法国：悲观世界 - FT速读测试

速读测试：法国：悲观世界

巴黎政治学院教授，前英格兰银行副总裁、前伦敦经济学院院长霍华德·戴维斯(Howard Davies)

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：
de rigueur	礼节需要的；社交礼仪上必要的
Bild	德国图片报
pedestrian	徒步的；缺乏想像力的
mishmash	混杂物
VAT	增值税(Value Added Tax)
underwhelmed	感到乏味的；未激起热情的
benignly	亲切地；仁慈地
the Normal President	奥朗德一直以来在打造普通人形象，宣传自己是“平民总统”
Pascal Lamy	现任WTO总干事，曾任法国财长和总理的顾问
left and right	这篇文章中出现的“左右”完全是经济意义上的，“左”倾向于大政府、高税收高福利，和更多的政府干预，“右”则倾向于小政府、低税收低福利，和更少的政府。整体来说法国要比盎格鲁萨克森国家更左。

常见问题

阅读FT对你有什么好处？

对于全球的商业精英来说，阅读英国《金融时报》是每天必须进行的修炼。《金融时报》的文章以分析见长，逻辑严密，特别适合准备GRE和GMAT的考生。培生集团推出的PTE考试的阅读题，就是利用了FT的文章来做阅读理解。

阅读速度多快才够用？

在信息爆炸的今天，能够迅速地阅读和理解大量资料，已成为所有人必不可少的技能。对于准备参加各种英语测试的考生来讲，阅读速度可能是决定成绩的关键。要想在GRE和GMAT的考试中拿到高分，你的阅读速度至少要达到每分钟200字。

如何迫使自己提高阅读速度?

我们有一个自动滚屏的工具来帮助你提高速度。点击该按钮后，屏幕就开始滚动，迫使你改掉向回看的习惯，加快速度。默认为每分钟140字（朗读速度）。随着你的技能提升，你可以挑战更高的速度，直到达到1000。

小字速度：+ -

阅读以下文章

<b>France has good reason to be pessimistic</b>

A recent survey by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) showed that 68 per cent of the French are pessimistic about the future, a record for this early in a new presidency. This does not mean that France has become a dismal country to visit: the French rather enjoy gloom. They even have a word for it – morosite – which has no easy equivalent in English, though the sense is clear.

But while it is quite acceptable in Paris for a resident to be pessimistic, indeed it is almost de rigueur, the same indulgence is not granted to foreigners. The French have spent the last weeks shooting messengers. The rot set in at the end of October when the German news magazine Bild asked pointedly if France is about to be the new Greece. An Economist cover story described France as a time-bomb ticking at the heart of Europe. Then, to add insult to injury, Moody’s downgraded French debt, and left the country on negative watch.

This outbreak of Anglo-Saxon hostility has caused a degree of circling of wagons. The Prime Minister, Jean-Francois Ayrault, talked of sensationalism and the desire to sell papers. The right-leaning Le Figaro, no friend of President Hollande, the main target of the Economist article, charged the British press with “le French-bashing”. (The Financial Times is seen as an enthusiastic fellow-traveller of The Economist in this regard).

In fact the English language press is saying nothing that has not been said, more elegantly, and with more supporting analysis, by the Cour des Comptes, the French National Audit Office (though that pedestrian English term does not quite convey its grandeur) or in a report on competitiveness by Louis Gallois, the former boss of the European defence group EADS. Mr Gallois’ report raised the alarm, pointing in particular at high employment taxes and inflexible labour markets as impediments to growth.

But the recommendations, from a man with centre left credentials, were – to Anglo-Saxon eyes – a strange mishmash. He argued for a cut in labour taxes, funded by increased VAT, and some modest legal changes, but balanced by a set of measures to promote what we would call “industrial democracy”, with greater staff representation on works councils, whose impact on competitiveness is unclear and highly indirect, at best.

In response, the government set out a “competitiveness pact“, which included a promise to implement some of his 22 ideas. But French employers were underwhelmed, and it is unclear how committed the other social partners are to the pact. In any event, it is hard to see that it amounts to a Copernican revolution, as Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici characterised it. French policy remains built on an assumption that the sun will continue to circle France, and that investors will continue to look benignly on the state’s 56 per cent share of the economy.

So far, they are right. Markets have not reacted to the Moody’s’ downgrade: French borrowing costs remain very low. In relative terms, French credit looks secure. Though there have been rumblings from across the Rhine from German economists, and possibly from Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble himself (though that is denied) about France’s declining competitiveness, and unsustainable labour costs, the Germans still have greater worries further south, and no incentive to upset the applecart by questioning the soundness of their biggest partner.

Perhaps we should conclude, then, after a few weeks of Gallic angst, that it has been much ado about nothing, and all’s well that ends well. Life can go on as normal for the Normal President.

Perhaps, but the facts are inescapable. French unit labour costs have risen by 20 per cent more than German since the launch of the euro, and there is no sign of a change of trend. France’s public spending remains well above the EU norm, even five percentage points above Sweden’s. A present day Shakespeare might produce a bittersweet comedy under the title “If a thing can’t go on for ever it will probably end one day”. That day could dawn with little warning.

Below the surface, there are worries. At a dinner in Paris last week the conversation turned to the interesting question of who the French Mario Monti would be if a government of national unity were needed there. Pascal Lamy was the answer, now happily “au dessus de la melee” (above the battle) at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. He knows the geography of the prime ministerial offices at Matignon quite well. Mr Ayrault should beware.

