单选题 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 disappointing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunchrooms. In almost all lines of work, emphasis now falls on ever-increasing output. Thus he "typical" Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of the last generation. He gains in creating comforts and ease of life. What he loses to some extent is his sense of persona, uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the U. S. 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 of the good things in life—joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local care?
Since the late 1950s, 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, convenience, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is more preferable to the old.

单选题 The old French way of life is characterized by ______.
A. leisure, elegance and efficiency B. elegance, efficiency and taste
C. leisure, elegance and taste D. leisure, efficiency and taste

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 法国旧的生活方式的特征是悠闲、优雅和品味。第一段第三句说，传统的悠闲午餐正在消失。这句话暗示法国以往的生活注重悠闲和品位。又根据第二段第四句，批评家们担心“生产线式的生活”会使优雅和悠闲但产量不太高的法国传统生活方式消失。从文章第一段和第二段都可以看出，法国现在追求产量，即追求效率，也就是说，法国过去不太追求高效率，故C以外的选项均应排除。

单选题 According to the passage, all of the following are the description of today's Frenchmen EXCEPT that ______.
A. Many of them prefer the new lifestyle to the old
B. They actually enjoy working at the assembly line
C. They are more concerned with money than before
D. They are more competitive than the older generation

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 根据短文，以下各句描写法国人，B(他们喜欢在装配线上工作。)除外。A(他们宁愿要新的生活方式而不愿要旧的生活方式。)的依据是最后一段最后两句。这两句话的意思是：他们发现现代生活比往昔的生活带来更多的报偿，方便和快乐。C(他们比以往更关注金钱。)的依据是第一段第一句。该句意为：关注金钱，关注更多的金钱以购买方便而又奢侈的现代生活已给大多数法国人的生活带来巨大的变化。D(他们比老一辈更有竞争力。)的依据是第三段最后两句。这两句的意思是：一些年轻人，尤其是大学生，强烈地批评新的生活方式。他们关注未来并担心法国会由于这种竞争激烈的人，以商品为导向的文化占上风而受到威胁。