Societal Regulations: Tobacco Control, Airline Policies & Personal Choices

Option A: Tobacco, State Control & Liberty

1. Tobacco Purchase License Proposal

A health expert from Australia suggests the creation of an obligatory license to buy tobacco, which would be issued by the government. Since it would have to be renewed periodically, cost money, and perhaps limit the number of cigarettes a person could buy, it might deter people from smoking.

2. Vocabulary Focus

• a) Extreme
• b) High-cost
• c) Inconvenience
• d) Entice

3. Comprehension: Tobacco License Impact

• a) The text asks if a government-issued license could be the best solution to reduce smoking.
• b) If an establishment sells cigarettes to anyone without a license, it will be severely punished.
• c) Shops would not be able to sell tobacco products to anyone without a license.
• d) 'Perhaps we can build in a financial reward to entice smokers to quit,' he suggests.

4. Rationale for Tobacco Licensing

• a) Because these drugs can't be sold without a prescription, and it would be illegal to sell cigarettes without the license.
• b) Because the license would have to be renewed periodically, which is inconvenient, and, of course, would cost money. Also, it might limit the number of cigarettes a person could buy per day.

5. State Intervention vs. Personal Freedom

Many people think that the state doesn't have the right to control whether people smoke, drink, or take drugs because these are individual decisions, and everyone is free to do what they like with their own lives. Many people who smoke, for example, are furious because of the anti-smoking laws that have been passed. What they don't realize is that when they smoke, the people around them breathe the smoke from their cigarettes, so they are affected too. It's the same with drinking or drugs: if you drink and then drive, you can cause an accident that can affect other people besides yourself. Really, to take an extreme example, while some argue that controlling access to items like firearms interferes with personal liberties, experience shows that individual possession of firearms can give rise to terrible calamities for other people.

Option B: Airline Seating & Family Perspectives

1. Child-Free Airline Seating Considerations

Because of the noise and disturbances often created by small children, some airline companies are considering separating seats occupied by families with young offspring from those of other passengers. Many childless people agree with this, but some parents find it discriminatory.

2. Vocabulary Focus

• a) Shatter
• b) Offspring
• c) Carrier
• d) Malodorous

3. Comprehension: Airline Seating Policies

• a) Passengers will be given a quiet zone without any extra cost.
• b) If airlines suggest that families should be segregated from other passengers, parents will get angry.
• c) Is it necessary for adults to learn to live with child passengers? Or should adults learn to leave them be?
• d) Children will be banned by Malaysian Airlines from the top deck of A380 aircraft.

4. Factors Affecting Passenger Journeys

• a) Because they make a lot of noise and disturb other passengers. They screech, which can be particularly disruptive when other passengers may be suffering from stress.
• b) Other things that can make passengers' journeys unpleasant include security checks, limited legroom, flying at high altitudes, and the snoring or smelly feet of fellow passengers.

5. Personal Views on Family and Lifestyle

Yes, I think I'd like to have a large family, maybe four or five children, and live in a house with a big garden where they could all play. I'd like this house to be in or near a village so that my children could have friends to go out with. I think I want to have so many children because I myself am an only child. I've got cousins, but they are much older than me and live in Barcelona, which means I don't see them very often. Consequently, I'm a quiet and solitary person, and quite shy too. But I like children, and I normally get along with them very well. I wouldn't like to have a family now, though, because I want to pursue a university degree in education. I think the ideal age to have a family is when you are around thirty.