EL BOLETIN DE INGLES
AMERICANO PREFERIDO POR LOS HISPANOPARLANTES |
|
OM
News # 69 - Delivered to 30217 subscribers |
ISSN 1668-4877
-
December
1, 2003 |
Hey,
pal!! In
this issue, we present a new article by courtesy of BBC together with a
reading comprehension activity. You will also find the answers to our
last exercise (Flying to Rio). Did you enjoy the audio files? We appreciate you recommend us and rate our
efforts by
CLICKING
HERE. See you on
December 15!!
¡¡Hola, amiga/o!! En
esta entrega presentamos un nuevo artículo, cortesía de la BBC, junto
con una actividad de lecto-comprensión. También encontrarás las
respuestas al último ejercicio (Volando a Río). ¿Te agradaron
los archivos sonoros?. Valoramos que nos
recomiendes y califiques nuestros esfuerzos haciendo
CLIC
AQUI. ¡¡Nos
vemos el 15 de diciembre!! |
IN
THIS ISSUE: |
A
WOMAN'S RIGHT TO BOOZE
Interesting Article
(intermediate ESL students
and teachers)
|
A
WOMAN'S RIGHT TO BOOZE
Questions Activity
(intermediate ESL students
and teachers)
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FLYING
TO RIO
Answers to Activities
in OM News # 68
|
|
A
WOMAN'S RIGHT TO BOOZE: In
Britain, drinking in pubs was traditionally the preserve of men. But
increasingly women have been joining them at the bar. What made this
happen? Read below ...
EL DERECHO DE LA
MUJER A CONSUMIR ALCOHOL: En Inglaterra, beber en los bares era
tradicionalmente dominio masculino. Pero, progresivamente, las mujeres
han comenzado a unírseles en el bar. ¿Qué ocurrió para que esto
sucediera? Entérate abajo ... |
A
WOMAN'S RIGHT TO BOOZE
|
When
a woman goes out to the pub, it's no longer to sit quietly sipping
a port and lemon. Today they are as likely to be matching
the men pint for pint. According to the Office of National Statistics,
young professional women drink in the same proportion as men. And of
course, with this habit comes a host of health risks. But how did women
get to be such big drinkers?
Changing lifestyles
The past couple of decades has seen the rise of a class of professionals
in their 20s and 30s who typically have high disposable
incomes and few responsibilities. The rise of women in paid employment
and the corresponding increase in disposable income has fuelled
the increase in alcohol consumption. Young women - those without family
responsibilities - seem best able to fund the habit.
The tendency towards "extended youth" - people putting off marriage
and children - may well have contributed towards the trend of higher
consumption of alcohol, among both women and men.
Women-friendly pubs
It is only recently that brewers woke up to the potential of the female
market.
Old-style pubs, with their dark, smoky environments and
translucent windows, were (often intentionally) a turn-off for
women. But proprietors reasoned that a few simple adjustments
could change all that. And if they could attract females, the men would
surely follow.
So pubs and bars have become more "female friendly". Big
windows, light woods and a more airy feel allow passers-by to
gauge the place before walking in.
Inside are comfortable chairs, extra-long bars to avoid queues
and a wide range of drinks including tea and coffee. Location is also
important. The bars tend to be situated on main roads, in well-lit
areas, within easy reach of public transport.
Designer drinks
A pint of ale has never been popular with women drinkers. Hence
the rise of so-called "designer drinks" which include
pre-mixed spirits such as Smirnoff Ice, V2 and Bacardi Breezer. Brewers
have even modified the "hard liquor" image of spirits, with
new concepts such as fruit-flavoured vodka. Wine is more widely
available than ever before, and low-calorie brands such as Bud Light
have been a big success with women.
Advertising and marketing
Women used to be the subject of many alcohol advertising campaigns. Now
they are often the target audience. Check out the ads for Bacardi
Breezer, which feature a cat dancing on its hind legs with young
women, or Baileys in which a woman orders a drink by running her hands
over her body or Archers Peach Schnapps, in which a man is outwitted
by his girlfriend, who goes for a sneaky night out on the tiles.
"Role models"
It has become the fashion for women to copy
pop stars such as Cerys Matthews or wine-swilling thirtysomethings
like the fictional Bridget Jones, the media is full of
women saying "Why shouldn't we have fun too?".
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GLOSSARY
booze:
consume alcohol (consumir alcohol); no longer: no more (ya
no); sip: drink in sips (sorber); port: sweet
dark-red dessert wine originally from Portugal (oporto); matching:
being equal to (igualando); disposable: available (disponible);
fuelled: stimulated (estimulado); put off: postpone
(postergar); smoky: full of smoke (llenos de humo);
turn-off: negative situation (giro negativo); proprietors:
owners (los dueños, los propietarios); passers-by:
pedestrians (los peatones); queues: lines (filas,
colas); well-lit: well-illuminated (bien iluminadas); within
easy reach: convenient (de fácil acceso, bien ubicado); hence:
therefore (por lo tanto); so-called: better known as (así
denominados, conocidos como); hind legs: back limbs (patas
traseras); outwitted: beat through cleverness and wit (engañado/a
a fuerza de tretas); sneaky: using caution and secrecy to
avoid being observed (a escondidas); tiles: rectangular
slabs covering a roof (tejas); wine-swilling: heavy
drinkers of wine (embriagada/o);
thirtysomethings: the time of life between 30 and 40
(treintañeras); the media: television, movies, the press,
etc. (los medios)
|
COMPRUEBA
TU HABILIDAD DE LECTO-COMPRENSION EN ESTE EJERCICIO |
Responde
con cuidado las siguientes preguntas acerca del artículo anterior.
Las
respuestas correctas aparecerán en la próxima OM News. |
LISTENING
COMPREHENSION ACTIVITY
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1.
When did Fernando get this samba CD?
He got it when he was in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival.
2. How long does Carnival last in Rio? Carnival in Rio lasts
for four whole days.
3. What do you usually need to do well in advance? You usually need to book your hotel
well
in advance because hotels in Rio fill up really
quickly.
4. How does the city look during this festival? The whole city is decorated with
colored lights
and streamers, and it's really beautiful.
5. What's the best part of this Carnival party? The best part about Carnival is the
Big Parade.
The costumes are unbelievable!!
6. What does Fernando recommend everyone?
He really
recommends everyone go to Rio for
Carnival if he/she ever has the chance.
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In
FEBRUARY the Brazilians celebrate their Carnival. During
these very special days, people wear lots of interesting MASKS and COSTUMES.
Everyone goes DANCING in
the streets. It's really fun, and the music is fabulous. Many people think
that the Samba PARADE is the greatest SHOW on earth.
|
next update: december 15, 2003 |
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