填空题
· Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each
of the gaps.
· For each gap (9-14), mark one letter (A-H) on
your Answer Sheet.
· Do not use any letter more than
once.
· There is an example at the beginning.
The Four-Day Workweek Is Winning
Fans
In an era when most of us seem to be
working more hours than ever (provided we're still lucky enough to have jobs),
17,000 people in Utah have embarked on an unusual experiment. A year ago, the
Beehive State became the first in the U.S. to mandate a four-day workweek for
most state employees, closing offices on Fridays in an effort to reduce energy
costs. The move is different from a furlough in that salaries were not cut; nor
was the total amount of time employees work {{U}} {{U}} 1
{{/U}} {{/U}}. But on that fifth (glorious) day, they don't have to commute,
and their offices don't need to be heated, cooled or lit.
After
12 months, Utah's experiment has been deemed so successful that a new acronym
could catch on: TGIT (thank God it's Thursday) {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}Altogether, the initiative will cut the state's greenhouse-gas
emissions by more than 12,000 metric tons a year {{U}} {{U}} 3
{{/U}} {{/U}}. "It's beneficial for the environment and beneficial for
workers," says Lori Wadsworth, a professor at Brigham Young University who
helped survey state employees. "People loved it." Those who didn't tended to
have young children and difficulty finding extended day care.
{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}Private industry is interested as
well—General Motors has just instituted a workweek of four 10-hour days at
several of its plants. "There is a sense that this is ready to take off," says
R. Michael Fischl, an associate dean at the University of Connecticut's law
school, which is organizing a symposium on four-day weeks.
The
advantages of a so-called 4-10 schedule are clear: less commuting, lower utility
bills {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}By staying open for more hours
most days of the week, Utah's government offices have become accessible to
people who in the past had to miss work to get there in time {{U}} {{U}}
6 {{/U}} {{/U}}Plus, fears that working 10-hour days would lead to
burnout turned out to be unfounded—Wadsworth says workers took fewer sick days
and reported exercising more on Fridays. "This can really make a difference for
work-life balance," says Jeff Herring, Utah's executive director for human
resources.
Of course, in the age of the BlackBerry, fewer days
in the office may not make much of a difference in terms of workload. But as
energy prices start rising again, it makes sense to be flexible and find savings
where we can.
A. The disadvantage of 4-10 schedule is
clear.
B. And perhaps not surprisingly, 82% of state workers
say they want to keep the new.
C. The state found that its
compressed workweek resulted in a 13% reduction in energy use and estimated that
employees saved as much as $6 million in gasoline costs.
D. And
there have been unexpected benefits as well, even for people who aren't state
employees.
E. They pack in 40 hours by starting earlier and
staying later four days a week. Managers from around the world have gotten in
touch with Utah officials, and cities and towns including El Paso, Texas, and
Melbourne Beach, Fla., are following the state's lead.
G. With
the new 4-10 policy, lines at the department of motor vehicles actually got
shorter.
H. A year ago, the Beehive State became the first in
the U.S. to mandate a four-day workweek for most state employees, closing
offices on Fridays in an effort to reduce energy costs.