Passage Three
"I smoke for my health," I proclaimed in a newspaper article published in 1979. Since I am a doctor, this advice attracted amused attention. I reasoned that smoking made me cough and thus pred pneumonia; smoking made my heart go faster and eliminated the need for special exercise; smoking restrained my appetite and kept me trim. And then, at 51, I had a heart attack.
I knew the risk factors for early heart disease, high blood-cholesterol levels and smoking. The first four were in my favor, but 1; chose to smoke.
Strange how the evidence that linked smoking to heart disease appeared unclear to me, and how the same data now appear overwhelmingly convincing. Why stop now Smokers who stop after their first heart attack have an 80-percent chance of living ten more years—if they don’t, a 60-per cent chance.
As a smoker, I always resented the fact that we smokers received only scorn from nonsmokers. How could nonsmokers know that smoking was bad for the health if there were no smokers to prove it Being a member of the experimental group, rather than the control group, deserves a certain measure of social appreciation. I’ve done my time. I’m now ready to be a control. No longer smoke for my health. My health can’t stand the help.
Will I miss the late-night trips to find a store that’s still open and selling cigarettes Will I miss searching through ashtrays (烟灰缸) to find the longest butt that is still smokable Only time will tell. Not smoking may give me the time to find out. Was it easy to stop Sure. Here is all you have to do. First, experience a severe crushing pain under your breastbone as you finish a cigarette. Next, have yourself admitted to a coronary-care(心脏康复) unit and be stripped of your clothing and belongings. Finally, remain in the unit at ad-solute bed rest for four days while smoking is forbidden. This broke my had-it. See if it works for you. Passage ThreeThe word "help" at the end of the fourth paragraph refers to ______.