Friday, October 4, 2013

Comprehension: Turkey Alcohol Laws Threaten Winemaking Industry

The islanders of Turkey's Bozcaada worry that Prime Minister Erdogan's recent restrictive laws relating to the sale and advertising of alcohol will threaten their livelihood and their centuries-old culture of wine-making. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Alcohol can’t be sold between 10am and 6pm in Turkey.
a. True
b. False

2. Winemakers can’t advertise on television or in newspapers.
a. True
b. False

3. The Turkish Prime Minister has defended the law for religious reasons.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.
 

Transcript and Answers:

The Turkish island of Bozcaada has been known for its grape varieties for centuries. But its long history of winemaking may now be under threat. A new law that forbids the sale of alcohol between 10pm and 6am in shops, and restricts advertising, has just come into force nationwide. And winemakers here feel business will suffer. 

"We can't have wine tastings, we can't organize events, we can't advertise in newspapers. We already couldn't advertise on TV but now newspaper adverstising is banned too. With these laws we can't communicate." 

Wine production is essential to the island's economy with two thirds of the population making a living out of the harvest; Mehmet's company alone employs around 150 people. But it's also a tradition ingrained in their culture. 

"People come to Bozcaada for the wine. When they order a drink, it's wine." 

"This kind of prohibition limits our freedom. Drinking alcohol is a personal choice, nobody should control it." 

"You can ban all you want but the people will always find a way around this law and that's what is much more dangerous and wrong.” 

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, a pious Muslim who neither smokes nor drinks, has defended the law on health grounds. But Turkey's sizeable secular population has denounced the law as repressive and with religious, not social, motivations. 

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. b

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