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| Words in the News
Wednesday 02 October 2002
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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Smoking ban in Greece
Summary: In Greece a new ban on smoking in public spaces was introduced on Tuesday 1st October. It is the first in a series of measures aimed at curbing the habit among Greeks, who are the heaviest smokers in the European Union. This report from Panos Polyzoidis:
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| | The News | |
| | | Daily life in Greece will be a lot different as of Tuesday, the day on which new, stricter anti-smoking regulations come into effect. There will be a partial ban on smoking in all public spaces: stations, hospitals, public services, schools and colleges, where special areas will be designated for those who light up.
The health ministry's campaign is aimed at protecting the rights of non-smokers. But ministry officials also hope their measures will help reduce smoking in this tobacco-producing country, where around forty-five percent of all people indulge in the habit, and where smoking is part of popular culture.
As of December first, all cafes, bars and restaurants will be obliged to provide non-smoking areas with the exception of traditional cafes and late-night clubs. And at the beginning of next year, the ban on tobacco advertising will be extended to cover outdoor billboards and cinemas.
When the new measures were announced last spring, Prime Minister Costas Simitis was the first to enforce them, banning smoking during cabinet meetings. But the announcement was met with mixed reaction; some Greeks appear to accept the need to regulate smoking, but others thought the new rules would not be enforceable.
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| | The Words
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| | | a partial ban
a ban is an official statement that forbids something. If a ban is partial, it is not a total ban
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| | | special areas will be designated
there will be special places
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| | | light up
start smoking
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| | | measures
actions that are carried out by people in authority in order to achieve a particular result
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| | | indulge in the habit
here, smoke. If you indulge in something, you allow yourself to do it
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| | | part of popular culture
very common
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| | | be obliged to
have to
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| | | billboards
high fences or boards on which large posters are displayed
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| | | enforce
if you enforce a rule, you make sure that it is obeyed
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| | | met with mixed reaction
if something is met with mixed reaction, some people think it is a good idea while others think it is not
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