【682-684】Use of Vaping Products by US Students Increases 100...
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【682】
AS IT IS
Use of Vaping Products by US Students Increases 100 Percent
December 18, 2018
FILE - A high school student uses a vaping device near a school campus in Cambridge, Mass.
Two times as many American high school students used nicotine-added electronic cigarettes in 2018 compared to the number of high school users last year.
That information comes from a new study about teenage smoking, drinking and drug use in the United States.
It was the largest single-year increase in the history of the study, which has been done in each of the past 44 years. It also was much greater than an increase in marijuana smoking during the 1970s.
The findings were released on Monday. They confirm the findings of a U.S. government survey completed earlier this year. That survey also found a sharp rise invaping among children. It led federal officials to request measures that make it harder for children to get vaping products.
Experts blame the increase on newer e-cigarettes that look like computer flash drivesand can be hard for adults to recognize.
Trina Hale goes to South Charleston High School in West Virginia. She told The Associated Press that vaping increased a lot at her school this year. She said that students seem to like the vaping products made by Juul Labs.
“They can do it wherever, whenever,” she said.
Olivia Turman attends Cabell Midland High School in Ona, West Virginia. She said she has seen other students “hit their vape in class.”
The government supported survey was a project of researchers at the University of Michigan. The latest findings are based on answers provided by about 45,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 in U.S. schools. It found that 1 in 5 high school seniorsreported having vaped nicotine in the past month.
After vaping and alcohol, the most common drug teenagers use is marijuana, the survey found. About 1 in 4 students said they had used marijuana at least once in the past year. Marijuana use was more common in older children. Nearly 1 in 17 high school seniors said they use marijuana every day.
Marijuana smoking is about the same level as it was the past few years. Vaping of marijuana rose, however.
More teens are saying “no” to lots of other substances. The report noted a drop in usage of alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, opioid pills and the drugs cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and heroin.
Experts say it is not clear why so many young people are saying “no” at this time. The nation, as a whole, is in the middle of a deadly drug epidemic, mainly from opioids.
“What is it that we’re doing right with teenagers that we’re not doing with adults?” said Doctor Nora Volkow. She is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
One theory is that young people today are staying home and communicating on cell phones or other electronic devices. In earlier times, they would have socialized together in groups to smoke, drink and try drugs.
“Drug experimentation is a group activity,” Volkow said.
What about vaping? “Vaping mostly is an individual activity,” said David Jernigan, a Boston University researcher who studies alcohol use.
The vaping increase is a big worry, however. Health officials say nicotine can harm developing brains. Some researchers also believe vaping will make young people more likely to use cigarettes, and perhaps later try other drugs.
But that has yet to happen, surveys show. But vaping products are new, noted Richard Miech, who directed the Michigan survey.
If vaping does lead to cigarette use among young people, that may start to show up in the survey as early as next year, he added.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
cigarette – n. a rolled paper product that has the drug nicotine
marijuana – n. a drug that creates a feeling of being ”high”
vaping – v. to breathe the gas produced by an electronic cigarette
flash drive – n. a small device used to store electronic data
grade – n. a class organized for the work in a given year or a study program
senior – n. a student in the final year of a study program
epidemic – n. a product of sudden growth or spread; a disease or condition that affects many people at the same time
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AS IT IS
Afghanistan 2018: Deadly Attacks, Elections, Talks with Taliban
December 18, 2018
Security forces inspect the site of a deadly blast near a demonstration by hundreds of minority Shiites, in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
A year of unrest in Afghanistan is ending with new hope that a reconciliation process with the Taliban may be possible.
The war Afghanistan began with the American invasion in 2001. It is the longest conflict in American history.
In September, long-time American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad was appointed to negotiate an end to the war. He formerly served as the United States ambassador to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since his appointment, Khalilzad has made three trips to the area. He has spoken with representatives of the Taliban and Afghanistan’s neighbors. Several developments led to these contacts. The most important of them was the United States agreeing to communicate directly with the Taliban.
U.S. State Department official Alice Wells met with Taliban representatives in Qatar’s capital, Doha, earlier this year.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed peace talks to the Taliban several times in 2018. The first offer came in February, when he offered them a political office in Kabul. He also offered to cancel restrictions against Taliban leaders.
Taliban forces ignored the offers, which they said did not meet their most important demand: a withdrawal of all foreign forces from the country. The group also accused the Afghan government of taking orders from the U.S.
