Take Away English  随身英语                   

22  July   2013 

French drink less wine 法国人饮酒量减少 

Vocabulary: habits and traditions  词汇:  习惯和传统 

A new survey has confirmed that the number of regular drinkers of wine in France is in decline, and some  traditionalists  fear tha t the beverage¹  seems to be losing its iconic role in  France' s  cultural heritage. 

In 1980 , more than half of adults were consuming wine on a near-daily basis. Today, that figure has fallen to  17%.  In 1965, the amount of wine consumed per head of population was 160 litres a year. In 2010 , that had fallen to 57 litres. 

According to the International Journal of Entrepreneurship, changes in French drinking habits are visible through successive generations. People in their 60s and 70s grew up seeing wine on the table at every meal. Those in their 40s and 50s se e wine as a n  occasional  indulgence. And members of the internet generation do not even start taking an interest in wine until their mid-20s. For them, wine is a product they need persuading is  worth their money. 

What worries people  is the effect the  change  is having  on the concept of  French civilisation². They fear that time -honoured values,  such as  conviviality³,  tradition  and appreciation⁴ of the good things in life,  are  on the way out.   

Veteran observer of his nation's way of life,  French writer Theodore Zeldin , thinks that a business-style culture has  made inroads into France - the bane of all those who prefer to take the time  to savour things.   

"Companionship has been replaced by  networking. Business means busy -ness, and in that way we are becoming like ev erywhere else," he says. 

But Zeldin refuses to abandon hope. "The old French ' art of living '  is still there. It's an  ideal . It's a bit like the  English gentleman. You don't often find an English gentleman, but the  ideal  is there and it  informs  society as a  whole," he says. 

And what survives is "the feeling you get in France that in human relations we need to do more than just conduct business. We have a duty to entertain, to converse⁵. It' s about taking your time. After all, that is one of the great things a bout⁶ wine. You can't swig it."  

Quiz 测验 

阅读短文并回答问题。 

1.  Which generation seems to be the least interested in wine?  

2.  Which traditional values form part of French civilisation, according to the article?  

3.  Is this statement true or false? French people have a reputation for spending a long time chatting and drinking. 

4.  Which expression means 'something that is on the verge⁷ of becoming unfashionable'? 

5.  Which verb means 'to drink something in  large  mouthfuls'? 

Exercise 练习 

请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。从每个表格中选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子

的空格处。 

1.  Teachers like to see parents  ________ an interest in their children ' s learning . 

  looking     taking      making       putting    

2.  My mother loves The Beatles'  songs. She says they represent her ________. 

  conviviality     networking    generation         habit   

3.  I  know it is late, but I am no t leaving the party yet. I am enjoying myself and I want to ________ the moment. 

  savour     swig       persuade       inform   

4.  I' m  a  ________ customer in this restaurant, and the waiters always reserve the best table for me. 

h eritage      successive     cultural        regular  

5.  Mary plays the piano very well. She likes  to ________ people with old classics. 

  persuade    savour              entertain       converse   

Answers and Glossary⁸ 答案与词汇 

Quiz 小测验 

1.  Which generation seems to be the least interested in wine? The internet generation. 

2.  Which  traditional  values form part of French civilisation, according to the article? Conviviality, tradition and appreciation of the good things in life . 

3.  Is this statement tru e or  false? French people have a reputation for spending  a long time chatting and drinking. True. 

4.  Which expression means 'something that is on the verge of becoming unfashionable'? On the way out. 

5.  Which verb means 'to drink something in large mouthfuls '?  To swig. 

E xercise 练习 

1.  Teachers like to see parents taking  an interest in their children ' s learning. 

2.  My mother loves The Beatles'  songs. She says they represent her generation. 

3.  I know it is late , but I am not leaving the party yet. I am enjoying myself and I  want to savour  the moment.  

4.  I' m a  regular customer in this restaurant , and the waiters always reserve the best table for me.  

5.  Mary plays the piano very well. She likes to  entertain people with old classics. 

Glossary  词汇表 

regular  

经常的，定期的 

in decline  

正在减少 

a traditionalist  

一个因循守旧的人 

iconic 

标志性的 

cultural heritage 

文化遗产 

drinking habit  

饮酒习惯 

generation 

一代人 

occasional 

偶尔的 

indulgence  

放纵，嗜好 

to take an interest  

对某事产生兴趣 

to persuade  

使信服，劝说 

civilisation 

文明、文化 

time -honoured values  

由来已久的价值观 

conviviality  

高兴，欢宴 

tradition  

传统 

on the way out 

正在消失 

to make inroads into 

(something)  

侵袭某物 

to savour 

尽情享受，细细品尝 

networking   

社交 

an ideal  

理想，典范 

to inform   

渗透入，赋（特征或思想）于