2 . 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 harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. 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 the “ typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago he gains in creature comfort and ease of life what he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.

Some say that France has been Americanized. 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 of the good things in life- to enjoy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?

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. The passage is about ______.

A．changes in the life style of the French	B．criticism of the old life style
C．approval of the new life style	D．analysis of the old way of life in France

2. The old French way of life mainly featured ______.

A．elegance, leisure and romanticism	B．efficiency, elegance and leisure
C．elegance, leisure and taste	D．efficiency, leisure and taste

3. Which of the following about the French is NOT true?

A．They show more concerns about money than before

B．They do enjoy working on the assembly line.

C．Many of them prefer the new life style to the old.

D．They are more competitive than the elder generation.

4. What is the attitude of the general Frenchmen towards the new life style?

A．They fear that France is threatened by the new trend.

B．They are unsatisfied with the new way of life.

C．They welcome the new life style enthusiastically.

D．They confuse the traditional life style with the new one.