Сегодня в программе, то есть
в номере, для истинных любителей великого и могучего английского
языка - без комментариев и подсказок - первая часть статьи о вреде
алкоголизма под кодовым названием How Alcohol Works.
Если у кого-то возникнут вопросы,
связанные с пониманием текста, пишите, постараемся помочь. Итак,
читаем...
How Alcohol Works
In 1997, Americans drank an average of 2 gallons (7.57
liters) of alcohol per person. This translates roughly into one
six-pack of beer, two glasses of wine and three or four mixed drinks
per week. About 35 percent of adults don't consume alcohol, so the
numbers are actually higher for those who do -- alcohol is an amazingly
popular social phenomenon.
If you have ever seen a person who has had too much to drink, you
know that alcohol is a drug that has widespread effects on the body,
and the effects vary from person to person. People who drink might
be the "life of the party" or they might become sad and
droopy. Their speech may slur and they may have trouble walking.
It all depends on the amount of alcohol consumed, a person's history
with alcohol and a person's personality.
What is Alcohol?
In order to understand alcohol's effects on the body, it is helpful
to understand the nature of alcohol as a chemical, so let's take
a look...
Here are several facts:
Alcohol is a clear liquid at room temperature.
Alcohol is less dense and evaporates at a lower temperature
than water (this property allows it to be distilled -- by heating
a water and alcohol mixture, the alcohol evaporates first).
Alcohol dissolves easily in water.
Alcohol is flammable (so flammable that it can be used as a
fuel).
Alcohol can be made by four different methods:
Fermentation of fruit or grain mixtures
Distillation of fermented fruit or grain mixtures (Spirits such
as whiskey, rum, vodka and gin are distilled.)
Chemical modification of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas
or coal (industrial alcohol)
Chemical combination of hydrogen with carbon monoxide (methanol
or wood alcohol)
You will not find pure alcohol in most drinks; drinking pure alcohol
can be deadly because it only takes a few ounces of pure alcohol
to quickly raise the blood alcohol level into the danger zone. For
various types of beverages, the ethanol concentration (by volume)
is as follows:
Beer = 4 to 6 percent (average of about 4.5 percent)
Wine = 7 to 15 percent (average of about 11 percent)
Champagne = 8 to 14 percent (average of about 12 percent)
Most of the typical spirits purchased in liquor stores are 40 percent
alcohol.
Some highly concentrated forms of rum and whisky (75 to 90 percent)
can be purchased in liquor stores.
Some highly concentrated forms of whiskey (i.e. moonshine) can be
made and/or purchased illegally.
In most U.S. states, you must be 21 years or older to buy alcoholic
beverages, and there are penalties for serving or selling alcoholic
beverages to minors.
http://www.vinidiktov.com/download.htm
- здесь можно скачать последнюю англоязычную версию программы
Open Book (эта версия для тех, у кого некорректно отображаются
шрифты в русскоязычной версии)