1. The end of British pub culture?
by A. J. Dalton Activity 1: Multiple choice
Choose the correct answer for
each question.
British beer and pubs are famous around 1 Why are British pubs often
so old?
the world. Things are changing, however. a Because the British want to
attract tourists.
Is this the end of a great British tradition? b Because they follow in the
tradition of British kings
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in and queens.
any British village have been the church and the pub. In fact, c Because there has always
until a place has a church and a pub, it is not really considered been a need for them
a community worthy of a name. Traditionally, the church and in Britain.
the pub are at the heart of any village or town, since it is where 2 British people that go to pubs
the people gather to socialise and exchange news. They are a Can be from any part
institutions at the heart of British society. After all, the word of society.
‘pub’ is actually short for ‘public house’. b Are mainly men.
c Are often royalty.
As a result of this sort of history, British pubs are often old and
3 Why are so many pubs going
well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites that
out of business?
tourists visit. The most famous example is the pub in the city of
a Because of the credit crunch.
Nottingham called ‘Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem’, which dates back b Because they’re not
to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England. changing fast enough.
It was the same year in which King Richard the First (the c Because they are too
‘Lionheart’) came to the throne, and it was he who led the traditional.
First Crusade into the Holy Land, towards Jerusalem. television commercials to warn people of the problems of 4 Why did the UK government
drinking too much. allow pubs to stay open after
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens,
even though they often have old names referring to monarchs. In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with 11p.m.?
the market. Now, there are a number of different types of pubs: a To encourage binge drinking.
They welcome people from all classes and parts of society.
b To save British businesses.
On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find I a ‘traditional pub’ is usually more than a hundred years old, c So that people would not
a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and often has a ceiling made of oak beams and often has have to drink so quickly.
hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price. a large, open fire
That’s how it used to be, but things are beginning to change. I a ‘gastro pub’ serves higher-quality food than is traditional; Activity 2: Vocabulary
It is said that the credit crunch is causing 39 British pubs a week they are a bit more expensive than a traditional pub, Choose the correct words to
to go out of business. People do not have a lot of spare money but often have received an award for excellent cooking complete the sentences.
I a ‘microbrewery’ is a pub that brews and serves its own beer
to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking Recently
in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of Traditionally
customers going to pubs. on the premises; it often has fresher beer than other types
of pub Freely
I a ‘wine bar’ tends to be a place where fashionable (‘trendy’)
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK Traditional
government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11p.m.
young people go to meet new people, often with romance Historic
Previously, with 11p.m. as closing time, customers would have to
drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than in mind. Trendy
they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking As you can see, British pubs now offer something for everyone. 1 Have you been to that new bar?
a lot very quickly is known as ‘binge drinking’, and it causes long- A lot of pubs used to be ‘working men’s clubs’, meaning that It’s very ________.
term health problems for individuals and problems with violent women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can 2 ________, there were certain
crime for communities. The UK government is changing the law freely enter 99 per cent of pubs without experiencing any drinking clubs in Britain that
to discourage binge drinking, and regularly spends money on problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all. women could not enter.
3 Tourists like to visit ________
sites.
4 In British pubs today, people can
Fun corner Word of the day 5
come and go ________.
________, the UK government
has banned smoking in pubs.
‘Binge drinking’ is the term we use to describe
1 Change one letter in the word ‘dine’, to find an alcoholic 6 Many people visits British pubs
drink. _________ drinking too much too quickly. It is a social problem. for the ________ fare (food
and drink).
2 Change one letter in the word ‘pub’, to find a baby bear.
_________
3 Change one letter in the word ‘bear’, to find an alcoholic RAPIDO AND ZEN food 6
traditional
recently
6
5
drink. _________
WHAT DID THE GRAPE SAY WHEN
wealth 5 freely 4
THE ELEPHANT STEPPED ON IT?
fire 4 historic 3
4 Change one letter in the word ‘fine’, to make yourself hot. beer 3 traditionally 2
_________ cub 2 trendy 1
wine 1
NOTHING. IT J UST LET
Activity 2
5 Change one letter in the word ‘health’, to make yourself
OUT A LITTLE WINE.
Fun corner
rich. _________ c 4
same way as ‘wine’. a 3
6 Change one letter in the word ‘good’ if you’re hungry.
Z EN
pronounced in the a 2
_________
The word ‘whine’ is c 1
Joke Activity 1
Answers
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© British Council 2009