Read the following article taken from the Time Magazine School Lunches in France: Nursery-School Gourmets By Vivienne Walt / Paris Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 When the public school office of the 6th district of Paris summoned me to a meeting late last year, the tone of urgency in the letter sent me running down the block, into the 19th century courtyard of the town hall and up the narrow stairs to the top floor "What does your son eat for lunch?" the woman asked after I ran in breathless I had no idea what to say When my son started nursery school last September at the age of 3, I had registered him for the school lunch program But when he failed to appear in the lunchroom after that, city officials quickly took notice My explanation — that I thought he should take a break and eat lunch at home in the middle of the day — was apparently not sufficient This was personal "The food is very good, Madame The meat is 100% French," the official said, picking up a brochure from her desk I knew this brochure well, having e-mailed it to friends in the U.S last year as a this-could-only-happen-in-France conversation piece It lists in great detail the lunch menu for each school day over a two-month period On Mondays, the menus are also posted on the wall outside every school in the country The variety on the menus is astonishing: no single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period, and every meal includes an hors d'oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert There is more: the final column in the brochure carries the title "Suggestions for the evening." That, too, changes daily If your child has eaten turkey, ratatouille and a raspberry-filled crepe for lunch, the city of Paris suggests pasta, green beans and a fruit salad for dinner I finally saw the system in action earlier this month Caught short by a sick nanny, my son, who was accustomed to eating leftovers from the refrigerator, sat in silence with his 25 classmates at tables in the nursery-school cafeteria, while city workers served a leisurely, five-course meal One day, when I arrived to collect him, a server whispered for me to wait until the dessert course was over Out in the hall, one of the staff shouted for "total quiet" to a crowd of 4-year-olds awaiting the next lunch seating "I will now read you today's menu," he told them "First, you will begin with a salad." Americans struggling with obesity epidemics have for years wondered how the so-called French paradox works: How does a nation that ingests huge quantities of butter, beef and cakes keep trim and have such long lives? It could be the red wine, as some believe But another reason has to be this: in a country where artists and adulterers are tolerated, the laws governing meals are sacrosanct and are drummed into children before they can even hold a knife The French don't need their First Lady to plant a vegetable garden at the Élysée Palace to encourage good eating habits They already know the rules: sit down and take your time, because food is serious business In his new book Food Rules, Michael Pollan states in rule No 58: "Do all your eating at a table." French children quickly learn that they won't be fed anywhere else Snack and soda machines are banned from school buildings in France — a battle that is now raging across the U.S And France's lunch programs are well funded While the country is cutting public programs and civil-servant jobs to try to slash a debt of about $2.1 trillion, no one has dared to mention touching the money spent on school lunches Public schools in France are overcrowded, rigid and hierarchical And parents, who are never addressed by their first names, are strongly discouraged from entering school buildings, let alone the classrooms I cannot tell you what my child learns, paints or builds on any given school day But I know that on Feb 4, he ate hake in Basque sauce, mashed pumpkin, cracked rice, Edam cheese and organic fruits for lunch That meant stuffed marrows and apples for dinner The city of Paris said so Answer the following questions How you see in the reporter’s reaction that she understands the « urgency » of the situation ? (2 instances) running down the block I ran in breathless Why is she summoned to a meeting ? Because her son does no longer eat at school for lunch To which word is the word « personal » opposed to (l.10) ? Official When does the text come back into the present after the flashback which starts on line : « When my son started nursery school … » ? (Quote the first words) My explanation that (l.8) What expression shows that the journalist doesn’t identify with French eating habits ? this-could-only-happen-in France What words does the journalist use to show that school menus are a governmental affair (paragraph and 3) ? every school in the country the city of Paris Was the « nanny » (line 23) sick before or after the meeting of the first paragraph ? (justify your answer) after last year (l.2) ; earlier this month (l.24) How you know that the 4-year-old children are not allowed to speak during lunch They must eat in silence (l.25) ; a server whispered to answer V Walt (l.27) a) To what country is France opposed to (para 3-7)? b)Then explain on what matter they are opposed a) The US b) Americans are struggling with obesity epidemics France has banned snack and soda machines 10 Explain the « French paradox » (l.32) with your own words French eat 5-course meal, they eat a lot and they drink red wine, however they live long and keep slim 11 Where does the journalist herself see a paradox ? Justify your answer (2 occurrences) The importance given to food whereas more important problems are put aside (l.34-36) (l.4446) 12 What does the transparency of the menus contrast with ? The fact that the parents cannot enter school and that they don’t know what is the school programme 13 What does the journalist reproach to school lunches ? Develop your answer She thinks they are too rigid (children have to eat silently ; the menus are decided for 2-month periods ; you cannot avoid them without being summoned) ; they are taken too seriously, especially for nursery pupils 14 Comment on the last sentence : « The city of Paris said so » The journalist ending her own text with this sentence shows that even if she disagrees with the government’s point of view, its point of view is final and she has to submit to it, like everybody else has to It is ironical It seems that the journalist submits to the city of Paris’s way of thinking, whereas she actually doesn’t She has removed her son from school lunches 15 Give an example of irony in the text ? Explain why it is ironic Irony : Ironic statements (verbal irony) often convey a meaning exactly opposite from their literal meaning - The government implication in something of private matter - « I had no idea what to say » (l.4) The contrast between the urgency of the situation for such a basic matter -… Say if the following statements are true or false Quote a sentence or words from the text to justify your answer