阅读理解LONDON--Amorning'strainrideaway,acrosstheChannel.EnglishkidstalkaboutLiverpool'ssoccerteaminaParispub.SomeParisianshaveevenstartedtogotoworkinLondon.Inthe19century,Ch

阅读理解

LONDON--Amorning'strainrideaway,acrosstheChannel.EnglishkidstalkaboutLiverpool'ssoccerteaminaParispub.

SomeParisianshaveevenstartedtogotoworkinLondon.

Inthe19century,CharlesDickenscomparedthetwogreatrival（竞争的）cities,LondonandParis,in“ATaleofTwoCities.”Thesedays,itmightbeATaleofOneCity.

Parisiansarethesedayslikelytosmileinsympathyatavisitor'sbrokenFrenchandrespondinpoliteEnglish.

AsJobsgrewlackathomeoverrecentyears,perhaps250,000FrenchmenmovedacrosstheChannel.Withanunderseatunnel,theycouldtravelbetweencitiesinthreehours.TheEuropeanUnionfreesthemfromimmigrationandcustoms.

Paris,richinbeauty,ismoreattractive.ButLondonfeelsmorefulloflife,andmorefununtilthepubsshutdown.

“Forme,thedifferenceisthatLondonisreal,alive,”saidTrevorWheeler,abanker.

ChantalJaouen,aprofessionaldesigner,agrees.“IamFrench,butI'llstayinLondon,”shesaid.

Thereis,ofcourse,theotherview.JulieLenouxisastudentwhomovedtoLondontwoyearsago.“IthinkpeoplelaughmoreinParis,”shesaid.

Infact,LondonandParis,withtheirobviousnewsimilarities,arebeyondtheolddescriptions.AstheEuropeanUniongraduallyloosenedcontrols,LondonersflockedintoParistoshop,eatandbuyproperty.

“Bothcitieshavechangedbeyondrecognition.”saidLarryCollins,awriterandsometimesaLondoner.

Likemostpeoplewhoknowbothwell,hefindsthetwonowfittogethercomfortably.

“IfirstfellinlovewithParisinthe1950s,andisstillawonderfulplace.”Collinssaid.

“ButifIhadtochoose,itwouldbeLondon.Thingsaresomuchmoreordered,andlifeisbetter.”

Butcertainlynotcheaper.

InfancypartsofLondon,rentscanbetwicethanthoseonAvenueFochinParis.

DecidingbetweenLondonandParisrequiresalifestylechoice.

LikeDaphneBenoit,aFrenchjournalismstudentwithperfectEnglish,manyyoungpeoplearehappytobecloseenoughtotheydon'thavetochoose.

“IloveParis,mylittleneighborhood,thewayIcanwalkaroundacentre,butlifeissostructured,”shesaid.“InLondon,youcanbewhoyouwant.Noonecares.”

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