选择正确答案

"It is quite acceptable in Paris for a resident to be pessimistic···the same indulgence is not granted to foreigners"
Which of the following can express the similar sentiment?

Good!
B是正确的。作者在文章中多次表达了对法国人“自恋情节”的深刻印象。B表达的就是同样的意思，而且这是会给他们的经济带来麻烦的。 A和C都是外国媒体对法国的批评。

"le French-bashing"
"the sun will continue to circle France"
"France as a time-bomb ticking at the heart of Europe"
"If a thing can’t go on for ever it will probably end one day."

选择正确答案

Which of the following newspaper or magazine is in support of President Hollande, according to the passage?

Good!
ABC三家媒体都是“奥朗德黑”。德国《图片报》和英国《经济学人》就不用说了。
法国《费加罗报》虽然在这次欧洲媒体对于法国竞争力的质疑浪潮中指责英国媒体的反法情绪"le French-bashing"，但它作为右翼媒体，却是坚定的社会党总统奥朗德的反对者。

German news magazine Bild
British business magazine Economist.
Right-leaning French newspaper Le Figaro.
None of above.

选择正确答案

Gallois's report alarmed France's future, the French government promised to improve competitiveness, but why "employers were underwhelmed"?

Good!
D是正确的。前三项表述都没错，但是并未回答这一问题。作者说法国的政策仍然基于一个假设那就是太阳将围绕法国转，French policy remains built on an assumption that the sun will continue to circle France. 意思是这些小打小闹的改革在严酷的形势面前远远不够。
作者是说，法国人对世界有着过于浪漫和乐观的看法。

It is unclear how committed the other social partners are to the pact.
Finance Minister Moscovici characterised "competitiveness pact" as a Copernican revolution.
Gallois's report to Anglo-Saxon eyes were a strange mixture.
France is not fully aware of the harsh situation it faces.

选择正确答案

What does the writer mean by "there have been rumblings from across the Rhine".

Good!
B是正确答案，欧元区诞生后，法国的单位劳动成本比德国增长高出了20%，这是因为德国在施罗德政府时期实施了一些改革，使得劳动力市场更加灵活有效。而法国巨额公共开支也是巨大的负担。德国人一方面因为南欧的欧猪国家麻烦事还没完，一方面不想得罪莱茵河对岸的盟友。但德国经济学家已经开始抱怨法国的不给力了。

Germany is engaging on massive and serious reforms that are necessary.
Germany is complaining about France's declining competitiveness, which is dangerous to European economy.
Germany has to much worry about South Europe.

放松与总结

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下一测试：美国的《末路狂花》？

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<<后退

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您的正确率太低，在目前这个阶段，对你来说最重要的是提高英文水平和金融专业水平，而不是速度。请您点击后退仔细查看您答错的题目，并和原文对照。对原文中所有不懂的句子和知识点，也请一一查明。建议您：
1. 在进行下一次训练的时候，将滚屏速度保持在100以下。
2. 您可以找一些有声读物，如《经济学人》的audio edition，帮助你提高英文水平。

看得出你是非常认真来进行这次训练的，如果你坚持的话，你会获得非常大的提高。目前你的阅读速度偏低，可能是因为英文不是你的母语。不过，请不要放慢阅读速度。研究表明，阅读速度越快的人，其理解的正确率反而越高。因此，您可以同时提高您的阅读速度和理解能力。给你一点建议：
1. 一定要改掉默念的习惯
2. 不要一个词一个词的看，要学会把一个语义群当作一个整体来看。比如“an emergency $180bn injection of dollar”这个语义群，你要学会把他当作一个整体来看。
3. 看DVD的时候，切换到英文字幕。

用正常语速来朗读一篇文章，平均速度是每分钟140词。这说明你的阅读速度比朗读还要慢。建议您：1. 每一段的第一句话往往是最重要的。
2. “速读”最忌讳的就是“读”，不要一边看一边默念。
3. 在下一个训练中将滚屏速度设为140，迫使自己不能回头去看已经读过的部分。

您的阅读速度已经超过了正常语速，说明你已经开始有些速读的感觉了。美国大学生的最低阅读速度为每分钟250词，加把劲你就可以赶上了。建议您：
1. 养成习惯，读过的部分不要回头去看，这样会影响速读。
2. 加强“扫描”的训练，让自己的眼睛能“一目一行”。

您的阅读速度已经达到了美国大学生的水平，可喜可贺。不过作为金融从业人员，每天需要阅读数不清的中英文研究报告、公司年报、报刊杂志等，您还需要向每分钟350字进军。建议您：
1. 加强“扫描”的训练，让自己的眼睛能“一目两行”。
2. 对中英文的数字，尤其是大数字(million, billion)的转换进行总结和练习。

厉害，您的阅读速度已经超过了美国大学生的水平。不过，要成为巴菲特那样的金融专家，您需要锻炼出“一目十行”的火眼金睛。建议您在每次的训练中注意三个要点：
1. 您已经学会了将文章分成语义群，而非词来阅读，现在，你需要扩大每一个语义群中的词数。
2. 加快阅读每个语义群的速度。
3. 看过的内容尽量不要回看。

这就是传说中的“一目十行”吗？难以置信！

世界纪录才每分钟416,250字，居然被你破了！无语...

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讨论和交流请发表和本次测试相关的内容