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如何在工作之余好好休息
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如何在工作之余好好休息
工人们在曼彻斯特发起了一场运动,争取让产业工人在每周六休息半天,以确保他们中有更多人在周一早上来上班时能准备好进入工作状态。
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双语精读
How to take proper breaks from work
如何在工作之余好好休息
The year 1843 was a tremendous one for humanity. The Economist was founded. Almost as importantly, the modern weekend started to take shape.
1843年对人类来说是意义重大的一年。那一年《经济学人》创刊了。几乎同样重要的是,现代周末开始成形。
A campaign was launched in Manchester to give industrial workers half a day off on Saturdays, designed to ensure that more of them turned up ready to work on Monday morning.
工人们在曼彻斯特发起了一场运动,争取让产业工人在每周六休息半天,以确保他们中有更多人在周一早上来上班时能准备好进入工作状态。
It succeeded, and the practice was eventually adopted into law; over time, a five-day week has become the norm in most countries. But for white-collar workers in particular, the boundaries between working time and non-working time have become very blurry.
这场运动成功了,这种休假制度最终被批准纳入法律;随着时间的推移,每周五天工作制已成为大多数国家的常态。但尤其对于白领工作者而言,工作时间和非工作时间的界限已经变得非常模糊。
It is standard practice to eat lunch hunched over your desk: look down at your keyboard and you will see far more crumbs than characters. It is normal to look at emails in the evening, at weekends and on holiday.
在办公桌前弓着背吃午饭是一种标准做法:低头看看你的键盘,你会看到键盘上的食物碎屑比字符块多得多。在晚上、周末和假期查看电子邮件也是正常的。
Deploring this development is too simple: the ability to choose when and where you work suits lots of people. But it has also created the impression that you are always contactable. Breaking out of this trap is hard.
谴责这种情况是对问题的简化:能够选择何时何地工作对很多人来说很合适。但这种情况也造成了一种印象,即总是可以联系到你。要摆脱这个困境是不容易的。
As a little experiment to assess your own degree of freedom, try to follow a recommendation from Cal Newport, a thoughtful writer on how the performative busyness of modern work impedes the ability to get important stuff done.
以下这个小实验可以让你评估自己的自由度,请试着遵循卡尔·纽波特的建议,这位有思想的作家描写了现代工作中的表演性忙碌如何阻碍人们完成重要事情。
Among other things, he suggests setting aside a weekday afternoon once a month to see a film. Taking three hours off every so often ought not to feel outlandish if you catch up on your work later.
其中一个建议是每月留出一个工作日的下午去看电影。如果你之后能赶上工作进度,那么偶尔休息三个小时应该不会让人觉得奇怪。
But few employers would react well to an out-of-office message that reads "I am watching Deadpool & Wolverine and will be slower to respond than normal." So an uncomfortable degree of subterfuge is required.
但是如果雇主收到一条在办公室之外发送的消息,上面写着“我正在看《死侍与金刚狼》,回复信息会比平时慢”,很少有雇主能对此有什么好态度。所以你需要一定程度的、让你感到无法心安的掩饰。
First, following Mr Newport's advice, you label the time as a "personal appointment"; never has a calendar entry looked more suspicious.
首先,按照纽波特的建议,你将这段时间标记为“私人会面”,日历表事项从未看起来如此可疑过。
Before you enter the cinema you check around for colleagues. You are told to turn off your phone, the ultimate working-hours transgression.
在你进入电影院之前,先四处看看是否有同事。你被告知要关闭手机,这是工作时间最大的违规行为。
During the film you feel guilty that you have been munching popcorn while everyone else has been working. The whole experience is sufficiently draining that you need another rest.
在看电影时,你会感到内疚,因为当其他人都在工作的时候,你在吃爆米花。整个翘班经历让人如此精疲力竭,以至于你需要另一次休息。
Managers may well feel that their workforce shouldn't be heading off to the cinema whenever it feels like it. But organisations should ensure that their employees do not mistake exhaustion for accomplishment or breaks for laziness.
