1、heart and lungs or that it was more difficult for smoking couples to become pregnant. I certainly didnt know their babies may have a smaller birth weight or even be abnormal in some way. Neither did I know that my cigarette smoke could affect the health of known-smokers. However, what I did know was
2、 that my girlfriend thought I smelt terrible. She said my breath and clothes smelt, and that the ends of my fingers were turning yellow. She told me that she wouldnt go out with me again unless I stopped! I also noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasnt enjoying sport as much. When
3、I was taken off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time to quit smoking. I am sending you some advice I found on the Internet. It might help you to stop and strengthen your resolve. I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have. Love from Grand
4、ad How can you stop smoking? It is not easy to stop smoking, but millions have managed to quit and so can you. Here are a few suggestions. Prepare yourself. Decide on a day to quit. Dont choose a day that you know is going to be stressful, such as the day of an exam. Make a list of all the benefits
5、you will get from stopping smoking. Then throw away your last packet of cigarettes. Be determined. Every time you feel like smoking a cigarette, remind yourself that you are a non-smoker. Reread the list of benefits you wrote earlier. Break the habit. Instead of smoking a cigarette, do something els
6、e. Go for a walk, clean your teeth, drink some water, clean the house; in fact, do anything to keep your mind and especially your hands busy. Relax. If you start to feel nervous or stressed, do not reach for a cigarette. Try some deep breathing instead. Do some relaxation exercises every time you fe
7、el stressed. Get help if you need it. Arrange to stop smoking with a friend so you can talk about your problems, or join a stop-smoking group. If you feel desperate, you might lie to talk to a doctor or chemist about something to help you, like nicotine chewing gum. Keep trying. Do not be disappoint
8、ed if you have to try several times before you finally stop smoking. If you weaken and have a cigarette, do not feel ashamed. Just try again. You will succeed eventually. HIV/AIDS; ARE YOU AT RISK? HIV is a virus. A virus is a very small living thing that causes disease. There are many different vir
9、uses, for example, the flu virus or the SARS virus. HIV weakens a persons immune system; that is, the part of the body that fights disease. You can have HIV in your blood for a long time, but eventually HIV will damage your immune system so much that your body can no longer fight disease. This stage
10、 of the illness is called AIDS. If you develop AIDS, your chances of survival are very small. HIV is spread through blood or the fluid that the body makes during sex. For a person to become infected, blood or sexual fluid that carries the virus, has to get inside the body through broken skin or by i
11、njection. One day scientists will find a cure for HIV/AIDS. Until that happens, you need to protect yourself. Here are some things you can do to make sure you stay safe. If you inject drugs: do not share your needle with anyone else. Blood from another person can stay on or in the needle. If a perso
12、n has HIV and you use the same needle, you could inject the virus into your own blood. do not share anything else that a person has used while injecting drugs. Blood could have spilt on it. If you have sex with a male or a female: use a condom. This will prevent sexual fluid passing from one person
13、to another. The following statements are NOT true. A person cannot get HIV the first time they have sex. WRONG. If one sexual partner has HIV, the other partner could become infected. You can tell by looking at someone whether or not they have HIV. WRONG. Many people carrying HIV look perfectly heal
14、thy. It is only when the disease has progressed to AIDS that a person begins to look sick. Only homosexuals get AIDS. WRONG. Anyone who has sex with a person infected with HIV/AIDS risks getting the virus. Women are slightly more likely to become infected than men. If you hug, touch or kiss someone
15、with AIDS or visit them in their home, you will get HIV/AIDS. WRONG. You can only get the disease from blood or sexual fluid. Unfortunately, people with HIV sometimes lose their friends because of prejudice. Many people are afraid that they will get HIV/AIDS from those infected with HIV/AIDS. For th
16、e same reason, some AIDS patients cannot find anyone to look after them when they are sick. You can get HIV/AIDS from mosquitoes. WRONG. There is no evidence of this. Unit 4 THE EARTH IS BECOMING WARMER- BUT DOES IT MATTER? During the 20th century the temperature of the earth rose about one degree F
17、ahrenheit. That probably does not seem much to you or me, but it is a rapid increase when compared to other natural changes. So how has this come about and does it matter? Earth Cares Sophie Armstrong explores these questions. There is no doubt that the earth is becoming warmer (see Graph 1) and tha
