In Spanish cities, at night, crowds of young people wander the streets in search of a party, meeting their friends and stopping to drink. When a large mass of people get together, a party spontaneously breaks out. This phenomenon, translated into English as booze-up or binge-drinking, is perceived by local governments as a social problem because it is impossible to predict where it will take place and because drinkers are as young as 12.
In addition, now it has become fashionable to compete for the biggest national drinking party, as cities from Málaga to Madrid and Barcelona to Bilbao try to outdo one another by organizing the largest gathering. Word is spread by e-mail and text messages, and teenagers crowd into city centres, armed with bottles of soft drinks generously mixed with alcohol.
City councils are very cautious about calling in the police for fear that drunken youths will turn to violence. The Government has tried to introduce emergency legislation but this is unlikely to have much impact, because, across Spain, regional authorities have set different minimum ages to buy alcohol.
Despite Spain's reputation for civilised Mediterranean drinking habits, “the big bottle” leaves city centres full of rubbish, and residents, who have been kept up all night, furious. Under-age drinkers claim that this way they can enjoy a night out for as little as 6 euros a night, whereas bars are too expensive.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are
given for only TRUE or FALSE. (?)
Local authorities think very favourably of “the big bottle”
Drinking parties of this type have been organized by Spanish cities for many years.
The Police are afraid teenagers will become violent.
There is a single policy regarding “the big bottle” in Spain.
Explicación: Para la primera afirmación el párrafo
relevante es:
"This phenomenon, translated into English as booze-up or binge drinking, is perceived by local governments as a social problem"Â Â
Según esta afirmación, el “botellón” es un fenómeno considerado de manera favorable por las autoridades locales, pero el texto, por el contrario, nos explica que las autoridades lo consideran un problema social por dos motivos: es imposible predecir dónde tendrá lugar, y afecta a adolescentes de edad muy joven.
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"...now it has become fashionable to compete for the biggest national drinking party, as cities from Málaga to Madrid and Barcelona try to outdo one another by organizing the largest gathering" Â
La palabra clave es el adverbio “now”. Si la afirmación sugiere que este tipo de fiestas en las ciudades españolas llevan siendo organizadas desde hace años, el texto nos indica que es “ahora” cuándo está de moda organizarlas.
Y para la tercera:
"...City councils are very cautious about calling in the police for fear that drunken youths will turn to violence"Â Â
Según el texto, son los ayuntamientos de las ciudades los que temen que los jóvenes se vuelvan violentos, y no la policÃa como dice esta afirmación.
Y para la cuarta:
"...The Government has tried to introduce emergency legislation but this is unlikely to have much impact, because, across Spain, regional authorities have set different minimum ages to buy alcohol."Â Â
En España no hay una única polÃtica regulando el “botellón”, sino que, como dice el texto, las autoridades locales han establecido una edad mÃnima para comprar alcohol que varÃa en cada región.