英語口語對(duì)話（中低級(jí)） Lesson 2: The History of Beer
Summary:
Vanessa and Nick are in the middle of a live show and they are talking about beer through history.
In this broadcast, Vanessa and Nick are in the middle of a live show in a radio studio. Listen to their conversation and answer the question that follows about the main idea.
Dialogue:
Vanessa: Hi there! We’re going back in time today to talk about one of the oldest products of civilization that lightens our mood. Take a guess while I welcome Nick to our program; hello Nick – thanks for being here.
Nick: Hi Vanessa! I’m sure you’ve aroused our listeners’ curiosity with your quiz.
Vanessa: Let’s give them the answer then. Today we’re talking about beer, the history of beer. So Nick how popular was beer in ancient times?
Nick: Well, it was quite popular until wine became more easily available. Especially, in Rome beer became known as a barbarian drink and was only brewed in places where wine was rare.
Learning English Podcasts: Lesson 2 1
Vanessa: When was beer first brewed?
Nick: According to historians in 10,000 BC beer was already being brewed by ancient Mesopotamians and Sumerians. Likewise, the ancient Egyptians and Chinese brewed beer.
Vanessa: How similar was it to today’s beer?
Nick: Well, firstly the product was probably different from today’s bottled varieties. Another thing is that in many cases corn was used instead of barley. But the interesting thing is that women were the master brewers at the time not men!
Vanessa: You’re joking?!
Nick: No, seriously; and in ancient Babylon women brewers were also priestesses.
Vanessa: But beer had its bad moments as well, didn’t it?
Nick: Yes, it did. In America in the 1920s, despite its popularity, beer was prohibited; of course not everyone stopped drinking but many
Learning English Podcasts: Lesson 2 2
breweries went out of business and the only production of beer was made by gangster-controlled operations.
Vanessa: I suppose they were not known for their high-quality products. So, when was beer legalized again?
Nick: At the end of 1933; beer quickly regained its popularity and mass production took over.
Vanessa: Nick, thank you so much.
