Lesson 5 Explore the Amazing World
A Law as a Window to Culture
Hello and welcome to today’s ____ Amazing World.
I ____ your MC, Junyoung Park, and with me are Matilde from Switzerland, Chen from Singapore, and Sophia from Italy.
Today, we are going to talk about interesting ____ from around the world.
Our guests are here to share unique laws from their own countries that may be ____ to others.
They ____ further explain why such laws were created, based on their countries’ cultural and historical backgrounds.
____ can you share one from Switzerland?
Sure. Switzer land is very concerned ____ the welfare of not only humans, but also animals.
In ____ it is one of the world’s most animal-friendly countries, earning the support of many animal lovers.
In 2008, the Swiss government made it a requirement for social animals that typically live in groups, like goldfish, rabbits, or guinea pigs, to be kept ____ pairs.
In other words, ____ is illegal to own and raise just one goldfish, one rabbit, or one guinea pig.
This law recognizes that social animals will experience loneliness if left ____ and considers this to be a case of animal abuse.
In my case, I raised two guinea pigs when I was ____
When one of them died, I had ____ get another one.
Otherwise, I would have ____ fined.
There ____ additional laws in place to guarantee animals’ quality of life.
For example, ____ is known to be the only European country requiring all dogs to be microchipped and registered in the country’s database.
____ is to stop the illegal trade of dogs.
As these laws suggest, you can tell how much Switzerland cares about animal ____
I can tell how passionate Switzerland ____ about animals.
Chen, ____ about Singapore? Are there any interesting laws?
In Singapore,
In Singapore, there is ____ famous law about chewing gum.
Chewing gum sales and imports are ____ in the nation, and violators face fines of up to 2,000 Singapore dollars.
Although the law itself is quite well-known internationally, I imagine that many of you are unaware of ____ historical context.
____ was a small nation with limited resources when it gained independence.
The nation’s ____ minister at the time came up with strategies to boost national prosperity, one of which was to transform the nation into an “oasis” for tourists in Asia.
In ____ to accomplish this, he emphasized cleanliness and orderliness, which resulted in the establishment of the gum ban in 1992.
At ____ time, chewing gum left on streets, roads, and stairs diminished the country’s beauty and raised the cleaning costs.
The country’s ban on chewing gum has become one of the most well-known aspects of life in Singapore, along with its ____ against improperly throwing away trash and spitting in public.
These laws ____ implemented, people could enjoy clean public spaces.
Today, Singapore leads the world in ____ of cleanliness and welcomes millions of tourists every year.
Yes, I remember Singapore as a clean and pleasant ____ to visit.
____ can you tell us about an interesting law in Italy?
As you know, people from all over the ____ visit Rome, the capital of Italy.
Unfortunately, some ____ actions caused severe damage to the city’s historical monuments.
So, the city had to establish a ____ of laws to protect its numerous historical sites.
One of them ____ to forbid adding a lock to any bridge in Rome.
You may have heard that to symbolize their love forever, many couples carve their names on ____ and attach them to a bridge.
However, as the weight of the locks increases the pressure on bridges, they ____ no longer permitted.
Even the existing ones ____ been removed since 2012.
This law was also introduced in Venice so that locks could no longer ____ the famous Rialto Bridge.
In addition, people are not allowed to ____ into the city’s iconic Trevi Fountain.
Although you may be tempted ____ dip your toes into the cool fountain water on a hot summer day, it is illegal to do so.
Sitting ____ Rome’s famed Spanish Steps has also been banned since 2019.
If you don’t follow this law, you are ____ to pay a fine ranging from €250 to €450.
All of these laws ____ committed to protecting the city’s historical monuments.
Considering the large number of tourists from all over the world, it is understandable ____ Italy passed these regulations to protect its priceless monuments.
Thank you ____ sharing all these interesting laws with us, Matilde, Chen, and Sophia.
Some of the laws may initially ____ to be difficult to understand.
However, now that you have learned the stories behind them, I am sure you ____ why they were put in place.
Knowing the unique cultural ____ historical contexts of these laws will help you appreciate them better.