THE BIG BOTTLE

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 5 cities from Mlaga 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 10 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 Spains reputation for civilized 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.
1. Reading comprehension
a) Answer questions 1-2 according to the information given in the text. Use your own
words.
1) Why isthe big bottle an informal party? (Give two reasons)
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2) How do these parties affect residents? (Name two ways)
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b) Are these statements true or false? Justify your answers with the precise words or
phrases from the text.
3) Local authorities think very favourably of the big bottle.
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4) Drinking parties of this type have been organized by Spanish cities for many years.
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5) The police are afraid teenagers will become violent.
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6) There is a single policy regarding the big bottle in Spain.
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2. Vocabulary
7) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:
to walk around without a particular destination (verb): _________________________
8) Find in the text one synonym for LITTER (noun) ____________________________
3. Grammar

Make present simple sentences with be (positive, negative or question)

1. (you / be / hungry)
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2. (they / not / be / at home)
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3. (when / be / the party?)
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4. (Julie and Ann / be / on the bus?)
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5. (she / be / kind?)
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6. (they / be / German?)
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7. (you / be / late?)
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8. (I / be / early?)
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9. (you / be / from London?)
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10. (they / be / sad)
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Rewrite the complete sentence using the adverb in brackets in its correct
position.

Example: I play tennis on Sundays. (often)

Answer: I often play tennis on Sundays.
1) He listens to the radio. (often)
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2) They read a book. (sometimes)
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3) Pete gets angry. (never)
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4) Tom is very friendly. (usually)
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5) I take sugar in my coffee. (sometimes)
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6) Ramon and Frank are hungry. (often)
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7) My grandmother goes for a walk in the evening. (always)
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8) Walter helps his father in the kitchen. (usually)
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9) They watch TV in the afternoon. (never)
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10)Christine smokes. (never)
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Which object form of the personal pronoun can substitute the underlined phrase
in the sentence?

1) The teacher always gives the students homework.

me
them you
2) I am reading the book to my little sister.
her
us
him
3) The boys are riding their bikes.
it
them her
4) My father is writing a letter to John.
me
her
him
5) I don't know the answer.
she
her
it
6) Sally is going to Anne.
her
him me
7) Open the window, please.
it
them us
8) Can you tell the people the way to the airport, please?
you them us
9) The books are for Peter.
him her
you
10) Can you help my sister and me, please?
her
me
us

Put the verbs into the correct form (simple past).

1. Last year I (spend) ______________ my holiday in Ireland.
2. It (be) ______________ great.
3. I (travel) ______________ around by car with two friends and we (visit)
______________ lots of interesting places.
4. In the evenings we usually (go) ______________ to a pub.
5. One night we even (learn) ______________ some Irish dances.
6. We (be) ______________ very lucky with the weather.
7. It (not / rain) ______________ a lot.
8. But we (see) ______________ some beautiful rainbows.
9. Where (spend / you) ______________ your last holiday?

Write a composition (80-100 words). Choose one of the following options. Specify
your option.
a) Are you for or against the big bottle? Why?
b) What alternatives can the government offer young people to encourage a healthy
life?