Cigarettes Have 600 Additives

Examen de inglés Selectividad Bon's tips (

CIGARETTES HAVE 600 ADDITIVES

Tobacco firms have admitted putting 600 secret ingredients and additives in cigarettes, the Health Secretary disclosed yesterday. Alan Milburn promised that the list would be published in full within weeks so that the consumers, for the first time, "know what they are smoking".

His comments at a meeting of the Commons Health Committee came ahead of a European directive on tobacco that will put new ceilings on nicotine and carbon monoxide levels, increase the size of warnings and restrict the use of "mild" or "low tar" to describe cigarette brands.

Although tobacco companies had promised the previous Governments that they would provide the Department of Health with a full list of additives, Mr Milburn said that he had only just received the dossier.

The ingredients include sucrose, cocoa, citric acid and ammonium which speeds up the nicotine "hit"; Mr Milburn said that until very recently, nobody knew about any of these ingredients adding that he was demanding further information from the tobacco companies so that they could show which brands contained the additives. "It is our intention to put that information on the Health Department's website before too long", he said.

Glossary : tar=alquitrán; sucrose=sacarosa

a) Add True of False, quoting the relevant information from the text (3 p.)

1. People already knew about the additives in cigarettes.

2. A European directive will reduce nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in cigarettes.

3. Mr Milburn knows which brands contain additives.

b) Answer the following questions in your own words(2 p.)

1. Why does Mr Milburn want to publish the list of additives?

2. What are the effects of the additives?

c)Complete the following sentences. The meaning has to be the same as that of the one above. (2 p.)

1. Mr Milburn promised that the list would be published in full.

The list...

2. The list of additives in cigarettes had been published in full, so many people were not aware of actual harm.

If...

3. "It is our intention to put that information on the Health Department's website before too long."

Mr Milburn said...

4. The ingredients speed up the nicotine "hit". They include sucrose, cocoa, citric acid and ammonium.

The ingredients...

d) Write a composition (from 80 to 100 words) on the topic:

Give your reasons for or against smoking. (3 p.)