18、t is it human activity that has caused this global warming rather than a random but natural phenomenon. All scientists subscribe to the view that the increase in the earths temperature is due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy. Some byproducts of this pro
19、cess are called “greenhouse” gases, the most important one of which is carbon dioxide. Dr Janice Foster explains: “There is a natural phenomenon that scientists call the greenhouse effect. This is when small amounts of gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor, trap heat
20、from the sun and therefore warm the earth. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be about thirty-three degrees Celsius cooler than it is. So, we need those gases. The problem begins when we add huge quantities of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It means that more heat energy tends
21、 to be trapped in the atmosphere causing the global temperature to go up.” We know that the levels of carbon dioxide have increased greatly over the last 100 to 150 years. It was a scientist called Charles Keeling, who made accurate measurements of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from
22、 1957 to 1997. He found that between these years the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere went up from around 315 parts to around 370 parts per million (see Graph 2). All scientists accept this data. They also agree that it is the burning of more and more fossil fuels that has resulted in this increase
23、in carbon dioxide. So how high will the temperature increase go? Dr Janice Foster says that over the next 100 years the amount of warming could be as low as 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but it could be as high as 5 degrees. However, the attitudes of scientists towards this rise are completely different
24、. On the one hand, Dr Foster thinks that the trend which increases the temperature by 5 degrees would be a catastrophe. She says, “We cant predict the climate well enough to know what to expect, but it could be very serious.” Others who agree with her think there may be a rise of several metres in t
25、he sea level, or predict severe storms, floods, droughts, famines, the spread of diseases and the disappearance of species. On the other hand, there are those, like George Hambley, who are opposed to this view and believe that we should not worry about high levels of carbon dioxide in the air. They
26、predict that any warming will be mild with few bad environmental consequences. In fact, Hambley states,” More carbon dioxide is actually a positive thing. It will make plants grow quicker; crops will produce more; it will encourage a greater range of animals all of which will make life for human bei
27、ngs better.” Greenhouse gases continue to build up in the atmosphere. Even if we start reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the climate is going to keep on warming for decades or centuries. No one knows the effects of global warming. Does that mean we should do nothing?
28、Or, are the risks too great? WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING? Dear Earth Care, I am doing a project on behalf of my school about global warming. Sometimes I feel that individuals can have little effect on such huge environmental problems. However, I still think people should advocate improvement
29、s in the way we use energy today. As Im not sure where to start with my project, I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. Thank you Ouyang Guang Dear Ouyang Guang, There are many peopleheart and lungs or that it was more difficult for smoking couples to become pregnant. I certainly didnt kno
30、w their babies may have a smaller birth weight or even be abnormal in some way. Neither did I know that my cigarette smoke could affect the health of known-smokers. However, what I did know was that my girlfriend thought I smelt terrible. She said my breath and clothes smelt, and that the ends of my
31、 fingers were turning yellow. She told me that she wouldnt go out with me again unless I stopped! I also noticed that I became breathless quickly, and that I wasnt enjoying sport as much. When I was taken off the school football team because I was unfit, I knew it was time to quit smoking. I am send
32、ing you some advice I found on the Internet. It might help you to stop and strengthen your resolve. I do hope so because I want you to live as long and healthy a life as I have. Love from Grandad How can you stop smoking? It is not easy to stop smoking, but millions have managed to quit and so can y
33、ou. Here are a few suggestions. Prepare yourself. Decide on a day to quit. Dont choose a day that you know is going to be stressful, such as the day of an exam. Make a list of all the benefits you will get from stopping smoking. Then throw away your last packet of cigarettes. Be determined. Every ti
