Passage Two

　　An opinion poll was conducted in the early 1990's to ascertain the cultural attitudes of residents of five countries in Western Europe (Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany). One thousand people, forming a representative sample of the adult population, from each of the five participating countries were interviewed. The results of the poll suggest that though there is general agreement that culture can be defined as a distinct part of life, there are clear differences in the views of various European nations.

　　The poll assumed that literature, history, science, the arts, law, economics and so on would be regarded as significant components of culture by all participants but it set out to examine the areas which they deemed the most important forms of cultural expression. In addition, the poll required interviewees to indicate in a questionnaire the type of education they considered most appropriate for the modem world, the best channels of knowledge and the arts they most valued. The interviewees were also asked which European countries they found most attractive from a cultural point of view.

　　The results of the poll show interesting differences between the participating nations in terms of which components of culture they regard as most important forms of cultural expression. For the French and Italians, literature comes well at the top of the list. In contrast, mathematics is given priority by the British and economics/politics by the Germans. History occupies second place for the French, the Italians and Germans but is given very low priority by the British. For the Spanish these four areas are more or less equal, with mathematics having a slight edge. (责任编辑：admin)