問題詳情

D.In the mostly unspoken rivalry that exists between the United States and Europe, the former wins on most counts, withits more robust economy, superior universities, more influential popular culture and mightier military. Still, Europeans cantake some solace in one indisputable and crucial edge that they hold over the cousins across the Atlantic: their far moreplentiful holidays.   The European lead is striking. According to recent statistics, Americans have an average of just two weeks off each year.In Europe, by contrast, at least a month of paid vacation is viewed as an inalienable right. The Italians get 42 days of holiday ayear; the French, 37 and the Germans, 35.            Even the British, with their more American business culture, still take an average of 28 days off a year. In August, theheight of the holiday season, much of Europe simply closes down. There is simply no point in trying to get anyone to do anywork. Taking a long summer holiday is so crucial to European self-esteem that a survey showed that more than a third ofItalians who stay at home during the extended time off intended to pretend that they were going away. Considerable numberswere prepared to buy tanning machines and to take the pets to the neighbors to maintain appearances.          Naturally, people’s inclination for taking longer holidays represents a mammoth business opportunity for the tourism andtravel industry, by some measures, the world’s largest industry. Figures from the World Tourism Organization suggest thatmost international tourists travel to or within Europe, giving Europe a 58% share of the world tourism market. Of the top eightdestinations, five are in Europe; France tops the list, followed by Spain, the United States and Italy.    These figures, however, may mislead. Some 80% of vacationers within the European Union are from other parts of theEU. France’s top place owes much to the country’s inherent attractions but also quite a lot to its geographical position. EveryDutch or Belgian caravan thundering through France towards the beaches of Spain adds to the figure of foreign visitors toFrance.    Still, there is no doubt about the economic weight of tourism in Europe. Indeed, any sign that the flow of tourists isslowing is greeted with neurotic headlines. Yet while Europe cannot live without tourists, it sometimes finds it hard to livewith them. The city authorities in Venice are so fed up with some visitors’ behavior that they have just announced a list of 10offences for which they will impose on-the-spot fines. Improprieties including walking around bare-chested and bathing infountains, even in the torrid summer, are on the list. Spaniards and Greeks find the hordes of riotous, boozy young Britons thatdescend on them each summer a mixed blessing.    Such excesses of mass tourism will certainly do nothing to puncture Europe’s love affair with the long holiday. Thoseunfortunate souls charged with managing the European economy are having to factor holidays into their thinking. Analysis hasshown that a large part of the wealth gap per head between Europeans and Americans could be attributed to Europeans’preference for taking longer holidays. The figures certainly show that when they are actually in their offices, the Germans,French and Dutch (though not the British) are more productive than Americans.    But not everyone is as sanguine about this state of affairs. Hopeful talk by some European politicians of building up theEuropean Union as a new superpower is likely to prove vain so long as the EU’s economic growth lags so markedly behindthat of the United States—not to mention China’s. Germany’s labor minister recently caused a stir by arguing that Germansought to work more and take less holidays. Some of his countrymen may even be taking these strictures to heart.    Germans traditionally take more foreign holidays per head than all other Europeans, but this year, German travel agentssay that bookings are substantially down. Some attribute this to a new mood of economic insecurity. Perhaps there is a selfcorrectingmechanism in Europeans’ taste for leisure over work. If the measures were taken too far, might the economy slowdown so much that people no longer feel secure or rich enough to take the usual five weeks off?
【題組】46. What can Europeans boast about in their competition with people of the United States?
(A) Greater vacation time.
(B) More robust economy.
(C) Mightier military power.
(D) More influential popular culture.

參考答案

答案：A
難度：簡單0.823529
統計：A(14),B(1),C(1),D(0),E(0)

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【年級】大二下

【評論內容】答案在第一段文章中:Still, Europeans can take some solace in one indisputable and crucial edge that they hold over the cousins across the Atlantic: their far more plentiful holidays.