5.2. Alcohol Drinking

Sudy the lexis used when talking about alcohol drinking.

spirits – спиртные напитки

alcopop – слабоалкогольный газированный напиток

booze – выпивка

drink to excess – злоупотреблять алкоголем; пьянствовать

hangover – похмелье

drunken stupor – пьяный угар

lager – лагер; светлое пиво

black out – терять сознание

social drinker – человек, выпивающий в компании

get drunk – напиться

schnapps – шнапс

liver – печень

mature – взрослый

pass out – потерять сознание; умереть

brewery – пивоварня; пивоваренный завод

be beneficial to health – быть полезным для здоровья

alcohol abuse – злоупотребление алкоголем

rush of energy – выброс энергии

go over the limit – превышать лимит, выходить за рамки

heavy drinker – пьяница

classify alcohol the same as hard drugs – отнести алкоголь к тяжелым наркотикам

harmful substances – вредные вещества

actual risks posed to society – риски для общества

be addicted to – пристраститься к

physical harm – вред для здоровья

alcoholic beverage – спиртной напиток; крепкий напиток

pure alcohol – чистый алкоголь

measures aimed at reducing the levels of drinking – меры по сокращению употребления алкоголя

cause death – стать причиной смерти

alcohol-related diseases – болезни, связанные с чрезмерным употреблением алкоголя

alcohol consumption – употребление алкоголя

bootlegging – незаконное производство и торговля спиртными напитками

bootleg vodka – контрафактная водка

drink alcohol – употреблять алкоголь

alcohol dependence – алкогольная зависимость

legal drinking age – возраст официально разрешённого потребления спиртных напитков

cause blurred vision and poor coordination – стать причиной нечеткого зрения и плохой координации

Read the article and complete the table below it.

Five tricks to make you buy more booze

By Jim Reed Newsbeat reporter

At the last count, people in the UK were buying £37bn worth of alcohol each year. The typical 20-year-old drinks nine pints of beer or five glasses of wine a week. That means bars and drink companies are prepared to fight hard and sometimes dirty to get that cash. Newsbeat spoke to insiders to see what the top five drinks industry tricks are.

1. The three second rule.

The bar itself is the front line in the battle for your cash. People in the drinks industry talk about a "three second rule" – the amount of time you get to make a decision after staff ask for your order. "Most punters just focus on the products right in front of them," one former manager told Newsbeat. Drink companies are prepared to offer bars big discounts to get their brands in that position. For alcopops it means the top row of the fridge, for spirits hanging right behind the bar and for beer the most eye-catching beer pumps possible. Some beer dispensers are not even connected but are just adverts for the brand. And noticed those frosted "extra cold" pumps covered in condensation? They're the latest marketing gimmick.

2. Pump up the music (and the heating).

The louder the better for bars. There is scientific evidence that the higher the volume, the quicker we drink. Think of that when you can't hear yourself on a Friday night. "The last thing bars want is customers sat behind a table chatting quietly," said former manager Rich. Clubs want people on the dance floor but they don't want them to stay on the dance floor all night. DJs told us they are often asked to drop in a couple of dodgy tunes to push people to the bar. Then there is the heating. We spoke to staff who are regularly told to turn it up, even in the summer, to get packed bars drinking.

3. Cocktails.

Beers, wine and alcopops can all be bought, usually more cheaply, from the local off-licence. That's one reason why the market for cocktails is booming. Many bars offer the real thing. Some though are more than happy to repackage a £3 rum-and-coke as a £8 Cuba Libre. Another barman told us about a special Lychee Martini, sold as a cocktail but really containing no alcohol whatsoever. "Look for simple things like a clean glass," said Amit Sood who trains cocktail makers. "Are the drinks made using fresh fruit? Does the bar tender look technically confident? All those are signs that you are getting value for money."

4. Skilled staff.

The best staff will be skilled in upselling. Ask for a vodka and you will be offered a double – ask for a glass of wine and you will be offered a large glass. Then of course there's how the staff look."I've worked in bars which just refused to hire unattractive staff," 24-year-old David told Newsbeat. "And whatever you think, those bars had the highest turnover."Most staff are honest but we heard the odd scare story."The biggest thing is Christmas parties," said one ex-manager."Firms put £1,000 behind the bar and it would all be spent by the barmen. "They would put everything through the till and drink it themselves after closing time."

5. Advertising everywhere.

Eight out of 10 drinkers walk through the door of a pub without knowing what they want, one former marketing exec said. "If you can put a brand name in their head they are very likely to remember it when they get to the bar." Drinks companies will often offer bar staff incentives if they agree to put up promotional material. "We used to have marketing guys coming in and handing us free festival tickets," one ex-manager said. "Or they would give us crates of free beer just to stick up some posters."

Now, using the information in the table, tell about the tricks used to make people buy more alcohol.

Trick	Information

Answer the questions on alcohol drinking.

1. Do you think alcohol is a drug?

2. What is alcoholism?

3. What are some of the characteristics of drunk people?

4. Is alcohol addictive?

5. Is alcohol a drug?

6. Are the drinking and driving laws in your country too strict?

7. How does alcohol change your behavior, personality and face?

8. What are the most popular forms of alcohol in your country?

9. What part does alcohol play in the culture of your country?

10. What should be the legal age to drink alcohol?

11. In the USA, you cannot drink alcohol on the street. What are the laws regarding drinking in public in your country?

12. What kinds of social problems does alcohol cause in your country?

13. What do you think of very drunk people?

14. Alcohol is forbidden in Islam. Is this good?

15. Do you think people from different countries act differently when drunk?

16. What is the best cure for a hangover?

17. "Nobody gets you drinking more, if you didn't want to drink more you wouldn't." Do you agree?