◎ 俞智敏

True to their reputation as leisure-loving gourmets, the French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world’s wealthy nations, according to a study published recently.

法國人喜愛休閒、愛好美食的名聲果然名不虛傳，根據一項最近公布的調查，法國人花在睡覺和吃飯的時間比全球其他富有國家的民眾都要長。

The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and Korean, who sleep the least in a survey of 18 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development （OECD）.

根據經濟合作發展組織（OECD）對18個會員國所進行的調查顯示，法國人每晚平均睡眠時間幾乎達9小時，比日本與韓國人多出了一個多小時，日韓國民的睡眠時間則是接受調查的會員國中最短的。

And while more and more French people grab a bite at fast-food chains these days or wolf down a sandwich at their desk, they still spend more than two hours a day eating.

雖然現在愈來愈多的法國人會到連鎖速食店匆匆進食，或者乾脆坐在辦公桌前把三明治狼吞虎嚥地吃下肚，他們每天還是會花超過兩小時吃飯。

The Japanese, scrimping on sleep and burdened with long commutes and working hours, still manage to spend close to two hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders.

日本人省下睡眠時間，又得花長時間在通勤與工作上，但他們每天還是可以花上近兩小時吃飯與喝酒，排在紐西蘭人之後位居第三。

The Japanese like to spend what remains of their scarce free time watching television or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of leisure time in Japan.

日本人喜歡把剩餘不多的空閒時間用來看電視或聽廣播，這大概佔去日本人休閒時間的47% 。

新聞辭典

grab/get/have a bite：（非正式用語），指匆忙地吃點簡單的東西。如Bob often tries to get a bite between meetings.（巴布經常在會議中間隨便吃點東西。）

wolf down：（非正式用語）wolf做動詞，指狼吞虎嚥地吃東西，如The boys wolfed the sandwiches （down） and then started on the cakes.（男孩們大口吞下三明治後，接著又開始吃起蛋糕。）

scrimp：動詞，指節省、剋扣，如There is a risk that the debt-ridden airline that may be tempted to scrimp on maintenance or security.（這家負債累累的航空公司可能會想辦法剋扣維修與安全的經費。）片語scrimp and save亦指節儉、省吃儉用，如We had to scrimp and save in order to send the children to college.（我們得省吃儉用才能讓孩子們念大學。）

自由時報-980524

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