世界节假日博览 第137期:国际啤酒日

International Beer Day is a celebration of one of the world’s best-loved drinks. People in almost every country drink beer. Many beer-drinking countries say their country’s beer is the best. The International Beer Day website says the day “was created so that all of humanity could be united every August 5th, in celebration of beer!” The site encourages people to have a “beertastic” holiday. It suggests several ways of doing this, including giving beer as a gift. The first International Beer Day was celebrated in 2007. It is a newcomer on the holiday calendar but looks set to stay. The day’s creators said they wanted something different from the Munich Beer Festival, or Oktoberfest, which was for Germans. They wanted a worldwide event.

国际啤酒日庆祝人们最钟爱饮品。几乎所有国家都饮用啤酒。许多“啤酒国”称他们国家的啤酒最好。国际啤酒日官网上称，在8月5日这天，让全人类团结起来庆祝啤酒日。网站鼓励人们过一个“beertastic”节日。并提出了几种庆祝方式，包括将啤酒当作礼物相送。2007年首个啤酒日诞生。虽是新型节日，但却有稳扎稳打的架势。该节日创始人表示，他们希望设立与慕尼黑啤酒节（Oktoberfest）不一样的节日。他们要创立世界性节日。


Beer is the world's oldest alcoholic drink. It is actually the third most popular drink, after water and tea. It is brewed from cereals like barley and wheat. Most beers are made in the same way around the world. There are two main types —lager beer and the darker ale. Beer is an important part of socializing. People often say it is a “social lubricant”. Many young people are drinking beer today and this is leading to problems in society. There are health problems of drinking too much beer. Beer is also blamed for yobbish behavior. In Britain, youngsters who disturb the peace when drunk are called “lager louts”. For most of the world’s beer drinkers though, nothing can beat having a few beers with friends.

啤酒是世界上历史最悠久的酒精饮品。是既水和茶水以外的第三大饮品。它是由大麦小麦等谷物酿造而成。多数啤酒的制作工艺相同。全球共有两大类啤酒，淡啤酒和黑啤酒。啤酒是社交的重要组成部分。人们常说它是“社会润滑剂”。许多饮酒的年轻人尝尝会为社会制造麻烦。饮酒过多也会影响身体健康。啤酒会产生暴力事件。在英国，扰乱和平的酗酒青年人常常被叫作“lager louts”。对于多数饮酒爱好者而言，没有什么能与和朋友举杯畅饮相媲美。