Passage 27

Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen.More people are working than ever before in France.In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing.Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the greater efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunchrooms.In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever-increasing output.Thus the"typical"Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buts more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago.He gains in creature comforts and ease of life.What he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.

Some say that France has been Americanised.This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its Consumer products.The so-called Americanization of France has its critics.They fear that"assembly-line life"will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely(but less productive)old French style.What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation ofthe good things in life——to joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local cafe?

Since the late 1950's life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain.Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students.They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the triumph of this competitive, goods-oriented culture.Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.

In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world.They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past.They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.

  1. Which of the following is NOT related to the new French way of life? A)Shorter lunch hour. B)greater output.

C)Creature comforts. D)Leisurely cafe talk.

  1. Which of the following is NOT true about Frenchmen? A)Many of them prefer the modern life style.

  1. They actually enjoy working at the assembly line.

  2. They are more concerned with money than before.

  3. They are more competitive than the older generation.

  1. The passage suggests that .

    1. While France is pursuing material gains the French are suffering losses elsewhere

    2. it's now unlikely to see a Frenchman enjoying a stroll bythe river

    3. the French are fed up with the smell of freshly picked apples

    4. great changes have occurred in the life style of all Frenchmen

      4.Which of the following is true about the critics?

  1. Critics are greater in number than people enjoying the new way of life

  2. Student critics are greater in number than critics in other fields.

  3. Student critics have, on occasion, resorted to violent means against the trend.

  4. Critics are concerned solely with the present and not the future.

    5.Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A)Changes in the French way of life. B)Criticism of the new life style.

  1. The Americanization of France

  2. Features of the new way of life.