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# 3.1 Reading longer texts

In this section you will learn some tips to help you read longer texts in French. When you read longer texts, first look at the title, which will help you identify the topic and give you an idea of the content.

Illustrations (if there are any) may also help you to understand what a text is about.

Remember that there are usually a number of words in any text that are similar to those used in English. Using them as clues, you can often understand quite a lot of a text without resorting to your dictionary.

Aim to get the gist without attempting to understand every word. Use your dictionary if you need a more detailed comprehension.

## Activité 14

#### Task 1

Read the text Les Français et les repas .

#### Les Français et les repas

Qu’est-ce qu’on mange en France ?

Le petit déjeuner

- 2% des Français ne prennent pas de petit déjeuner.
- La plupart des Français boivent plutôt du café (59%).
- 11% boivent un jus de fruits et 5% mangent un fruit le matin.
- Seulement 7% mangent des céréales.
- 59% mangent des tartines avec du beurre et/ou de la confiture.
- Le week-end, 17% des Français mangent des croissants, des pains au chocolat ou des pains aux raisins.

Le déjeuner

- 68% des Français déjeunent généralement chez eux en semaine.
- La plupart des Français (66%) mangent de la viande (bœuf, porc, poulet…)
- 38% mangent des légumes.
- Seulement 3% mangent un sandwich.

- 4% prennent un plateau-repas dans leur canapé.
- 17% (surtout les hommes et les personnes de plus de 55 ans) prennent une entrée, un plat et un dessert.
- De plus en plus, on prend un plat unique à midi.

Le dîner

- Le soir, les Français mangent en famille.
- Ils mangent souvent un repas complet (entrée, plat, et dessert).
- Les personnes de plus de 50 ans mangent souvent de la soupe et du fromage.
- Un Français sur dix mange des œufs le soir.
- Normalement on mange du fromage et un dessert.
- On boit de l’eau ou du vin.
- Le repas préféré des jeunes, c’est le steak-frites.

Find the French for:

1. breakfast, lunch and dinner
2. at home
3. one-course meal
4. TV dinner
5. at lunchtime
6. three-course meal

(A text entry box would appear here, but your browser does not support it.)

### Answer

The correct answers are:

1. breakfast, lunch and dinner: le petit déjeuner (breakfast); le déjeuner (lunch); le dîner (dinner).
2. at home: chez eux
3. one-course meal: plat unique
4. TV dinner: un plateau-repas
5. at lunchtime: à midi
6. three-course meal: repas complet

#### Task 2

Read the text Les Français et les repas again and decide if the following statements are true or false.

#### Question 1

Few French people eat breakfast.

True.
False.

#### Question 2

The most popular breakfast drink is coffee.

True.
False.

#### Question 3

Cereal is not popular in France.

True.
False.

#### Question 4

Most French people eat lunch at work during the week.

True.
False.

#### Question 5

Most French people do not eat sandwiches for lunch.

True.
False.

#### Question 6

Having just one course for lunch is increasingly popular.

True.
False.

#### Question 7

In the evening, most French people eat just one course for dinner.

True.
False.
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OpenLearn - Beginners’ French: food and drink
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