英语口语 | 最爱喝酒的十个国家,谁会是第一名?

最近,英国《卫报》发表文章称,中国人“越来越爱喝”,推动世界酒类消耗与日俱增。 不过,爱喝酒这件事可不是中国人的专利,世界各国都有自己偏爱的酒类和独特的饮酒习俗。今天我们就来看看全球最“能喝”的十个国家。

10. Australia

和澳大利亚人一起喝酒要三思。

澳大利亚前总理鲍勃·霍克,曾因2.5秒喝下2.5品脱(1品脱=0.473升)啤酒荣登吉尼斯世界纪录。

  • Scull: 神速地喝酒
  • Legendary:享有盛名的

Australians are no longer the great drinkers they once were. Still, they have a fine legacy. This is a country whose former prime minister, the legendary Bob Hawke, was once in the Guinness Book of Records for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 2.5 seconds.

跟一群澳大利亚朋友喝酒前,你必须了解他们的习惯“加酒”(shout:大喊服务员来加酒)。一旦你蹭了别人的一巡酒,你就得给大家每个人都叫一杯酒作为回敬。

  • Abide by: 遵从
  • Be obliged to:不得不,被迫做

Old habits die hard though, so if you do go drinking with Australians, you must stillabide by the rules of "the shout." This means once you've accepted a drink as part of a round, you're obliged to "shout" everyone else a beverage in return -- a costly business now that they're all on the wine.

09. Germany

由于闻名世界的慕尼黑啤酒节,德国与啤酒紧密地联系在了一起。啤酒节、啤酒园、啤酒香肠、啤酒地下屋……德国人最擅长变着法子享受啤酒。

  • Oktoberfest [ɔk'təubəfest]:慕尼黑啤酒节
  • Corner the market in: 垄断
  • Czech[tʃek]: 捷克人

Germans may not be Europe's biggest beer drinkers -- that honor goes to the Czechs -- but somehow they've cornered the market in celebrating its consumption. This is largely thanks to Oktoberfest, Bavaria's month-long answer to St. Patrick's Day.

在德国到处都能买到啤酒,无论是在加油站还是报刊亭。比较出名的有波罗的海啤酒、大麦啤酒以及用麦芽酿造的啤酒。德国啤酒杯算得上是世界上最大的酒杯,一杯可装一升。

  • Hop: 啤酒花
  • Barley:大麦
  • Malt:麦芽
  • Mundane:平凡的

In reality, although Germans do have a taste for hopsbarleymalt and water, most drink steadily in rather more mundane circumstances. This is because beer can be bought and consumed not just in bars, but in shops, gas stations, newspaper stands and on public transport.

此外,德国还有“啤酒冷”与“啤酒尸”的说法,令人摸不着头脑。“啤酒冷”形容人落落大方,“啤酒尸”指那些喝得太多而躺在路边的人。

08. Uganda

乌干达算是非洲国家里特别能喝酒的,这个人口仅四千万不到的国家,一年消耗的酒精量竟居非洲第一,全球前三。

乌干达有很多用香蕉制成的烈酒。这种酒的度数非常高,许多到当地旅游的人一不小心喝了一大口就会醉。

  • Rampant: 泛滥的,猖獗的
  • Rotgut: 劣酒
  • Booze: 酒精饮料

Uganda leads its African neighbors for alcohol intake, largely thanks to a rampant trade in illegally made rotgut and a winning formula of booze made from bananas.

其中最为著名的是一种叫Waragi的烈酒。因为它曾被用于打仗时激励军队,所以又名“战争琴酒”(war gin)。

  • Liquor:烈性酒
  • Fortify:增强

High on the menu is a potent liquor called waragi, also known as war gin because it was once used to fortify troops. Though drinking too much inevitably leads to surrender.