34、me you feel like smoking a cigarette, remind yourself that you are a non-smoker. Reread the list of benefits you wrote earlier. Break the habit. Instead of smoking a cigarette, do something else. Go for a walk, clean your teeth, drink some water, clean the house; in fact, do anything to keep your mi
35、nd and especially your hands busy. Relax. If you start to feel nervous or stressed, do not reach for a cigarette. Try some deep breathing instead. Do some relaxation exercises every time you feel stressed. Get help if you need it. Arrange to stop smoking with a friend so you can talk about your prob
36、lems, or join a stop-smoking group. If you feel desperate, you might lie to talk to a doctor or chemist about something to help you, like nicotine chewing gum. Keep trying. Do not be disappointed if you have to try several times before you finally stop smoking. If you weaken and have a cigarette, do
37、 not feel ashamed. Just try again. You will succeed eventually. HIV/AIDS; ARE YOU AT RISK? HIV is a virus. A virus is a very small living thing that causes disease. There are many different viruses, for example, the flu virus or the SARS virus. HIV weakens a persons immune system; that is, the part
38、of the body that fights disease. You can have HIV in your blood for a long time, but eventually HIV will damage your immune system so much that your body can no longer fight disease. This stage of the illness is called AIDS. If you develop AIDS, your chances of survival are very small. HIV is spread
39、 through blood or the fluid that the body makes during sex. For a person to become infected, blood or sexual fluid that carries the virus, has to get inside the body through broken skin or by injection. One day scientists will find a cure for HIV/AIDS. Until that happens, you need to protect yoursel
40、f. Here are some things you can do to make sure you stay safe. If you inject drugs: do not share your needle with anyone else. Blood from another person can stay on or in the needle. If a person has HIV and you use the same needle, you could inject the virus into your own blood. do not share anythin
41、g else that a person has used while injecting drugs. Blood could have spilt on it. If you have sex with a male or a female: use a condom. This will prevent sexual fluid passing from one person to another. The following statements are NOT true. A person cannot get HIV the first time they have sex. WR
42、ONG. If one sexual partner has HIV, the other partner could become infected. You can tell by looking at someone whether or not they have HIV. WRONG. Many people carrying HIV look perfectly healthy. It is only when the disease has progressed to AIDS that a person begins to look sick. Only homosexuals
43、 get AIDS. WRONG. Anyone who has sex with a person infected with HIV/AIDS risks getting the virus. Women are slightly more likely to become infected than men. If you hug, touch or kiss someone with AIDS or visit them in their home, you will get HIV/AIDS. WRONG. You can only get the disease from bloo
44、d or sexual fluid. Unfortunately, people with HIV sometimes lose their friends because of prejudice. Many people are afraid that they will get HIV/AIDS from those infected with HIV/AIDS. For the same reason, some AIDS patients cannot find anyone to look after them when they are sick. You can get HIV
45、/AIDS from mosquitoes. WRONG. There is no evidence of this. Unit 4 THE EARTH IS BECOMING WARMER- BUT DOES IT MATTER? During the 20th century the temperature of the earth rose about one degree Fahrenheit. That probably does not seem much to you or me, but it is a rapid increase when compared to other
46、 natural changes. So how has this come about and does it matter? Earth Cares Sophie Armstrong explores these questions. There is no doubt that the earth is becoming warmer (see Graph 1) and that is it human activity that has caused this global warming rather than a random but natural phenomenon. All
47、 scientists subscribe to the view that the increase in the earths temperature is due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy. Some byproducts of this process are called “greenhouse” gases, the most important one of which is carbon dioxide. Dr Janice Foster exp
48、lains: “There is a natural phenomenon that scientists call the greenhouse effect. This is when small amounts of gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor, trap heat from the sun and therefore warm the earth. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be about thirty-t
49、hree degrees Celsius cooler than it is. So, we need those gases. The problem begins when we add huge quantities of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It means that more heat energy tends to be trapped in the atmosphere causing the global temperature to go up.” We know that the levels of carbon dioxide have increased greatly over the last 100 to 150 years. It was a scientist called Charles Keeling, who made accurate measure
