The harmful habits of young teenagers in the UK

 

The harmful habits of young teenagers in the UK

According to an official survey conducted by the government statistical service, Britain's younger teenagers are smoking and drinking less than their elder brothers and sisters, but one in three secondary school pupils have experimented with drugs, mainly cannabis, by the time they are 15.

The fall in smoking levels among 11- to 15-year-olds was the first reduction in a decade in England and the first since 1992 in Scotland. But experts said it was too soon to declare that the battle against smoking among schoolchildren was being won.

Girls continue to smoke more than boys, and by the age of 15 only 30% said they had never tried a cigarette. The hard figures showed that the growth in popularity of smoking among s c h o o l c h i l d r e n appears to have been halted.

Overall, the proportion of young teenagers smoking a cigarette at least once a week fell between 1996 and 1998 from 13% to 11% in England and from 14% to 12% in Scotland. But the survey shows that by the age of 15 one in four schoolchildren is smoking at least one cigarette a week, and most of those who smoke get through 20 or more cigarettes a week.

Most got hold of the cigarettes by buying them in shops, and three quarters of smokers admitted they would already find it difficult to stop the habit. The average amount of alcohol drunk also fell from 1.8 units a week per pupil to 1.6 units.

The survey shows that the popularity of beer, lager and cider in particular, is declining amongst this age group. The two-yearly survey also asked questions about drug abuse among British schoolchildren. Almost one third of pupils said they had been offered at least one of a list of illegal drugs, but only 13% said they had ever used them.

But the extent of drug abuse increased sharply with age, so 34% of 15-year-olds said they had tried illegal drugs, with over half saying they had only used cannabis. Some 12% of 15-year-olds said they had tried stimulants such as amphetamines, or cocaine.

Finally, the survey shows a strong link between smoking and illegal drugs, with 63% of regular smokers admitting they had used drugs compared with only 1% who had never smoked.

Find a word or phrase in the text that means the following. 

1. research = 
2. organised = 
3. elder = 
4. ten years = 
5. announce = 
6. stopped = 
7. use up a large quantity = 
8. find and use = 
9. falling = 
10. size,range = 

Read the text again and decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 

1. According to the survey, older teenagers smoke and drink more than young teenagers. 

2. Experts believe that it is too soon to say that schoolchildren are winning the battle against smoking. 

3. Girls said that by the age of 15 they had never tried a cigarette. 

4. The survey shows that most of the young smokers admitted that it would be difficult for them to stop smoking. 

5. Only a small number of schoolchildren said they had ever used drugs. 

6. The older the schoolchildren become, the more drugs they use. 

7. 12% of 15-year-olds said they had tried stimulants. 

8. The survey doesn’t show a connection between smoking and illegal drugs.