不过近年来乌干达假酒致死案件频出,看来去乌干达喝酒得千万小心。

07. South Korea

韩剧迷们一定能感受到韩国人有多么爱喝酒,而且喝酒的方式也是千奇百怪。

没喝过“炸弹酒”,就不算真正体验韩国的酒文化。

  • Protocol ['prəʊtəkɒl]:礼仪

South Korea's strict social protocols seem to dissolve in alcohol, with the most hierarchical of relationships turning to brotherhoods by the end of the night, or early morning.

据统计,韩国的炸弹酒有36种,例如,一小杯本地烧酒放入大杯啤酒中称“手榴弹”;小杯威士忌放入大杯啤酒中称“原子弹”;小杯烧酒放入大杯威士忌中称“氢弹”。

另外,还可根据制作中动作的不同来命名,如做好后用手摇动使酒旋转叫“旋风酒”;将小杯中的威士忌点燃称为“火酒”等。“火酒”喝起来真得要点功夫,否则会把你嘴巴烧伤,或把眉毛烧焦。

  • Soak up:吸取
  • Slur:(因醉酒)含混不清地说话

A good session involves rapidly soaking up as many "bombs" (mixtures using "golden ratios" of whiskey and beer) as possible and then speaking (or slurring) what's left of your mind, preferably to your boss.

韩国酒比日本酒清淡,度数较低。韩剧里,无论男女主角都能一杯杯“豪饮”下去。韩国的能饮之士还研究出一种增加酒味的方法:把柠檬汁和海盐加入酒杯中,感觉跟在酒吧里喝龙舌兰酒一样爽快。

06. Moldova

摩尔多瓦是欧洲内陆的一个小国,但它却拥有全世界最大的地下酒窖。

This tiny former Soviet state has earned a reputation for boozing thanks to some World Health Organization stats that placed it top of the table for alcohol consumption. If they are drinking to excess, the Moldovans have a decent selection of homegrown wines to choose from.

Milestii Mici 酒庄的地下酒窖由石灰岩隧道改造而成,长达 200 公里(其中 55 公里用作酒窖),深85 米。酒窖长廊里储藏了约200 万瓶酒,作为世界上最大的葡萄酒存储量,被载入吉尼斯世界纪录。

  • Brandy: 白兰地

They also have their own versions of popular East European fruit brandies. These have the same effect as knocking yourself on the head with a hammer, but without the unnecessary expense of buying a hammer.

05. Ecuador

厄瓜多尔的香蕉产量居世界第二位,有“香蕉国”之称。香蕉、甘蔗等水果在厄瓜多尔不但当饭吃,还拿来酿酒喝,各式各样的鸡尾酒是其独特的民族文化标志。据说当地用甘蔗酿的酒能在几口之内把人喝倒。

  • Hangover: 宿醉
  • Penetratingly:深入地
  • Sugar cane:甘蔗

You know you're off to a bad start when the local liquor is known as "hangover in a bottle." The best-selling Zhamir is a cheap but brain-penetratingly potent juice made from sugar cane that will get even the hairs on your head drunk after a couple of sips.

厄瓜多尔喝酒的规矩是,你一定要等到别人发表了祝酒词后才能开始喝。之后,要喝多少就随便你了。

  • Etiquette ['etɪket]: 礼节,规矩
  • Toast:祝酒
  • Least of all: 最不

There is a drinking etiquette in Ecuador. You must wait until a toast is made until you take the first sip of your drink. After that, you're on your own, but it hardly matters since no one -- least of all you -- will remember anything about it.

04. France

法国人或许会嘲笑其他欧洲国家不优雅的饮酒习惯,他们永远都以自己的葡萄酒和香槟为傲。在法国,红酒几乎是每餐必备品。他们的红酒有时候比矿泉水还便宜。

  • Sneer:讥笑

The French may sneer at the uncivilized drinking habits of their European neighbors, but they're usually sneering with a glass of French vin close at hand. In France, wine is consumed alongside every meal except breakfast. It's often more freely available, and cheaper, than water.

