According to government statistics, men of all social classes in Britain visit pubs quite

often, 【21】______ the kind of pub they go to may be different and their reasons for going there 【22】______ , too. At present, they often take their wives or girlfriends, which 【23】______ to be the case.

The fact is that the typical English pub is changing, not only 【24】______ the licensing laws not being so strict as they 【25】______ , but also because publicans are trying to 【26】______ away with the old Victorian 【27】______ of the pub and 【28】______ provide couples with an atmosphere where they can both feel happy. Pubs used not to open 【29】______ at certain limes. The result was that they were usually 【30】______ with men who seemed to be drinking as much as possible in the lime 【31】______ . But that kind of pub is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Curiously enough, the old British licensing laws, which foreigners found so objectionable and absurd, were 【32】______ introduced as a 【33】______ measure to stop workers drinking in the World War I. 【34】______ , the strong puritanical 【35】______ in Parliament took 【36】______ of the law and 【37】______ it.

Opening hours arc 【38】______ limited to eight hours a day, but publicans can now choose which hours 【39】______ them best. And nowadays you can even get a cup of coffee if you prefer 【40】______ beer. But in spite of this the Puritans would never dream of admitting that a pub could become a repeatable place.

【21】

A．and

B．though

C．when

D．as