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Italians like to say that when it comes to alcohol, they have a sipping (小酌) culture rather than a drinking
culture. That means that while Italians may enjoy a glass of wine or beer, they don't usually get very drunk.
That's not true any more. The new study by the Italian National Health Institute found that 63 percent of
Italians under age 18 get drunk on the weekends. Now, the city of Milan has created a law that will stop anyone under 16 from buying alcohol. Anyone who sells or gives alcohol to a person under 16 can be fined up to $700.
Young people who feel that the new law is unfair should go to the US for some perspective (观点). The US
has the highest drinking age in the world: It's illegal for anyone under 21 to buy alcohol, and stores or restaurants that are caught selling alcohol to people under the legal age risk losing their licenses.
Many young Americans complain that the drinking laws are unfair: They are allowed to vote in elections and
join the army at age 18, so why wait another three years just to buy a bottle of beer?
These young people have found help in an unusual place. Last year, more than 100 presidents of US
universities joined together to ask lawmakers to consider changing the drinking age. They argued that the law
doesn't stop underage college kids from getting drunk - it just makes them want to drink more.
For now, the law seems unlikely to change. But US teenagers who want alcohol can go north to Canada,
where the drinking age is 18-19, or south to Mexico where the legal age is 18. Throughout much of Asia,
Africa and Europe, the legal drinking age ranges 16-18.
In plenty of places though, the official drinking age is ignored, and even young children can buy alcohol if
they have the money to pay for it.
No matter how old you are, you should always be responsible with alcohol. Teenagers in Milan are now
learning that their reckless (不顾后果的) drinking behavior may come at a high price. By Ariel Lown Lewiton,
21st Teens Staff
1. The new law by the city of Milan _______.
A. aims to keep Italy's sipping culture alive
B. forbids selling alcohol to people under 16
C. is welcomed by Italian young people
D. has reduced the number of underage youths getting drunk
2. Which of the following places has the lowest drinking age?
A. Milan
B. New York
C. Mexico
D. Canada
3. Many US university presidents want lawmakers to consider changing the drinking age because ______.
A. they've received complaints from many young Americans about the unfairness of the laws
B. they agree that people old enough to vote and join the army should be allowed to drink
C. they believe the law is pushing underage youths toward alcohol instead of stopping them
D. they don't want to see US teenagers going to neighboring countries for a drink
4. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Restaurants in the US don't sell alcohol to people under 21 for fear of a $700 fine.
B. The author thinks that US teenagers should go to Canada or Mexico to drink.
C. In many places, shop owners don't mind selling alcohol to underage customers.
D. Teens in Milan have to pay a lot of money for their reckless drinking behavior.
