WHO： Alcohol Can Kill

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

Many people all over the world enjoy an alcoholic drink during dinner. Many people raise a glass of alcohol to celebrate a wedding or a birthday. And having drinks after work with friends and co-workers is called "happy hour." All these situations are considered "social drinking" because they happen at social events.

But when does "social drinking" become problem drinking?

According to the World Health Organization alcohol abuse kills 3.3 million people each year. That is six percent of all deaths around the world.

And in a new report on alcohol use around the world, the WHO says alcohol can create dependency, or addiction, in some people. The report also warns that alcohol use can increase the risk of developing more than 200 diseases, including some kinds of cancers. And, the WHO says alcohol abuse can put people at greater risk of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and HIV.

WHO Mental Health and Substance Abuse Director Shekhar Saxena says the organization is concerned about drinking among young people between the ages 15 and 19. And it is most concerned about "binge-drinking," or an extended period of heavy drinking.

"The report concludes that worldwide 16 percent of drinkers over the age of 15 engage in binge-drinking, which is much more harmful than other kind of drinking ..."

The report warns that more women are drinking alcohol. And, the report says women are at greater risk than men for some alcohol-related health conditions.

The report also finds Europe is the area with the highest alcohol use. Central and Eastern Europe are especially high.

The WHO says people in Russia, Ukraine, and some neighboring countries drink a lot of alcohol and binge drink.

Vladimir Poznyak is the WHO Management of Substance Abuse Coordinator. He says less alcohol is used in Africa than in Europe. But, he adds, the health effects are worse in Africa because of a lack of social support systems, such as access to health care.

The World Health Organization suggests ways countries can protect people from alcohol abuse. These include increasing taxes on alcohol sales, raising the drinking age limit, and controlling the marketing of alcoholic beverages.

And that's the Health Report. This report was written by Lisa Schlein in Geneva. I'm Anna Matteo.

词汇解析

alcohol

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.酒精;酒;乙醇

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

Whisky contains a large percentage of alcohol.

威士忌所含酒精的百分比很高。

The main raw materials developing alcohol fuel in China and the alcohol technology made from haulm were related.

叙述了目前我国发展燃料乙醇的主要原料以及秸杆乙醇技术。

abuse

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.滥用;恶习

vt.滥用;辱骂;虐待

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

The government has set up a working party to look into the problem of drug abuse.

政府已成立工作组调查滥用毒品问题。

用作及物动词 (vt.)

I don't consider it good for a person to be afraid of being abused.

一个人怕挨骂,我看不好。

engage

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

v.雇佣;啮合;与……交战;答应;订婚;预定;参加;从事

参考例句

用作动词 (v.)

If the big gear did not engage with the small one,the machine would refuse to work.

如果大齿轮与小齿轮不相啮合的话，机器就不会工作。

Those who engage in mental work are also workers.

从事脑力劳动的人也是劳动者。

access

难度：5星基本词汇，属常用1000词

英汉解释

n.入口;通道

n.接近(的机会);使用之权

vt.进入;(电脑)存取

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

The avalanche cut off the access to the mountain village.

雪崩切断了进入山村的通道。

用作及物动词 (vt.)

She access three different files to find the correct information.

她存取了三个文件以找寻所要的信息。