Upper-Intermediate - Drinking Ages (D2163)

A: 小康你酒量不错嘛,喝了好几杯了,一点儿反应都没有。
XiǎoKāng nǐ jiǔliàng bùcuò ma, hē le hǎojǐ bēi le, yīdiǎnr fǎnyìng dōu méiyǒu.
Xiao Kang, you can really drink. You've drunk quite a few glasses and it hasn't had an effect at all.
B: 哪有啊。这种酒没什么度数。
nǎyǒu a. zhèzhǒng jiǔ méi shénme dùshù.
Please. This kind of alcohol doesn't have a high proof at all.
A: 那也是酒啊。这种酒后劲挺大的。
nà yěshì jiǔ a. zhèzhǒng jiǔ hòujìn tǐng dà de.
It's still alcohol. The after effects of this kind of alcohol are strong.
C: 你们从几岁可以开始喝酒?
nǐmen cóng jǐ suì kěyǐ kāishǐ hējiǔ?
How old were you when you started to drink alcohol?
A: 我们没有规定吧。我很小就开始喝酒了。
wǒmen méiyǒu guīdìng ba. wǒ hěn xiǎo jiù kāishǐ hējiǔ le.
We don't have a rule about it, right? I started to drink alcohol when I was very young.
C: 你很爱喝酒吗?
nǐ hěn ài hējiǔ ma?
Do you love to drink alcohol?
A: 不是不是。我小时候喝酒一般是在过年的时候。过春节很多亲戚朋友在一起吃饭喝酒,大人们特别喜欢逗小孩子喝酒。有一次我都喝醉了。
bùshì bùshì. wǒ xiǎo shíhou hējiǔ yībān shì zài guònián de shíhou. guò chūnjié hěn duō qīnqi péngyou zàiyīqǐ chīfàn hējiǔ, dàrenmen tèbié xǐhuan dòu xiǎo háizi hējiǔ. yǒuyīcì wǒ dōu hēzuì le.
No, no. When I was little, I often drank alcohol during New Year. While celebrating Spring Festival, family and friends eat and drink alcohol together. Adults especially like to tease the kids by getting them to drink alcohol. Once I was completely drunk.
B: 我小时候也被大人骗过。我以为是饮料呢,喝了一大口,还是白酒,哎呀,难受死了,喉咙里感觉很烫,好像有一把火一样。我眼泪都出来了。
wǒ xiǎo shíhou yě bèi dàren piàn guo. wǒ yǐwéi shì yǐnliào ne, hē le yīdàkǒu, háishì báijiǔ, āiyā, nánshòu sǐ le, hóulóng lǐ gǎnjué hěn tàng, hǎoxiàng yǒu yī bǎ huǒ yīyàng. wǒ yǎnlèi dōu chūlái le.
When I was little, I was also tricked by the adults. I thought it was a drink, right? I drank a big gulp and it was baijiu! Jeez! I couldn't bear it. My throat felt like it was burning, like it had a ball of fire inside. I was even crying.
C: 真的吗?大人会骗小孩子喝酒?那时候你们几岁?
zhēnde ma? dàren huì piàn xiǎo háizi hējiǔ? nà shíhou nǐmen jǐ suì?
Really? Adults will trick kids into drinking alcohol? How old were you then?
B: 大概七八岁吧。可能他们觉得好玩儿,反正小孩子喝一点点也没关系的。
dàgài qībā suì ba. kěnéng tāmen juéde hǎowánr, fǎnzhèng xiǎo háizi hē yīdiǎndiǎn yě méiguānxi de.
About seven or eight years old. Maybe they think it's fun. Anyway, if kids drink a bit of alcohol it's fine.
C: 那你们真正开始喝酒是什么时候?
nà nǐmen zhēnzhèng kāishǐ hējiǔ shì shénme shíhou?
Then when did you really start to drink alcohol?
A: 我真正开始喝酒是上大学以后。有时候晚上我们几个哥们儿买几瓶啤酒,就着花生米在宿舍喝。那时候真开心,不像工作以后,经常要为了应酬而喝酒。
wǒ zhēnzhèng kāishǐ hējiǔ shì shàng dàxué yǐhòu. yǒushíhou wǎnshang wǒmen jǐ ge gēmenr mǎi jǐ píng píjiǔ, jiùzhe huāshēngmǐ zài sùshè hē. nà shíhou zhēn kāixīn, bù xiàng gōngzuò yǐhòu, jīngcháng yào wèile yìngchou ér hējiǔ.
I really started to drink alcohol after I started college. Sometimes in the evenings some of us buddies would buy a few bottles of beer along with some peanuts and drink in the dorm. Those times were really happy, not like after I started working, when I often have to drink for the sake of social occasions.
B: 上学时候我们女孩子不太喝酒。除非是有特殊情况,比如失恋啦什么的。
shàngxué shíhou wǒmen nǚháizi bùtài hējiǔ. chúfēi shì yǒu tèshū qíngkuàng, bǐrú shīliàn la shénme de.
When we were at college, us girls didn't drink too much. Unless it were special circumstances, like breaking up with someone. Something like that.
C: 在我们国家,如果不满21岁,商店不会卖酒给你。
zài wǒmenguójiā, rúguǒ bùmǎn èrshíyī suì, shāngdiàn bùhuì mài jiǔ gěi nǐ.
In our country, if you aren't at least 21, the stores won't sell you alcohol.
B: 那你21岁以前没喝过酒吗?
nà nǐ èrshíyī suì yǐqián méi hē guo jiǔ ma?
Then before you were 21, did you drink?
C: 喝过,偷偷喝过。
hē guo, tōutōu hē guo.
I drank. I drank secretly.
A: 哈哈,偷偷喝的感觉不错吧!
hāhā, tōutōu hē de gǎnjué bùcuò ba!
Haha. Drinking secretly must be great!
C: 呵呵,不错。
hēhē, bùcuò.
Haha, it was good.
B: 我们一起喝酒也挺开心的,来,我给大家倒酒。
wǒmen yīqǐ hējiǔ yě tǐng kāixīn de, lái, wǒ gěi dàjiā dào jiǔ.
All of us drinking together is also a lot of fun. Come on! I'll pour a bit of alcohol for everybody.
A: 谢谢美女,干杯!
xièxie měinǚ, gānbēi!
Thank you, pretty lady. Cheers!

Key Vocabulary

酒量 jiǔliàng tolerance (of alcohol)
反应 fǎnyìng reaction
度数 dùshù proof (of alcohol)
后劲 hòujìn after effects
规定 guīdìng provision, rule
dòu to tease
喝醉 hēzuì drunk
白酒 báijiǔ baijiu, Chinese grain liquor
tàng to scald
就着 jiùzhe along with
应酬 yìngchou to entertain
为了……而…… wèile......ér...... in order to... then...
除非 chúfēi unless
失恋 shīliàn to break up
不满 bùmǎn not satisfied, not met
偷偷 tōutōu secretly
dào to pour

Supplementary Vocabulary

酒精含量 jiǔjīnghánliàng alcohol by volume, alcohol content
考虑 kǎolǜ to consider
清酒 qīngjiǔ sake
米酒 mǐjiǔ rice wine
及格 jígé to pass (a test, exam)
刺激 cìjī exciting, stimulating
伴随 bànsuí to accompany
书面 shūmiàn written, formal

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