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 girl-friends, which 【23】 to be the case. The fact is that the typical English pub is changing, partly 【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. Pub used not to open 【29】 at certain times. The result was that they were usually 【30】 with men who seemed to be drinking as much as possible in the time 【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 are 【38】 limited to eight hours a day, but the publican can now choose which hours 【39】 him 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.