Reading Smart B: Unit 40

 Section 2---Unit 40 Culture and Customs

Legal Here, Illegal There

Laws differ from country to country, so what is acceptable where you live may be illegal somewhere else. Knowing this can give you some insight into the values of other societies. It can also help you stay out of trouble when traveling.

For example, ketchup may be just an ordinary food dressing for us, but in France, it is seen as a cultural threat. The French government has banned this American condiment from school cafeterias across France to preserve French cuisine. It did make one exception, though: ketchup may be served with French fries.

While France banned ketchup to protect its culture, Canada, the United States, and several European countries have blocked the sale of fruit jelly cups to save lives. Governments decided to ban these bite-sized snacks following reports of people choking to death from eating them.

In Italy, it's not what you eat but where you eat that counts. To protect the city's beauty, Rome, Florence, and Venice have created laws that forbid tourists from eating and drinking near architectural treasures. If caught eating in front of a monument, you may have to pay a fine. The city of Venice has banned pigeon feeding as a way to reduce the birds’ population. Pigeons build nests on top of delicate structures and ruin the surfaces of buildings with their claws and droppings.

There are also laws related to clothing that you should be aware of. In Australia, walking the streets dressed like a burglar-in black clothes, black shoes, and with your face painted black-may get you fined. In Barcelona, it's against the law to wear a bikini or swimming trunks outside beach areas.

In the end, you should be mindful of other countries laws. This way, you'll get a deeper understanding of their cultures as well.

Reading Comprehension

(   ) 1. If you are going to enjoy sunshine with a bikini outside of beach areas, where should you avoid going?

(A) Venice (B) Florence (C) Barcelona (D) Rome

(   ) 2. Why did some countries ban the sale of fruit jelly cups?

(A) Because they want to promote fresh fruit

(B) Because they want to preserve the local cuisines

(C) Because the cups got caught in people's throats

(D) Because artificial chemicals in the cups made people sick par

(   ) 3. Why has the city of Venice stopped people from feeding pigeons?

(A) The pigeons make too much noise.

(B) The food is harmful to the pigeons.

(C) They worry about the spread of bird flu.

(D) The pigeons pollute structures and buildings with droppings.

(   ) 4. What is NOT the purpose of the article?

(A) To help you avoid getting in trouble when traveling

(B) To discuss how laws are different in certain countries

(C) To criticize some unreasonable laws in other countries

(D) To provide some information about cultures in other societies