[originaltext]M: Excuse me madam.W: Yes?M: I wonder whether you’d help us. We

M: Excuse me madam.
W: Yes?
M: I wonder whether you’d help us. We’re doing a survey on smokers’ habits.
W: Well... I’m in a bit of a hurry actually.
M: It’ll only take a few minutes. We’d very much appreciate your help,
W: Well, all right. I can spare that, I suppose.
M: Thank you. Are you a smoker?
W: Yes, I’m afraid I am. My husband is, too. As you can see... I’ve just bought this week’s ration.
M: Would you describe yourself as being a heavy smoker?
W: Heavy... no. [6]I wouldn’t call three packets of twenty a week heavy smoking. No... a light smoker. My husband... he’s different...
M: Yes?
W: I get in twice as many a week for him.
M: You wouldn’t describe him as a chain-smoker...?
W: No... he’s not as bad as that.
M: Right... Thank you, Mrs....?
W: Bradley. Doris Bradley.
M: ... Mrs. Bradley. You and your husband smoke cigarettes I see. What about cigars... a pipe... Does your husband...?
W: Oh he’s never smoked a pipe. He’s the restless, nervy type. [7]I always associate pipe-smoking with people of another kind... the calm contented type...
M: Right. Now let’s keep to you, Mrs. Bradley. When did you begin to smoke?
W: I’m thirty-two now... so I must have been seventeen when I had my first cigarette.
M: I see. Now... Might I ask if you have ever tried to give up smoking?
W: Yes, twice. [8]The first time about six months before getting married. Oh that was because I was saving up and... yes... I used to smoke more in those days. Sometimes thirty a day. So I decided to give it up—but only succeeded I’m afraid in cutting it down.
M: And the second time?
W: Oh the second time I did manage to give up completely for a while. The doctor advised me not to smoke at all. I went for about seven or eight months without a single cigarette.
M: Then you took it up again.
W: [9]Yes... a couple of weeks after the baby was born. It was all right then because the baby was being bottle-fed anyway.
M: Now, Mrs. Bradley. When do you smoke most?
W: Erm, when I’m sitting watching TV or reading a book, but especially when I’m in company. I never smoke when I’m doing the housework.
M: Do you ever smoke at meal times?
W: I always have one cigarette after a meal.[10]Never on an empty stomach. Which reminds me—I must be going. My husband will be waiting for his lunch. And Keith... he’s my son.
M: OK, thank you, Mrs. Bradley.
W: You are welcome.
6. How many cigarettes does the woman smoke every week?
7. What kind of people does the woman think might smoke pipes?
8. When did the woman try to give up smoking for the first time?
9. Why did the woman try to give up smoking for the second time?
10. What can we learn from the conversation about the woman?