法国人的浪漫情怀在饮酒上也发挥到了极致,他们一定要把酒从舌尖慢慢滑到喉头,愈是好酒愈要细品慢饮。

  • Steadfastly:坚定地

Only French wines will do though. Despite regularly losing taste tests to New World rivals, the French remain steadfastly loyal to their own vineyards, almost to the point of denial. Supermarkets rarely sell alcohol that isn't French. They're happy to eat snails, but they won't touch Belgian beer.

03. Russia

在俄罗斯,喝酒是一种生活方式。

豪爽的俄罗斯人喝酒习惯豪饮。喝酒要用大杯,而且要干杯,所以一瓶酒打开后就没有机会再盖起来了。俄罗斯人喝“伏特加”(vodka)时,必先从喉咙里发出“咕噜”声,据说这是彼得大帝留下来的“传统”。

  • Stoically:纹丝不动地
  • Shirtless: 光膀子的

For better or worse, drinking is a way of life in Russia. Not something that's necessarily done for enjoyment, but something that's stoically endured. Like a Siberian winter, gloomy literature or a shirtless political leader.

但在俄罗斯喝酒也不能太过豪放。现在法律规定只能在家里或有许可证的地方饮酒,一些电影院和商场中的餐厅允许饮用低度酒精饮料。你要是在俄罗斯的大街上喝酒,可能会被罚500卢布(约合人民币55元)至1500卢布(约合165元)。

02. China

酒可以说是中国的一个文化符号。

“无酒不成席”,中国人喜欢在各种庆祝仪式上喝酒,婚礼、生日、谈生意,都是喝酒的好理由。

  • Incomprehensible:费解的
  • Outsider:局外人
  • Tortuous  ['tɔː(r)tʃuəs]:拐弯抹角的

The Chinese love celebratory drinking. Weddings, birthdays and business deals are all good excuses. Drinking takes the form of a series of increasingly incomprehensibletoasts. To the outsider, this might seem tortuous. Just wait until the karaoke starts.

酒醉而成传世诗作的例子在中国诗史中俯拾皆是。中国人钟爱白酒,啤酒太淡,威士忌太柔,红酒太甜,唯有白酒,才能发战士豪气,抒诗人才情,启美人心扉。

  • Splurge:挥霍
  • Chateau [ˈʃɑːtoʊ]:酒庄
  • Fiery:火辣辣的

In the meantime, apart from Shanghai billionaires splurging on US$10,000 bottles ofChateau Margaux, the Chinese mostly stick to fiery grain-based liquors.

01. Britain

爱尔兰人用一个日子来庆祝他们对酒的热爱——圣帕特里克节(St. Patrick's Day),而英国人有三个日子:昨天,今天和明天。

  • Abiding:始终不渝的

While the Irish have one date to celebrate their country's abiding love of alcohol, the British have three: yesterday, today and tomorrow.

想不到温文尔雅的英国人,才是全世界最爱喝酒的。难怪英国作家福勒说:“溺死在酒杯中的人多于溺死在大海中的人。”

英国人常常在酒吧一边喝酒一边看球,酒后常有撒酒疯闹事的人,这恐怕也是绅士国度出现足球流氓的原因之一。

  • Revolve:旋转

The near-constant drinking in the UK revolves around the pub. After a few pints, sometimes the pub begins to revolve, too. A range of light snacks may also be available.

英国的酒文化,集中体现在遍布大街小巷的pub中。

Pub (public house) 不同于我们常见的bar。相比而言,bar比较成人化,而pub可以是家庭酒吧,小孩子可以跟着父母进去。英国前首相卡梅伦有一次就不小心把8岁的女儿落在了酒吧。后来酒吧就挂出一块牌子:“离开时请别遗忘你的孩子。”

  • Reserve:矜持

Alcohol is used by many Brits to overcome their traditional reserve. And so pubs are the places where relationships begin and end, deals are struck, scores are settled and the whole theater of life plays out to its dramatic conclusion.