【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[听力原文]
In an American office, the official work day starts at 9:00 am. This should really mean 9 o'clock, not ten past or half past nine. I don't know about employees in your country. But some nations have a philosophy that you work when the "boss" is around. And any time he's not there, one can relax by reading the newspaper or whatever one likes doing in a personal way.
Well, in America one is being paid for your time. So employees are expected to find other work if their own desks are clear, or to help someone else with his or her work. But you never sit idle, or doing nothing.
Just as the saying goes: "time is money", your employer "owns" your time while he is paying you for it. That is precisely what "time is money" means. And anyway the boss doesn't ask more of you than he is doing himself: he will probably work through the lunch hour himself and even take work home at night.
The employee's lunch hour should be taken within the period allowed, unless you are officially discussing company business—say, on a business lunch. It's the same too with the end of the day. I mean, work until the day officially ends at five o'clock, unless you are in an office where "flexitime" is the accepted practice.
Flexitime refers to flexible working hours, that is, starting or ending work earlier or later—I know that that is very common in Europe. But here in the USA it is still relatively new. Certainly there are a million or so Americans on the system today. And the number is growing. Well for the same reasons as in Europe—to keep traffic and commuting problems down. And as more women now work it gives more family time.
As to contracts of hiring in America, it's different in America from, say Asia, perhaps Europe too, I'm not sure. We are more democratic, I think. It means perhaps that we won't develop such a permanent relationship between employer and employee. I know that in some countries people relax when they have once got a job, because they know they will almost never be fired unless they do something awful.
But I am not saying that the employer can just fire people in America. No, no, no. There are, of course, legal protections in the USA. So employees cannot be unjustly fired without good reason. Workers must do a good job, produce well, and get along with their colleagues—or they can be "let go", as it is called. But it's rarely done without warning. It is important to remember that in the United States you are a member of a business firm and not a family. It makes a difference.
Well, I have heard people comment on the informality found in American offices. And this is certainly a little difficult for people who are more used to a hierarchical system to adjust to, of course. But there are some very formal offices, too, say, in big banks, law firms and major corporations. But in many establishments the atmosphere is loose and easy with a lot of joking, and teasing, and wandering in and out of offices among all levels of employees.
Nearly all large offices have coffee wagons that circulate for mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee breaks. But you should remember that although 15 minutes are allotted twice a day for relaxation and chatter, many employees take coffee to their desks and keep on working. In small offices the coffee pot is often "on" all day and employees take coffee whenever they like or they can make tea for themselves.