A foreign tourist smokes from a water pipe in a coffee shop in Cairo February 23, 2009.(Agencies)

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　　French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant, according to a survey of 4,500 hotel owners across the world.

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　　They finish in last place in the survey carried out for internet travel agency Expedia by polling company TNS Infratest, which said French holidaymakers don&apost speak local languages and are seen as impolite.

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　　"It&aposs mainly the fact that they speak little or no English when they&aposre abroad, and they don&apost speak much of the local language," Expedia Marketing Director Timothee de Roux told radio station France Info.

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　　"The French don&apost go abroad very much. We&aposre lucky enough to have a country which is magnificent in terms of its landscape and culture," he said, adding that 90 per cent of French people did their traveling at home. "

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　　So when they&aposre on holiday they can be a bit stressed, they&aposre not used to things, and this can lead them to be demanding in a way which could be seen as a certain arrogance."

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　　French tourists are also accused of generally spending less than other nationalities when abroad.

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　　De Roux said the French, not accustomed to leaving large tips at home where a service charge is automatically levied on restaurant bills, can seem "tight-fisted" compared with other nationalities.

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　　The Japanese ranked top of the Best Tourist survey, with the British and the Germans judged the best of the Europeans.

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　　But French tourists received some consolation for their poor performance, finishing third after the Italians and British for dress sense while on holiday.

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　　Vocabulary:

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　　levy: 征收，征税

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　　根据一项对全世界4500家旅馆老板的调查，法国游客是世界上最糟糕的游客，他们外语讲得差，既小气又傲慢。

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　　这项由市场调查公司TNS Infratest为在线旅行社Expedia所做的调查显示，法国游客排在最后一名，他们不讲本地语言，而且被认为不礼貌。

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　　“这主要是因为法国人在国外几乎不说英语，而且他们也不太会本地语言，” Expedia的营销总监蒂莫西•德•路克斯在接受法国电台France Info采访时说。

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　　他说：“法国人不经常出国。我们很幸运，他们的国家幅员辽阔、文化繁荣。” 他还说90%的法国人都选择在国内旅行。

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　　“所以当他们在外度假的时候，会感到有些压抑，他们对周遭不大适应，这可能会让他们行为苛刻，并可能被视为傲慢。”

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　　法国游客还被认为在国外总体上比其他国家的游客花钱更少。

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　　德•路克斯说，法国人在国内时不习惯给高额小费，因为在法国服务费会被自动算在饭馆的帐单上，所以和其他国家的游客相比，法国游客看起来更吝啬。

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　　在最佳游客调查中，日本人排在第一位，英国人和德国人被评为最好的欧洲游客。

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　　尽管法国游客表现不佳，但是他们在度假期间穿着品位排行中名列第三，仅次于意大利和英国游客，这也算是一种安慰吧。