In 1971, Arthur P. Mullaney, of Randolph, Massachusetts, came up with a great idea. He asked his neighbors to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent for cigarettes to a high school. During the next five years the idea spread to other communities across the nation. In 1977, the American Cancer Society held the first Great American Smokeout. The event became a tradition held on the third Thursday of November each year.

This year on November 20, the Great American Smokeout will celebrate its 27th birthday. The event has had a great effect on America's health: millions stop smoking for a day, and many of these people successfully take that further and quit for good. It also has changed attitudes toward smoking and resulted in public policies that help keep young people from starting to smoke and protect nonsmokers from the hazards of second-hand smoke.

Smokers are encouraged to put down their cigarettes for 24 hours. Society volunteers provide smoking cessation（停止）activities. Hospitals also hand off self-help materials and information. Many communities hold parades. To make smoking socially unacceptable, the Great American Smokeout has been chaired by some of America's most popular people including Edward Asner and Natalie Cole.

The event has been effective. For example, in 1999, 10 million Americans took the challenge. Of them, 6 percent reported they were smoking less or not at all one to five days later. The focus of the event has evolved from simply helping adults to helping children. However, the Great American Smokeout still faces many challenges. About 47 million adults in the U. S. currently smoke and about half will die prematurely（过早地）from smoking.

1．Why did Arthur P. Mullaney come up with the idea?

A．To save money for their lives.

B．To found a famous organization.

C．To spare cigarettes for others.

D．To help the students in a school.

2．During the first five years, the Great American Smokeout ________.

A．was held on the third Thursday of the November

B．was only limited to the area around

C．became the national organization

D．was also very famous in other countries

3．What is the meaning of the underlined word “hazards” in Paragraph 2?

A．Markets.       B．Cigarettes.       C．Dangers.        D． Places.

4．It can be inferred from the text that the Great American Smokeout ________.

A．is still in great need of existing in US

B．only focuses its attention on adults

C．has become a world-wide organization now

D．has developed very slowly in the past few years