法國人酷愛音樂甚於其它藝術形式的英語美文

France Hums away Its Tribulations

據最近的一份調查顯示，絕大多數法國人喜愛音樂遠甚於其它藝術形式，尤其是女性自吟自唱的概率更是高於男性。

An opinion poll just published found 83% of the adult population sings or hums to itself "often or very often". The poll, by TNS-Sofres for the musicians" rights group Sacem, found women slightly more likely to hum than men.

據英國《衞報》6月27日報道，由法國音樂家權利組織Sacem委託民意調查機構TNS-Sofres進行的一項民意調查顯示，83%的法國成年人“經常或隨時隨地”地獨自哼唱;女人自吟自唱的概率略高於男人;而那些年紀尚小的孩子的父母們是最愛與旋律為伴的社會羣體;同時，幾乎沒有什麼音符可以難住年齡在65歲以上的單身法國男人，特別是那些農夫們;此外，約有74%的法國人表示，音樂是他們生活中不可或缺的一種藝術形式，其比例遠高於文學、電影、繪畫、舞蹈及戲劇。

那法國人都愛在哪些地方一展歌喉呢?鑑於他們對於汽車的鐘愛由來已久，19%的法國人喜歡在車上吟唱，而13%的.人喜歡在浴室裏哼曲。與鄉下人相比較，住在公寓的巴黎人更願意愜意地自吟自唱。

調查顯示，不同社會羣體對於音樂的喜好程度還取決於其政治信仰。那些充滿責任心且永遠樂觀的法國極左派人士在某種意義上可以説是對於音樂最為痴迷的一個羣體，他們中足有90%的人聲稱自己每天都會唱上幾回。同時，那些富於革命性的共產主義者喜愛拉美的音樂節奏，託派分子會迷戀説唱樂(rap)或黑人流行音樂(R&B)，同時綠黨人士對藍調音樂頗為欣賞，而法共黨員則更垂青于軍樂。

They may be livid with their leaders, pained by their place in the world and fearful of the future, but at least the French are still happy enough to hum.

An opinion poll just published found 83% of the adult population sings or hums to itself "often or very often".

The poll, by TNS-Sofres for the musicians" rights group Sacem, found women slightly more likely to hum than men.

The parents of young children are the most likely social group to make with a melody, while hardly a note will trouble the vocal cords of single Frenchmen over 65. Particularly, for some reason, if they are farmers.

Where exactly do they warble? Given their longstanding love affair with the automobile 19% of the French love to let rip in the car, and just 13% in the bath.

Parisians are more likely to sing sweetly to themselves than rural types, apartment living encouraging the exercise. Some 74% of the French say music is the art form they could least do without, a long way ahead of literature, cinema, painting, dance and theatre.

Musical taste also depends upon political persuasion. France"s conscientious and ever-optimistic far left are by some way the most musical: fully 90% say they sing daily.

And while revolutionary communists like Latin American rhythms, Trotskyists prefer rap or R&B, and the Greens adore the blues, Communists prefer martial music. Voters for President Jacques Chirac are devotees of light opera - a form that is not as popular in France as it once was.