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  3. England’s binge-drinking habit is one of the most entrenched in Europe—even Roman invaders wrote about it with horror. Many fear

England’s binge-drinking habit is one of the most entrenched in Europe—even Roman invaders wrote about it with horror. Many fear

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问题     England’s binge-drinking habit is one of the most entrenched in Europe—even Roman invaders wrote about it with horror. Many feared that the habit would worsen after the relaxation of licensing hours last November. Doctors, academics and newspapers were joined in opposition by the police and judges, who warned that the reforms were "close to lunacy". The government disagreed and abolished a restrictive regime first imposed during the First World War by David Lloyd George, the prime minister, who wanted to prevent munitions workers from getting too drunk.
    While ministers never denied that Britons had an unhealthy attitude to liquor, they argued that much of the crime and disorder that blighted city streets at night was caused by hordes of drunkards rolling out of pubs and clubs at the same time and fighting for the same taxi home. They cited the wartime experience in Australia, where an early closing time had led to a phenomenon dubbed the "six o’clock’s swill", in which people drank themselves silly against the clock. The hope was that, once hours were relaxed, Britons would adopt more civilised, continental habits, sipping delicately at glasses of Chablis rather than downing ten pints. Were the optimists or the pessimists right?
    Since the law was changed, around two-thirds of licensed premises have extended their opening times, most by an hour or so. (Fewer than 1 percent were granted a 24-hour licence.) That smoothed the lip. m. and 2 a. m. chuck-out peaks and filled in some of the troughs. Local authorities in several large, lively cities, including Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester, report that the streets are no more disorderly than before. One popular drinkers’ street in Birmingham has seen a dramatic drop in crime (although that may also be because businesses, fearing the worst, paid for street wardens). In London, most strikingly, there has not been a single month since the drinking laws were relaxed when more violent crimes were recorded than in the same month a year earlier. That is also true in Westminster, where many of the capital’s pubs and clubs are clustered. Overall levels of violence in the borough have fallen by 12 percent in the ten months since November 2005, compared with the same period a year before.
    The police remain cautious about such positive signs, saying it is still too early to tell what effect liberalisation will have on crime. They point out that local forces have diverted time and money to police late-night drinking, and have been given extra cash by the government. That will run out on Christmas Eve, at which point things may become trickier.
    In the meantime, pessimists are marshalling new, more ambitious arguments. Martin Plant of the University of the West of England maintains that freer drinking can lead to long-term problems that are not immediately apparent. Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, softened drinking laws seven years ago. While policing became easier, more drunkards pitched up at hospital and drink-driving rates soared.
What happens now in big cities?
选项 A、Hordes of drunkards flood out of pubs at 11 p. m. and 2 a. m.
B、More licenses are granted to pubs and clubs.
C、There are fewer criminal offences related to drinking.
D、Things are different in London from other big cities.
答案C
解析 根据文章第三段第三句话和第四句话“Local authorities in several large, lively cities, including Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester, report that the streets are no more disorderly than before. One popular drinkers’ street in Birmingham has seen a dramatic drop in crime…”可知，在几个大而热闹的城市，饮酒时间政策改革后，各地犯罪率呈下降趋势，与C项内容相符。因此选C。
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