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Word study. Comprehension. Pre-reading task
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WORD STUDY
1. Find in the article the words to match the following definitions.
- someone who sells illegal drugs;
- to get something that you want, especially through your own effort, skill, or work;
- to make someone feel worried or upset;
- to provide people with something that they need or want, especially regularly over a long period of time;
- someone who is unable to stop taking drugs;
- to help someone to live a healthy, useful, or active life again after they have been seriously ill or in prison;
- causing or likely to cause harm;
- relating to crime;
2. Give the synonyms to the words.
Available, to obtain, to concern, to supply, harmful.
3. Give the antonyms to the words.
Pleasant, legal, available, encourage, reduce, resist, increase.
4. Insert the pre- and postpositions.
- Many different drugs are available, each known -- a variety -- slang names.
- Using Ecstasy has led -- highly publicized accidental deaths.
- Drug-taking is blamed -- a lot of crimes, as addicts sometimes steal -- order to get money to buy drugs.
- . The government could put a tax -- drugs, as is the case -- tobacco and alcohol, and the money could be used to help pay -- medical treatment -- people who become addicted.
- They also say that it is wrong -- alcohol, also an addictive drug, to be legal, while the drugs they enjoy are not.
5. Insert the words.
1. That, he said, suggests better chances for ---injured patients.
2. Doctors have warned against the ---effects of smoking.
3. They set up a pressure group that is campaigning to make cannabis---.
4. I was sure he was involved in some kind of ---activity.
5. Denmark recently ---marriage between gay couples.
6. Drugs like heroin are readily--- on the streets.
7. We're very pleased and need to catch the ---and users of crack.
8. Scientists in Brazil are ---medicines from plants.
9. Kate's behaviour at school is starting to ---her parents.
10. They were arrested for ---drugs to street dealers.
11. A lot of women drug ---become prostitutes in order to get money to buy---.
Available, supplying, harmful, obtaining, legal, legalized, addicts, drugs, criminal,
Rehabilitating, pushers, concern.
6. Make derivatives of the words.
To please, to use, addict, resist, legal.
COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the questions.
1. Does the problem of drug abuse exist in Britain and the US?
2. Is it difficult to obtain drugs today?
3. What drugs are available?
4. What are the main people’s concerns connected with drugs?
5. How do the courts treat people involved in drug business?
6. What is drug-taking blamed for?
7. Are any steps taken by the governments helpful?
8. What reasons are given by people to support the legalization of drugs?
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9. What benefits could societies get from the legalization of drugs?
FOLLOW-UP
Make up your own list of advantages and disadvantages of the legalization of drugs
and discuss it in the group.
DRUGS-WHO TAKES THEM?
PRE-READING TASK
1. Answer the questions.
1. What do you know about drugs?
2. What definition of the word drug can you give?
3. What is addiction?
“Everyone takes drugs. ” That sweeping statement may be used to induce the naï ve to experiment with illicit drugs. But depending on how we define “drugs” those words contain an element of truth.
The term “drug” is defined as “Any chemical substance, whether of natural or synthetic origin, which can be used to alter perception, mood or other psychological states”. That is a useful, broad description of what are called psychoactive drugs, although it does not cover many medicinal drugs used for physical ailments.
According to that definition, alcohol is a drug. The danger lies in its immoderate use, which is evidently increasing. A survey of colleges and universities in a Western country found that “binge drinking is the most serious drug problem on college campuses”. ( Binge drinking was defined as “consuming 5 or more drinks in a row for men, and 4 or more for women”). The survey revealed that 44 percent of students were binge drinkers.
Like alcohol, tobacco is legally available, although it contains a powerful poison, nicotine. According to the World Health Organization, smoking kills about 4 million people a year. Yet, tobacco barons are wealthy, honored members of the society. Cigarette smoking is also highly addictive, perhaps more so than the use of many of the illegal drugs.
In recent years numerous countries have curbed tobacco advertising and imposed high prices on cigarettes. Smoking has been forbidden in many public places so as to protect those people who don’t smoke from inhaling harmful smoke.
Doctors may at times prescribe drugs too easily, or they are pressured by patients to prescribe drugs that are not necessary. Even nonprescription drugs, such as aspirin and paracetamol, if abused can lead to serious health problems. Over 2000 people worldwide die each year as a result of misusing paracetamol.
According to earlier definition, the caffeine in tea and coffee is also a drug, although we hardly regard it as such when drinking our favorite breakfast brew. And it would be absurd to view socially acceptable drinks like tea or coffee in the same light as hard drugs like heroin. Nevertheless, according to some health experts, if you habitually drink more than 5-7 cups of coffee a day, it may be harmful for your health.
More and more attention is drawn to the problem of drugs in sports. This was highlighted at the 1998 Tour de France when the nine cyclists of the top team were expelled for using performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes have devised various ways to counter drug tests. Some have even gone so far as to have “urine transplants”, meaning that someone else’s “clean” urine is inserted into their bladder via a catheter, an often painful procedure.
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We have yet to deal with the bewildering array of illicit drugs used for “recreational” purposes. These include marijuana, ecstasy, LSD, uppers (stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines), downers(depressants like tranquilizers), and heroin. Not to be forgotten are various inhalants, such as glue and gasoline, that are popular among the young. Of course, these inhalants are not banned substances and are readily available.
The common notion of an emaciated drug addict shooting up in a dingy room can be deceptive. Many on drugs are still able to function relatively normally in everyday life, although their addiction must affect the quality of their life to a greater or lesser degree. Nevertheless, we can’t minimize the dark side of the drug scene. One writer describes how some cocaine users “are capable of ‘shooting up’ dozens of times in a single session, converting their bodies into needle-pricked, bloody, and bruised messes”.
The UN Research Institute for Social Development pointed out that “drug producers and traffickers have organized themselves on a global scale and put a significant proportion of their drug profits in financial centers offering secrecy and attractive investment returns. Drug traffickers are now able to launder illicit profits by moving money around the world electronically with few national controls”.
It appears that many Americans may handle cocaine daily, albeit unknowingly. Most American bank notes bear traces of the drug.
The fact is that today the use of drugs, including illicit drugs, has become acceptable to many, viewed as a part of everyday life. Considering the widely publicized damage caused by illicit drugs as well as tobacco and alcohol, the obvious question is: “Why do people abuse them? ” As we ponder this question, it is a good time to reflect on our own views about drugs. [22, p. 4-5]
GUIDE
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