What are the cultural notes in Holt French Level 2 'Allez viens' Chapter 11?

Answer 1

Guests visiting a French home are expected to bring a gift (like candy or flowers, except chrysanthemums, flowers associated with death). Guests aren't expected to arrive on time and the meal isn't usually served right away upon their arrival. In dinner conversation, don't mention people's age, profession, salary, or political opinions.

In French houses, clothes are hung in an armoire (a wardrobe) instead of a closet. Most families have just one TV set in a room where everyone can watch it and usually only phone per house.

Responses to compliments in French include the following:

• Tu trouves? - You think so?
• C'est vrai?/Vraiment? - Really?
• C'est gentil (de ta/votre part)! - That's nice (of you)!

Therefore, merci isn't the only French sign of gratitude.

Houses in France are made of stone or cement. In Quebec, homes are built of wood and painted in bright colors. The houses of Martinique and Guadeloupe can be large plantation-style or small cement-block houses that has a porch as a central gathering place and a kitchen separate from the house to keep the rest of the house cool. Houses in Côte d'Ivoire are made of clay and bamboo, some also built on stilts over lagoons. Modern houses and apartments dominate the cityside.

Notre-Dame-de-Chartres, a famous Gothic cathedral, was built in the 1200s where another cathedral had stood since the 500s. Notre-Dame-de-Chartres can easily be identified by its various towers (such as the Romanesque tower and the ornate Gothic tower). Saved from all wars and problems, Chartres still has most of its original stained-glass rich-colored windows. The cathedral's flying buttresses, its huge size, and its light-filled interior are the examples of Gothic construction.

Answer 2

La fête de la musique is a globally famous music festival celebrated on every first day of summer in France, where various performers share their music on the streets. During the spring and summer, all types of festivals partake in every part of France. The most renowned festival is probably the Cannes Film Festival, where directors, producers, and stars from all around the globe come to show their films and rival for awards.

Check the local newspaper or movie guide before going to the movie theater in France for some tourist guidance. To watch a foreign film (such a film produced in America), you can opt for v.o. (version originale) to see a film with the original language with French captions or v.f.(version française) to see a film dubbed in French. Most theaters offer a discount (tarif réduit) for students and lower ticket price for everyone on Mondays and/or Wednesdays. Check the showtime (séance) and remember that 10-20 minutes of advertisements usually precede the actual movie.

People subscribe to Minitel, France's highly successful online information company, from a computer terminal without installation fee for phone subscribers. Minitel can be used for shopping, purchasing movie and concert tickets, booking travel reservations, reading magazines, and researching technical schools and colleges. The most often used service is the electronic phone book, which lets a person search for any of millions of Minitel subscribers.