Few laws are so effective that you can see
results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the
federal cigarette tax more than doubled----to $1.01 per pack---smokers have
jammed telephone ‘quit lines’ across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health
advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding
that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the
industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states
insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public
health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking
up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the
rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the
highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost 10.06 at one
drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the
lowest in the nation, the price was 4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new
low in the latest surveys----13.8%, far below the national average. By
comparison, 26 % of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax
states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax
falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true. But there is more reason in
keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the
first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit,
they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and
heart disease and feel better.
31. The text is mainly about___________.
A the price of
cigarettes
B the rate of teen smoking
C the effect of tobacco tax
increase
D the differences in tobacco tax rate
32. What does the author think is a
surprise?
A Teen smokers are price sensitive.
B Some states still keep the tobacco
tax low.
C Tobacco taxes improve public
health.
D Tobacco industry fiercely fights
the tax rise.
33. The underlined word "deter"
in Paragraph 3 most probably means .
A. discourage B.
remove C.
benefit D. free
34. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income
smokers might be that of .
A. tolerance B.
unconcern C. doubt D.
sympathy
35. What can we learn from the last
paragraph?
A. The new tax will be beneficial in the
long run.
B. Low-income Americans are more likely to
fall ill.
C. Future generations will be hooked on
smoking.
D. Adults will depend more on their
families.
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled―to $1. 01 per pack―smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit. 
the differences in tobacco tax rate