经理们很可能会觉得,他们的员工不应该想什么时候去看电影就什么时候去。但是组织应该确保,他们的员工不会将疲惫误认为是成就,也不会将休息误认为是懒惰。
词汇预习
ensure [高考]
美[ɪnˈʃʊr] | 英[ɪnˈʃʊə(r)]
vt. 担保;保证;使安全;确保
industrial [高考]
美[ɪnˈdʌstriəl] | 英[ɪnˈdʌstriəl]
adj. 工业的;产业的 n. 工业公司
thoughtful [高考]
美[ˈθɔːtfl] | 英[ˈθɔːtfl]
adj. 深思的;体贴的
stuff [高考]
美[stʌf] | 英[stʌf]
n. 东西;原料;材料 n. 素质;本质;废物;无用的想法;废话,蠢话 vt. 塞满;填满
accomplishment [高考]
美[əˈkɑːmplɪʃmənt] | 英[əˈkʌmplɪʃmənt]
n. 成就;完成
exhaustion [高考]
美[ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən] | 英[ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən]
n. 疲惫;筋疲力尽;竭尽
workforce [高考]
美[ˈwɜːrkfɔːrs] | 英[ˈwɜːkfɔːs]
n. 劳动力;工人总数;职工总数
recommendation [高考]
美[ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃn] | 英[ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃn]
n. 推荐;建议
eventually [高考]
美[ɪˈventʃuəli] | 英[ɪˈventʃuəli]
adv. 最后;终于
respond [高考]
美[rɪˈspɑːnd] | 英[rɪˈspɒnd]
v. 回答;响应;反应;反应灵敏;反响 n. [建]壁联;[宗]应唱圣歌
react [高考]
美[riˈækt] | 英[riˈækt]
v. 反应;反攻
assess [高考]
美[əˈses] | 英[əˈses]
v. 评定;评估;估算
trap [高考]
美[træp] | 英[træp]
n. 圈套;陷阱;困境;双轮轻便马车;U(或S)型管道;防臭瓣 v. 设圈套;陷入(困境)
entry [高考]
美[ˈentri] | 英[ˈentri]
n. 进入;进入权;入口;条目
ought [高考]
美[ˈɔːt] | 英[ˈɔːt]
aux. 应该;应当;本该 vi. 应该,应当;大概
collar [高考]
美[ˈkɑːlər] | 英[ˈkɒlə(r)]
n. 衣领;项圈;[机]轴环 vt. 抓住;为 ... 戴上项圈;为 ... 上领子
in particular [高考]
美[ɪn pər'tɪkjələr] | 英[ɪn pə'tɪkjələ(r)]
特别; 尤其
setting [高考]
美[ˈsetɪŋ] | 英[ˈsetɪŋ]
n. 背景;环境;镶嵌;安装;放置;(日月的)沉落;[音]乐曲
tremendous [高考]
美[trəˈmendəs] | 英[trəˈmendəs]
adj. 巨大的;惊人的
ultimate [高考]
美[ˈʌl.tə.mət] | 英[ˈʌltɪmət]
adj. 根本的;极限的;最后的;终极的 n. 终极;极品;根本
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里;在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
would [高考]
美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
aux. 将;可能;大概;总会;愿意;will的过去式
sufficiently [四级]
美[sə'fɪʃ(ə)ntli] | 英[sə'fɪʃ(ə)ntlɪ]
adv. 足够地;充分地
suspicious [四级]
美[səˈspɪʃəs] | 英[səˈspɪʃəs]
adj. 可疑的;多疑的
norm [四级]
美[nɔːrm] | 英[nɔːm]
n. 规范;标准
importantly [四级]
美[ ɪmˈpɔːrtntli] | 英[ɪmˈpɔːtntli]
adv. 重要地
accomplishment [四级]
美[əˈkɑːmplɪʃmənt] | 英[əˈkʌmplɪʃmənt]
n. 成就;完成
look at [四级]
美[lʊk æt] | 英[lʊk æt]
(仔细地)看;着眼,考虑
white-collar [六级]
美[ˌwaɪt ˈkɑːlər] | 英[ˌwaɪt ˈkɒlə(r)]
adj. 白领阶层的
out of [六级]
美[aʊt ʌv] | 英[aut ɔv]
prep. 离…一段距离;从…里;离开 ...;出于
catch up [六级]
美[kætʃ ʌp] | 英[kætʃ ʌp]
赶上;很快拾起;缠住;了解近况,叙旧
heading [六级]
美[ˈhedɪŋ] | 英[ˈhedɪŋ]
n. 标题;题目;航向
outlandish [专八]
美[aʊtˈlændɪʃ] | 英[aʊtˈlændɪʃ]
adj. 奇异的;异国风格的
laziness [考研]
美[ ˈlezɪnɪs] | 英['leɪzɪnəs]
n. 懒惰
performative [考研]
美[pərˈfɔrmətɪv] | 英[pəˈfɔ:mətɪv]
adj. 述行的;表述行为的 n. 述行语;述行成分
non [考研]
美[nɒn] | 英[nɒn]
adv. [拉]非;不是
following [考研]
美[ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ] | 英[ˈfɒləʊɪŋ]
adj. 接着的;下列的 prep. 在 ... 以后 n. 追随者;下列各项
busyness [托福]
美['bɪzɪnɪs] | 英['bɪzɪnɪs]
n. 繁忙;忙碌
重点讲解
How to take proper breaks from work
如何在工作之余好好休息
take shape 成形;有大致结构
【例】During the volunteer program, his idea of a future career began to take shape.