The biggest news of the year from Afghanistan was the cease-fire during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday in June. After 17 years of war, the two sides decided to halt fighting for three days to celebrate Eid.
Images of militants and Afghan civilians spending time together flooded both traditional and social media. Taliban fighters were seen taking selfies, shaking hands and smiling at government security forces.
“Our leaders have ordered a three-day cease-fire,” one Taliban fighter told the French news agency AFP. “We want a permanent cease-fire to resolve all our issues,” he said.
“We are all brothers,” another one told VOA.
While all this was happening, the level of violence remained high throughout the year. The Taliban continued to launch thousands of attacks, severely testing the ability of Afghan forces. An attack on the city of Ghazni lasted for days and caused hundreds of deaths.
The United Nations says Afghan civilians continued to die in record numbers in 2018. U.S. generals were reported as saying that the losses suffered by Afghan security force were unsustainable.
Twelve Americans died in action in Afghanistan in 2018. A U.S. military report showed that the Afghan government’s control over territory dropped to the lowest level -- 55.5 percent.
During the same period, the United States increased its troop numbers -- to 14,000 from fewer than 10,000 last year -- and airstrikes in support of Afghan troops. U.S. military reports say that the U.S. Air Force dropped a record number of bombs this year, at almost 6,000 by October.
Afghanistan held parliamentary elections in October. However, the results were damaged by political disputes between two groups: the country’s Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission.
In addition, another group, Islamic State, continued attacking targets in Nangarhar province and Kabul city throughout the year.
2018 in Afghanistan is ending with a hope that the increased push by the United States and the willingness by the Taliban to negotiate may produce results next year. The negotiations are in still development right now, and a road map to some form of reconciliation has yet to take shape.
I'm Caty Weaver.
Ayesha Tanzaam reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
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Words in This Story
reconciliation – n. the act of causing two or more people (or groups) to become friendly again
unsustainable – adj. something that is easily damaged
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AS IT IS
Japan to Refit Aircraft Carrier, Increase Defense Spending
December 18, 2018
This May, 2017, photo shows Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s helicopter carrier Izumo. The new national defense plan, approved Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet, calls for refitting an existing helicopter carrier. (Kyodo News via AP)
Japan is planning a large increase in defense spending and new weapons, including refitting a helicopter carrier for new high-technology fighters.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved the defense spending increase Tuesday. Defense officials say Japan needs to be prepared for North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, China’s increased military activity and natural disasters.
The new defense plan is part of Abe’s push to expand Japan’s military power. He has long wanted to revise Japan’s constitution to permit Japanese soldiers to fight in support of allied forces including American troops. The constitution, written by the U.S. after Japan’s defeat in World War II, permits the use of force only for defense.
The defense plan calls for refitting an existing helicopter carrier into a ship that can deploy U.S.-made F-35B stealth fighters.
Officials say the improved helicopter carrier Izumo would be especially useful to defend disputed islands against China in the western Pacific.
A cost estimate for the refitted carrier was not given. The work will be done over five years. The ship will carry 10 stealth fighters. The plan also calls for refitting a second helicopter carrier.
The move signals a major change in Japan’s naval defense. The country has not built aircraft carriers out of concerns that they may remind Japan’s Asian neighbors of aggression by Japan’s wartime Navy.
Officials say possession of an aircraft carrier would give Japan the ability to attack in violation of its constitution. Japan also plans to have cruise missiles designed to hit enemy targets.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Japan was making “groundless and irresponsible accusations against China’s normal defense construction and military activities.”
She added, “Neighboring countries in Asia and the international community have long been highly concerned about Japan’s moves in military and security fields.”
Japanese officials said that the Izumo will be used as an aircraft carrier only when necessary for national defense. Japan’s cabinet secretary added the plan “falls within the minimum necessity allowed under the constitution.”
Japan’s defense spending has increased for the last six years since Abe took office in 2012.
Japan plans to buy 147 fighter planes, including 42 F-35Bs, over the next few years. The American-made F-35 fighter jets cost $90 million each. The country also plans to add the U.S. Aegis Ashore missile defense system at a cost of $2 billion.
The Cabinet approved $240 billion in total defense spending over five years beginning in 2019: a record amount for Japan.
I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.
Hai Do adapted this AP story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
refit –v. to make something ready for use again, especially with new parts
revise –v. to make changes especially to correct or improve something
renounce –v. to formally give something up
stealth –adj. (technical) describing military aircraft or ships that are designed so that they cannot be easily seen by radar
construction –n. the act or process of building something
allow –v. to permit
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