Primo Esercizio: Piccola guida al whisky
Leggi il brano seguente e rispondi alle domande che troverai alla fine. Nel glossary qui sotto ci sono invece le nuove parole da imparare.
Wages = paga;
Buffs = appassionati, fan;
Brews = miscele;
Can afford = potersi permettere.
At the Library Bar, in the Lanesborough Hotel at Hyde Park Corner in London, a glass of whisky or whiskey costs up to 180 pounds (232 euros circa). If you can’t afford a week’s wages for a taste of 1906 Highland Malt choose a cheaper 1940 Johnny Walker Black Label, 50 pounds a shot. Whisky and whiskey are both fashionable and big business.
Student whisky buffs must learn the difference between whisky (distilled in Scotland) and whiskey which comes from Ireland, Canada and the United States. A further complication is that American whiskey is known as bourbon and Canadian whiskey are rye whiskey. The Irish call their whiskey by its Gaelic name “uisce bheathà”, which means “water of life”.
However, in an English bar you need to order Irish whiskey. Irish, Canadians, Scots and Americans are always happy to argue which of their brews are the best. Ireland can claim the world’s oldest commercial whiskey distillery: Bushmills in Ulster. Most whisky and whiskey is “blended”, a mixture of different types of drink. Six percent of drinkers prefer “single malts”, whisky containing only one type of beverage. Certain single malts command incredibly high prices.
For example, a bottle of Old Bowmore costs 4,000 pounds (620 euros circa) and for The Macallan (1946) you can spend 1,575 a bottle. If you are interested in good quality whiskey but don’t have a lot of money to spend there are still good quality whiskies and whiskeys you can afford. None of them are cheap but a bottle of good whiskey is an unusual present to yourself or someone else.
Domande
1. How much is a glass of 1906 Highland Malt at the Library Bar?
2. Where is whisky distilled?
3. Where do they make rye whiskey?
4. What do the Gaelic words “uisce bheathà” mean?
5. Where is the world’s oldest commercial distillery?
6. What is a single malt whisky or whiskey?
Secondo esercizio: Una partita a polo in India
Completa con le parole in neretto la seguente puntata di Mr. McGonichal.
Thrash; ponies; beats; spotless.
The machine arrives in India and everyone is happy. Mr. McGonichal is happy because he is navigating through time in the proper fashion. Gary and Steve are happy because they can watch a game of polo and Sue is happy because everything is clean.
India is 1…………… They stand in a field watching a game of polo. The white people play and watch. The Indians serve.
They mix drinks, serve food and help with the polo 2…………… Seven Indians clean the field.
Sue watches with pleasure. «Drink, Memsahib?» asks a servant.
«Don’t mind if I do».
Says Sue. Sue sips her aperitif and looks at the white horses. Each horse has two Indian servants. Each Memsahib (English lady) has a servant.
«Sir» asks Sue «How many English people were there in India?»
«One hundred thousand» Mr. McGonichal replies.
«And how many Indians?»
«Two hundred and fifty millions» says the teacher.
«Well, why did the Indians accept British rule?».
Colonel Watts interrupts: «God sent the British to India. Without the British India would be in chaos. They love us and respect us and if they don’t we have the army to 3…………… them».
«Yes» agrees a Memsahib. «My servants love us but when they make a mistake my husband 4…………… them».
«Don’t they mind?» asks Sue.
«Of course not» smiles the Memsahib.
«Because we only hit the servants if they deserve it».
«Didn’t the Indians ever rebel?» asks Gary.
«Never» say the Memsahib and Colonel Watts.
«In 1857» smiles Hastings McGonichal and kicks the time machine.
Soluzioni primo esercizio
1. 180 pounds;
2. In Scotland;
3. In Canada;
4. Water of Life;
5. Bushmill in Northern Ireland;
6. Whisky or whiskey containing only one type of drink.
Soluzioni secondo esercizio
1. Spotless
2. Ponies
3. Thrash
4. Beats
5. Bushmill in Northern Ireland;
6. Whisky or whiskey containing only one type of drink.