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Reading
) (Curriculum Connection Civics
1.13 (0
Do you know how laws are passed in your country?
Silly Laws around the World
Every country has its own set of rules or laws.
Laws are created by governments, and they are
generally approved by a legislative body-such as
the Congress or the Parliament. Laws are typically
made for a reason, but some laws can be really silly.
It was once against the law to slam a car door
in Switzerland. And Donald Duck comics were
banned in Finland because the cartoon character
didn't wear pants. In England, if you found a whale
on the beach, you couldn't keep it. It belonged to
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the king because it was considered a special animal.
Until 1874, people in Belgium had to choose their children's names from a list written at the time
of Napoleon. Nowadays many countries still have strict laws regarding names. It is to prevent
parents from giving children ridiculous names: In Brazil, a woman was called Disneylandia
da Silva, and twins were called Fish and Chips in New Zealand.
However, the United States may have the strangest laws:
Itis against the law to sleep on top of a refrigerator
outdoors or to sing in the bathtub in Pennsylvania.
* In Alaska, it is an offense to push a live moose out of
a plane.
* And it is illegal in Massachusetts to put a gorila in
the back seat of your car. So remember, if youre taking
your pet gorilla for a drive, you have to put him in the
front seat and dont forget to fasten his seatbelt, or you
Could be fined.
Why do you think those laws were made in the U.S.?
About the Reading
1. Why was Donald Duck banned in Finland?
2. Why are there laws about names?
3. What two things are against the law
in Pennsylvania?
4. What is still a driving offense in the U.S. today?
