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GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

ALCOHOL

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1 Warm up

What’s the same about these three types of drinks? Name each drink and match it with a country
which is famous for producing it.

Are any of these drinks made in your country? How long have people been making them there?

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ALCOHOL

2 Watching for the main idea

You are going to listen to a short talk about alcohol. After you watch, draw a line between the ideas
which are connected in the four columns (or say what the connections are).

Where in the world When did What is the alcohol Cultural uses and
production begin? made from? effects?

China 8,000 years ago barley as part of the

Christian religion
Georgia 9,000 years ago fruit, honey and rice
led to the
the Middle East 8,000 years ago grapes
development of
writing

to communicate
with gods and
ancestors

3 Vocabulary - Key words

Look at the transcript on the next page to find words in bold which have these meanings.

1. cause an effect (verb)

2. a chemical process when the sugar in a food or drink turns to alcohol (noun)
3. decay or break down in a chemical process or after death (verb)
4. drinks or types of drinks (noun)
5. making you feel drunk (adjective)
6. not too much or too little; a medium amount (adjective)
7. relating to the part of your brain which allows you to choose and plan your actions carefully,
including deciding NOT to do something (adjective)
8. social events which take place after someone has died (noun)
9. stops or slows down (verb)
10. the beginning of an idea (noun)
11. tiny living things that are too small to see with your eyes (noun)

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Alcohol has been a component of human culture for thousands of years. From its
prehistoric inception to its many uses in modern times, alcohol has had countless effects
on our cultures, and our minds.

Throughout the course of human history, alcoholic beverages have taken on many forms
and flavours around the world. The earliest known alcoholic beverage dates back to about
9,000 years ago, in northern China. It was a kind of wine made from fruit, honey and rice.
About a thousand years later, in the Central Asian country of Georgia, the oldest wine
made exclusively from grapes was produced. And around the same time in the Middle
East, the earliest beer was being made from barley.

No matter where or what types of alcoholic beverages are produced, they all share a
similar chemistry. The type of alcohol found in beverages such as beer, wine and spirits
is called ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Ethanol is produced through fermentation, a process in
which microorganisms, usually bacteria or a fungus called yeast, cause organic material
to decompose. By decomposing, sugars in the organic material are converted into carbon
dioxide and ethanol, the ingredient that makes alcoholic beverages intoxicating.

Alcohol’s intoxicating effects are due to its role on the human central nervous system.
Moderate amounts of alcohol trigger the release of neural chemicals such as dopamine,
serotonin and endorphins in the brain. This decreases anxiety, increases happiness and
depresses the brain’s inhibitory activities.

Apart from alcohol’s mind-altering effects, it has been credited for several aspects of
human culture. Fermented beverages in ancient China may have served as a way to
communicate with gods and deceased ancestors at funerary ceremonies. Grape wine,
similar to those discovered in prehistoric Georgia, is now a component of the Christian
ritual, the Eucharist. And, in the Middle East, the home of the earliest evidence of beer,
the earliest form of writing was also discovered, thought to have developed as a way to
account for the production of crops, including barley for beer.

Through moderate consumption, alcohol may continue to contribute to countless other

aspects of human culture.

Extend your vocabulary by answering these questions, which relate to the words from the last exercise.

1. What other foods or drinks besides alcohol are fermented? Why do people make fermented
foods?
2. What word contains a root that means "very small"? Do you know any other words with this root?
3. Which word contains a root that means "poison"?
4. Which word is also used for part of a gun?
5. What’s the noun for "depress" and what does it usually refer to?
6. What are "funerary ceremonies" more often called?
7. In your opinion, what is moderate daily alcohol consumption – how many drinks and what type?

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4 Grammar - Passives and reduced relative clauses

Look at this paragraph from the text of the video. Identify the verb forms 1-4 in bold as active or
passive. How do we form the passive and when do we use it? Identify the tenses of both active and
passive forms.

Throughout the course of human history, alcoholic beverages have taken on (1) many
forms and flavours around the world. The earliest known alcoholic beverage dates back
(2) to about 9,000 years ago, in northern China. It was a kind of wine made from fruit
(5), honey and rice. About a thousand years later, in the Central Asian country of Georgia,
the oldest wine made exclusively from (6) grapes was produced (3). And around the same
time in the Middle East, the earliest beer was being made (4) from barley.

Verb forms 5 and 6 (underlined) are past participles used in a ‘reduced relative clause’. We could also
say:
• It was a kind of wine which was made from fruit ... (5)
• ... the oldest wine which was made from grapes was produced ...(6)

Now look at the next paragraph from the text of the video. Identify verb forms 1-8 in bold as active,
passive or participles in a reduced relative clause. How are the passives used here?

No matter where or what types of alcoholic beverages are produced (1), they all share
(2) a similar chemistry. The type of alcohol found (3) in beverages such as beer, wine and
spirits is called (4) ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Ethanol is produced (5) through fermentation,
a process in which microorganisms, usually bacteria or a fungus called yeast, cause (6)
organic material to decompose. By decomposing, sugars in the organic material are
converted (7) into carbon dioxide and ethanol, the ingredient that makes (8) alcoholic
beverages intoxicating.

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5 Practice

Chicha is an alcoholic beverage from South America. Read the text and complete the gaps with the
correct form of the verb in brackets: active, passive or past participle in a reduced relative clause.

1
Generally speaking, chicha is an alcoholic drink (make) with maize (sweetcorn). The
2
production method is similar to other types of beer. First, maize (allow) to start growing.
3 4 5
Then, the sugars (take out) and the liquid (boil) and
6
(ferment). In some traditional preparations, the chicha maker (chew) the maize first.
7
This starts the fermentation process through natural enzymes (find) in the mouth. The
result is a delicious, slightly sour beverage containing about 1-3% alcohol by volume.
8
Chicha de jora (make) by the people of the Andes for thousands of years. The drink
9
had a special significance in the Inca Empire, where maize (consider) a sacred crop.
10 11
Inca women (teach) how to brew the drink in special schools (call)
12
Aqlla Wasi. The finished product (drink) during special celebrations and festivals. In
13 14
addition, it (use) in important religious rituals. Even today a little chicha
(offer) to Pachamama, the Earth-mother, before drinking.
Source: howtoperu.com

6 Talking point

Work in pairs or small groups to discuss these questions:

• In the UK, the drinking age is 18, and in the USA it is 21. What is the drinking age in your country?
• Why do we need a drinking age?
• Do you think there should be different drinking ages for different types of alcohol?
• What advice for staying safe would you give to a young person who is just about to reach the
drinking age in their country?
• Do people in your country ever make their own alcoholic beverages at home?

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