Match each conditional clause (1-4) with the correct main clause (a-d)

1. Unless I knew all the laws of my destination country, [a] I wouldn’t have accepted
their apology.

2. In case I am arrested for breaking a really dumb rule, [b] I wouldn’t visit it, or any
other country.

3. Even if the government had offered to pay for my whole trip, [c] we will continue to
have absurd laws.

4. As long as people elect stupid politicians, [d] organise a huge

protest rally.

You finally have a week off from work and head off to a sunny beach to relax, collect seashells, play with
beach balls and maybe even build a sandcastle. It sounds heavenly, provided
[1]___________________________ (VACATION) Ereclea in Italy,
where you could be fined over €200 for these activities!

A rash of new "public security" laws that ban things like kissing
in cars, feeding stray cats and wearing noisy shoes have
recently emerged in many Italian towns. More than 150 of these
laws have been introduced since Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi granted extra powers to local councils to help them crack down on crime and anti-social
behaviour. Italians though aren’t impressed, saying that unless [2]_____________________
__________ (REMOVE), Italy will become the ultimate nanny state.

Sitting down on the steps in front of a local monument can be a good way to rest after a long day of
sightseeing, as long [3]_______________________ (VISIT) Vigevano, a town near Milan, where a couple were
recently fined €160 for doing exactly this. The town mayor said the reason was that the city had to clean
the steps of the mess left by idlers every month with a high-
powered water hose. Had you mowed your lawn last weekend,
you also [4]________________________ (FINE), and in a number of
other cities too.

[Some Other Places To Watch Out For]

If you had a lifelong dream of opening a kebab shop, the laws
in the Tuscan town of Lucca [5]_______________________
(FRUSTRATE) considerably, as opening new ones are banned because officials fear they could harm its
culinary heritage. In the capital, Rome, the police would not turn
a hair even [6]___________________________ (ACCELARATE)
towards a pedestrian on a zebra crossing, but if you
[7]________________ (EAT) in the street or [8]______________
(OWN) a goldfish in a bowl, you can be fined. In
[9]______________________ (STOP) by Castellammare di Stabia,
you could have been punished for wearing a miniskirt or revealing clothing, or playing football in public
spaces. Hanging a towel out of the window is a great way to dry a towel, unless
[10]_________________________ (STAY) in Lerici. Feeding pigeons [11]___________________________
(CAUSE) problems though, on the condition that you’re not heading off to Bergamo or Venice, where
you can be fined €333 and €500 respectively! The list just goes on and on and on...

One of the strangest things is the huge inconsistency. Bari for example has a park where couples can be
“intimate” in the open, which is meant to help those who live with their parents for longer due to rising
house prices. But in Eboli you will be fined if [12]____________________________ (CATCH) kissing in your
own car! At greatest risk are Italy’s prized tourists who can’t possibly be aware of all of these laws when
they come. How can people protect themselves, unless [13]__________________________________ (KNOW)
the rules?

As long as these ridiculously excessive laws exist all over the place, people
[14]______________________________ (WORRY) about travelling to Italy, unless of course a comprehensive
list of all these laws were published, which [15]______________________________ (JUST TURN) us into
laughing stocks! We can’t bury our head in the sand, so the only option is a return to common sense.
Since when is feeding stray animals anti-social? Italy of course is not the only country with strange laws
so as long as we [16]_________________________ (LEAVE) home, where we know the rules, we would never
have any problems. Now wouldn’t that be an even more horrible world!

ANSWERS
Match-Up

1. 1B

2. 2D

3. 3A

4. 4C

ARTICLE

1. That you aren’t vacationing in

2. The laws are removed

3. As you aren’t visiting/as you don’t visit

4. Could have been fined

5. Would frustrate you

6. If you accelerated

7. Eat

8. Own

9. In case you had stopped

10.You are staying/you stay

11.Shouldn’t cause

12.You are caught

13.They know

14.Will worry

15.Would just turn

16.Never left/didn’t leave