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Liquor Laws

Date: Aug 01 2006

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

hard alcohol

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

If you go to any city in any state (except, maybe, Utah) in the U.S., you’ll see pretty quickly that Americans like their alcohol. Every night, clubs and pubs from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Seattle, Washington, serve up all sorts of colorful cocktail creations.

But, compared to most European countries, the U.S. has a very conservative attitude about liquor.

Listen to Kevin and Emily talk about liquor laws in America.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Emily

Kevin: And then, like, in Minnesota, you can’t buy hard alcohol, you can’t buy anything except for 3.2% beer in grocery stores. And the liquor stores are closed on Sundays, and it’s crazy. And here in Oregon…

Emily: You can’t buy liquor here in the grocery stores.

Kevin: Well, I know, but you can at least buy wine.

Emily: Yeah.

Kevin: In Minnesota you can’t buy any of that.

Emily: Some states, I know, one of my friends lives in Boston and you can’t buy any alcohol on Sundays.

Kevin: [laughs]

Emily: I swear!

Kevin: And in Utah, you can only get one ounce of hard liquor at a time. That’s my understanding.

Emily: Yeah.

Kevin: That’s just really confusing for travelers, I think, because you never know. And then you go to Las Vegas, or you go to Texas, and you can drink in your car.

Emily: If you’re traveling around the world and you go to, like, Europe, it’s going to be so different than in the U.S. Although, I think in Europe they’re really tightening up a lot of the laws, too.

Kevin: Yeah.

Emily: Because there, you know, it used to be like, “Oh, it must be so cool to be in, like, Germany and you can drink when you’re, like, ten.” But, I think it’s all, like, eighteen now.

Kevin: Yeah.

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Discussion

Each state in the U.S. has its own laws about drinking and selling alcohol. However, there are some federal laws that apply to the entire country. For example, you have to be 21 years old to buy or drink alcohol, and it is illegal in every state to drive after you have been drinking.

In some states, you can buy alcohol in grocery stores. In others, you can only buy alcohol in licensed liquor stores. In some states, stores can sell alcohol on Sundays. In others, state laws prohibit the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Some dance clubs and bars can only serve alcohol until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., others can serve alcohol all night long.

Liquor laws in the U.S. can be confusing and frustrating. What are the liquor laws in your country?

Comments

oh_sexygirl

Thailand

To limit an opportunities to drink alcohol is good in my country. If you drunk you cant control yourself and some bad things can happen!!!

msmarier

Canada

interesting

beautyfang

China

from china ,and here you can buy any sort of alcohol in any place .but you must be 18 years,or you will be thinked bad boys and girls.the prohibition of laws the sale of alchohol is noexistent.