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In the midst of the lumbering euro crisis, international lenders recently urged a struggling Greece to work a six-day week in or

admin2016-06-30  33
问题     In the midst of the lumbering euro crisis, international lenders recently urged a struggling Greece to work a six-day week in order to revive its stagnating economy. At first glance, this makes sense—something must be done, so why not get everybody to work harder? Surely this will generate more output and be the sought-after fillip to kick-start growth?
    And yet a growing number of economists and social scientists suggest this is not the way to go. "The conventional wisdom says that, in hard times, what we need to do is double down and work harder because we’re poorer," said Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College, at a recent LSE conference. "That’s the standard view. But it’s a fallacy. "
    How about doing the opposite—working fewer days? How about a four-day week? The answer to our economic woes surely lies not in a redistribution of wealth but, as Schor advocates, in a redistribution of paid working time. Indeed, think-tank the New Economics Foundation(NEF)goes further still and calls for a 21-hour week, 21 hours being the average number worked each week by all Britons of working age.
    Were this to be mandated, there would, of course, be problems for those whose reduced wages failed to cover living costs, even while there would be a reduction in the benefits bill. The NEF doesn’t suggest forcing the issue: rather, they’d like to create the conditions whereby it can happen over time.
    But it need not be a zero-sum game, as is evident from the shining example of the four-day weeks that already exist. In June 2008, the US state of Utah implemented the idea for most of its public-sector workers, who moved from five eight-hour days to four of ten hours. While neutral in terms of hours, this shift meant that staff spent one day fewer travelling to and from work. One year on, reductions in overtime and absenteeism were calculated at more than ￡ 2. 5m, with big falls in carbon emissions and petrol consumption.
    Is this something only the state can do? Refreshingly, there are signals of a like-minded approach in the start-up sector. Florida-based businessman Ryan Carson, founder of online web-design-tutorial provider Treehouse, has his whole firm work a four-day week—Monday to Thursday, nine to six, " because we think that information work isn’t like manufacturing. "
    His firm makes upwards of ￡ 1. 8m in annual revenues, and finds recruiting and retaining talented employees easier than ever. Facebook has repeatedly tried to poach Carson’s staff. "Do you work a four-day week yet?" is the question that usually ends the dialogue. Crucially, Carson gets to spend a three-day weekend with his kids. Yet his business is clearly not just about lifestyle—he’s raised some ￡ 3m from investors.
    The point about productivity for information workers is a critical one. We’re no longer in manufacturing, where more is better. And yet, when at work, it often feels like it. We attend interminable meetings and conferences while sending innumerable emails. Addled and distracted, our brains’ ability to engage in any deep thinking is hugely impaired. A three-day weekend would improve our mindfulness and mental energy, leading to improved quality of output.
What can we learn about the example of Utah?
选项 A、All the workers worked fewer hours than before.
B、The four-day weeks were environment-friendly.
C、Public sector workers were disappointed at the shift.
D、The state paid ￡ 2. 5m for the reduction of work time.
答案B
解析 推断题。第五段末句在叙述犹他州一周工作四天的举措实施一年后产生的结果时提及with big fallsin carbon emissions and petrol consumption，由此可知，该举措是很环保的，故[B]为答案。由第五段第二句中的Utah implemented the idea for most of its public-sector workers排除范围扩大的[A]；原文并未明确提及public-sector workers对工作日改变的看法，故排除[C]；由第五段末句中的reductionsin overtime and absenteeism were calculated at more than￡2．5m排除[D]。
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