听力题 For a century much attached to national symbols, France took the imminent death of the franc calmly. It was as if an ancient great-great uncle were about to pass away: a time for nostalgia and regret, rather than grief. Unlike the German mark, the franc had never been a symbol of national rebirth or glory. Its recent history was relatively stable but it had to be revalued as recently as 1960. In the 1950s, its value and reputation were so weak that French politicians considered abolishing it and replacing it with something else, based on the value of the pound. But money is money after all. It is with US every day. It was surprising that such a conservative people did not express greater sorrow for the loss of their familiar francs. It was also surprising they did not feel a greater sense of aesthetic loss for the franc had always been one of the world’s most beautiful currencies. The name franc was first used in 1360, to celebrate and help to pay for the release of King Jean II, who was captured by the still poundless English. He created the“franc”or“free”to celebrate the occasion. Over the next 400 years the name came and went but was finally restored by the Revolution in 1795. On February 17th, 2002, the French franc disappeared completely from the financial scene.