问答题
It was seen as the mark of civilized eating, and distinguished well-fed French workers from the English, who wolf down prawn sandwiches at their desks. However, France's tradition of the threecourse restaurant lunch is in danger of being killed off by the economic crisis. Around 3, 000 traditional French restaurants, cafes and bars went bust in the first three months of 2008 and unions predict a further rush of closures as people worry about making ends meet. The number of French restaurants going bankrupt rose by 25% from last year, and cafes forced to close were up by 56%.
Le Figaro's renowned restaurant critic, Francois Simon, said that French consumers'frugality had changed national eating habits and forced restaurant owners to the brink. Diners were now skipping the traditional aperitif, avoiding starters, drinking tap water, passing on wine and coffee and sharing puddings.
Even the city's smartest restaurants are getting impatient with smaller orders. In one restaurant near Paris'Gare de Lyon, he reported, two couples were asked to leave by a desperate restaurant owner because they would not order starters. The restaurant chain Hippopotamus is now running loyalty deals and special-offer hamburgers, which have become more popular than French steak dishes. Office workers are increasingly buying take-away baguettes and supermarket lunches.
Making ends meet with low salaries and rising food prices has become a national obsession as France's economy continues to be sluggish. regular TV reports describe the desperation of people forced to eat cheap tinned vegetables or forage in bins at markets. The restaurant sector has seen the third highest number of bankruptcies in France this year, after the construction and building trades, according to the credit insurance group Euler Hermes SFAC.
The time French people spend on eating meals in restaurants has already gone down: in 1975, a lunch out took an average of one and a half hours. By 2005, this had fallen to 32 minutes. Daniele Deleval, vice president of the UMIH restaurant and hotel union, said, "We're very worried. Since the start of the year, the number of restaurant customers has dropped, on average, 20%, and werre seeing no signs of improvement. "
Jean Guillaume, owner of Le Bouquet brassene on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris' smart 8th district, said, "Lunch customers used to order a main course, dessert, coffee and a bottle of wine. Now they're limiting themselves to a main course, tap water, and giving up the rest. Of 75 customers in this lunchtime, none had a bottle of wine. It's the end of a tradition of lunching out and it looks like figures will stay this low for two to three years. " The nearby bakery, however, was busy selling takeaway baguettes, with queues down the street at midday.
Le Figaro's renowned restaurant critic, Francois Simon, said that French consumers'frugality had changed national eating habits and forced restaurant owners to the brink. Diners were now skipping the traditional aperitif, avoiding starters, drinking tap water, passing on wine and coffee and sharing puddings.
Even the city's smartest restaurants are getting impatient with smaller orders. In one restaurant near Paris'Gare de Lyon, he reported, two couples were asked to leave by a desperate restaurant owner because they would not order starters. The restaurant chain Hippopotamus is now running loyalty deals and special-offer hamburgers, which have become more popular than French steak dishes. Office workers are increasingly buying take-away baguettes and supermarket lunches.
Making ends meet with low salaries and rising food prices has become a national obsession as France's economy continues to be sluggish. regular TV reports describe the desperation of people forced to eat cheap tinned vegetables or forage in bins at markets. The restaurant sector has seen the third highest number of bankruptcies in France this year, after the construction and building trades, according to the credit insurance group Euler Hermes SFAC.
The time French people spend on eating meals in restaurants has already gone down: in 1975, a lunch out took an average of one and a half hours. By 2005, this had fallen to 32 minutes. Daniele Deleval, vice president of the UMIH restaurant and hotel union, said, "We're very worried. Since the start of the year, the number of restaurant customers has dropped, on average, 20%, and werre seeing no signs of improvement. "
Jean Guillaume, owner of Le Bouquet brassene on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris' smart 8th district, said, "Lunch customers used to order a main course, dessert, coffee and a bottle of wine. Now they're limiting themselves to a main course, tap water, and giving up the rest. Of 75 customers in this lunchtime, none had a bottle of wine. It's the end of a tradition of lunching out and it looks like figures will stay this low for two to three years. " The nearby bakery, however, was busy selling takeaway baguettes, with queues down the street at midday.
问答题
What is causing the number of people dining in restaurants to decrease?
【正确答案】Economic crisis/Consumers' frugality．
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文中内容可知，经济危机导致人们开始节俭过活，所以餐馆的顾客减少。
问答题
Which expression in paragraph 1 means having just enough money to buy the things you need?
【正确答案】Make ends meet．
【答案解析】[解析] 固定表达make ends meet意为“量人为出，使收支平衡”。
问答题
Why were two couples ordered to leave a restaurant near the Gare de Lyon?
【正确答案】Refuse to order starters．
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第三段第二句话内容可知，这对夫妇因为不想点开胃菜而被迫离开。
问答题
Which two sectors saw more bankruptcies than the restaurant sector in 2008?
【正确答案】Construction and building．
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第四段最后一句话内容可知，破产数量超过餐饮业的只有施工行业和建造业。
问答题
Why is the summer described as "poor" (line 1, last paragraph)?
【正确答案】International tourists reduced drastically．
【答案解析】[解析] 国际游客大幅减少，所以餐厅和酒吧收入减少，生意萧条。