The journalist prefers to have her son eating at home T I thought he should take a break and eat lunch at home (l.9) The son is accustomed to well-prepared lunch F Accustomed to eating leftovers from the fridge (l.24) The lunch menus are made for one week F Over a two-month period (l.14) Americans think red wine is healthy T It could be the red wine (l.33) The journalist thinks that there are too many students in the French classes T Public schools are overcrowded (l.47) The journalist thinks the First Lady should plant a vegetable garden at the Elysée Palace F The French don’t need the First Lady to … (l.37) Vocabulary Find a synonym of … in the text They are given in a chronological order Officially asked – summoned Realised – took notice Enough – sufficient Surprising – astonishing Eventually – finally To have to react quickly – caught short To pick up – to collect financed – funded giving up – cutting 10 talked to – addressed Read the following article taken from the Time Magazine School Lunches in France: Nursery-School Gourmets By Vivienne Walt / Paris Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010 When the public school office of the 6th district of Paris summoned me to a meeting late last year, the tone of urgency in the letter sent me running down the block, into the 19th century courtyard of the town hall and up the narrow stairs to the top floor "What does your son eat for lunch?" the woman asked after I ran in breathless I had no idea what to say When my son started nursery school last September at the age of 3, I had registered him for the school lunch program But when he failed to appear in the lunchroom after that, city officials quickly took notice My explanation — that I thought he should take a break and eat lunch at home in the middle of the day — was apparently not sufficient This was personal "The food is very good, Madame The meat is 100% French," the official said, picking up a brochure from her desk I knew this brochure well, having e-mailed it to friends in the U.S last year as a this-could-only-happen-in-France conversation piece It lists in great detail the lunch menu for each school day over a two-month period On Mondays, the menus are also posted on the wall outside every school in the country The variety on the menus is astonishing: no single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period, and every meal includes an hors d'oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert There is more: the final column in the brochure carries the title "Suggestions for the evening." That, too, changes daily If your child has eaten turkey, ratatouille and a raspberry-filled crepe for lunch, the city of Paris suggests pasta, green beans and a fruit salad for dinner I finally saw the system in action earlier this month Caught short by a sick nanny, my son, who was accustomed to eating leftovers from the refrigerator, sat in silence with his 25 classmates at tables in the nursery-school cafeteria, while city workers served a leisurely, five-course meal One day, when I arrived to collect him, a server whispered for me to wait until the dessert course was over Out in the hall, one of the staff shouted for "total quiet" to a crowd of 4-year-olds awaiting the next lunch seating "I will now read you today's menu," he told them "First, you will begin with a salad." Americans struggling with obesity epidemics have for years wondered how the so-called French paradox works: How does a nation that ingests huge quantities of butter, beef and cakes keep trim and have such long lives? It could be the red wine, as some believe But another reason has to be this: in a country where artists and adulterers are tolerated, the laws governing meals are sacrosanct and are drummed into children before they can even hold a knife The French don't need their First Lady to plant a vegetable garden at the Élysée Palace to encourage good eating habits They already know the rules: sit down and take your time, because food is serious business In his new book Food Rules, Michael Pollan states in rule No 58: "Do all your eating at a table." French children quickly learn that they won't be fed anywhere else Snack and soda machines are banned from school buildings in France — a battle that is now raging across the U.S And France's lunch programs are well funded While the country is cutting public programs and civil-servant jobs to try to slash a debt of about $2.1 trillion, no one has dared to mention touching the money spent on school lunches Public schools in France are overcrowded, rigid and hierarchical And parents, who are never addressed by their first names, are strongly discouraged from entering school buildings, let alone the classrooms I cannot tell you what my child learns, paints or builds on any given school day But I know that on Feb 4, he ate hake in Basque sauce, mashed pumpkin, cracked rice, Edam cheese and organic fruits for lunch That meant stuffed marrows and apples for dinner The city of Paris said so Answer the following questions How you see in the reporter’s reaction that she understands the « urgency » of the situation ? (2 instances) Why is she summoned to a meeting ? To which word is the word « personal » opposed to (l.10) ? When does the text come back into the present after the flashback which starts on line : « When my son started nursery school … » ? (Quote the first words) What expression shows that the journalist doesn’t identify with French eating habits ? What words does the journalist use to show that school menus are a governmental affair (paragraph and 3) ? Was the « nanny » (line 23) sick before or after the meeting of the first paragraph ? (justify your answer) How you know that the 4-year-old children are not allowed to speak during lunch a) To what country is France opposed to (para 3-7)? b)Then explain on what matter they are opposed 10 Explain the « French paradox » (l.32) with your own words 11 Where does the journalist herself see a paradox ? Justify your answer (2 occurrences) 12 What does the transparency of the menus contrast with ? 13 What does the journalist reproach to school lunches ? Develop your answer 14 Comment on the last sentence : « The city of Paris said so » 15 Give an example of irony in the text ? Explain why it is ironic Irony : Ironic statements (verbal irony) often convey a meaning exactly opposite from their literal meaning Say if the following statements are true or false Quote a sentence or words from the text to justify your answer The journalist prefers to have her son eating at home The son is accustomed to well-prepared lunch The lunch menus are made for one week 10 Americans think red wine is healthy 11 The journalist thinks that there are too many students in the French classes 12 The journalist thinks the First Lady should plant a vegetable garden at the Elysée Palace Vocabulary Find a synonym of … in the text They are given in a chronological order Officially asked Realised Enough Surprising Eventually To have to react quickly To pick up financed giving up 10 talked to