) with which Russians face the health consequences of what they are doing. One might expect that a nation of people who live in deathly fear of sitting in a draft would avoid smoking like, for example, the plague. But not so.

The Russian slogan ‘Smoking is bad for your health’ is nothing more than a joke among Russian smokers. And when you try to really push the point on smoking and health, you are likely to be reminded ‘Those who don’t smoke and don’t drink will just die in good health.’ (Robert Coalson, St. Petersburg Times, October 18, 1996)