在参加这个志愿者项目期间,他对未来的职业计划开始成形。
【拓展】get sb into shape 把某人训练好
【例】The writing assignments got me into shape for the final dissertation.
这些写作作业训练了我的写作能力,为最后的论文做好了准备。
The year 1843 was a tremendous one for humanity. The Economist was founded. Almost as importantly, the modern weekend started to take shape.
1843年对人类来说是意义重大的一年。那一年《经济学人》创刊了。几乎同样重要的是,现代周末开始成形。
take shape 成形;有大致结构
【例】During the volunteer program, his idea of a future career began to take shape.
在参加这个志愿者项目期间,他对未来的职业计划开始成形。
【拓展】get sb into shape 把某人训练好
【例】The writing assignments got me into shape for the final dissertation.
这些写作作业训练了我的写作能力,为最后的论文做好了准备。
A campaign was launched in Manchester to give industrial workers half a day off on Saturdays, designed to ensure that more of them turned up ready to work on Monday morning.
工人们在曼彻斯特发起了一场运动,争取让产业工人在每周六休息半天,以确保他们中有更多人在周一早上来上班时能准备好进入工作状态。
adopt v. 正式通过;批准
【例】The law was adopted by the National People’s Congress.
法律在全国人大会议上通过。
【近义词】pass/approve v. 通过;批准
blurry adj. 模糊不清的
【例】Everything is blurry when I take off my glasses.
我摘掉眼睛,所有东西都看不清。
【拓展】blur v./n. 使模糊/模糊形状
【辨析】vague adj. 模糊的;不明确的
【例】a vague answer/impression
含混不清的回答/模糊的印象
It succeeded, and the practice was eventually adopted into law; over time, a five-day week has become the norm in most countries. But for white-collar workers in particular, the boundaries between working time and non-working time have become very blurry.
这场运动成功了,这种休假制度最终被批准纳入法律;随着时间的推移,每周五天工作制已成为大多数国家的常态。但尤其对于白领工作者而言,工作时间和非工作时间的界限已经变得非常模糊。
adopt v. 正式通过;批准
【例】The law was adopted by the National People’s Congress.
法律在全国人大会议上通过。
【近义词】pass/approve v. 通过;批准
blurry adj. 模糊不清的
【例】Everything is blurry when I take off my glasses.
我摘掉眼睛,所有东西都看不清。
【拓展】blur v./n. 使模糊/模糊形状
【辨析】vague adj. 模糊的;不明确的
【例】a vague answer/impression
含混不清的回答/模糊的印象
It is standard practice to eat lunch hunched over your desk: look down at your keyboard and you will see far more crumbs than characters. It is normal to look at emails in the evening, at weekends and on holiday.
在办公桌前弓着背吃午饭是一种标准做法:低头看看你的键盘,你会看到键盘上的食物碎屑比字符块多得多。在晚上、周末和假期查看电子邮件也是正常的。
crumb n. 食物碎屑(面包屑、饼干屑等)
【例】She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater.
她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
【拓展】crumble v. 使成碎屑;崩溃
【例】to crumble the cheese 把干酪捣碎
a crumbling building 渐渐坍塌的建筑
Deploring this development is too simple: the ability to choose when and where you work suits lots of people. But it has also created the impression that you are always contactable. Breaking out of this trap is hard.
谴责这种情况是对问题的简化:能够选择何时何地工作对很多人来说很合适。但这种情况也造成了一种印象,即总是可以联系到你。要摆脱这个困境是不容易的。
deplore v. 公开谴责;强烈反对
【例】Environmentalists deplore the destruction of the rainforest.
环保主义者强烈谴责破坏雨林。
【近义词】condemn/denounce v. 强烈批评;谴责
impede v. 阻碍;阻止
【例】His injury impeded his ability to play in the game.
伤病使他无法参加比赛。
【拓展】impediment n. 妨碍;残疾
【近义词】prevent/hinder/hamper v. 阻碍;妨碍
As a little experiment to assess your own degree of freedom, try to follow a recommendation from Cal Newport, a thoughtful writer on how the performative busyness of modern work impedes the ability to get important stuff done.
以下这个小实验可以让你评估自己的自由度,请试着遵循卡尔·纽波特的建议,这位有思想的作家描写了现代工作中的表演性忙碌如何阻碍人们完成重要事情。
deplore v. 公开谴责;强烈反对
【例】Environmentalists deplore the destruction of the rainforest.
环保主义者强烈谴责破坏雨林。
【近义词】condemn/denounce v. 强烈批评;谴责
impede v. 阻碍;阻止
【例】His injury impeded his ability to play in the game.
伤病使他无法参加比赛。
【拓展】impediment n. 妨碍;残疾
【近义词】prevent/hinder/hamper v. 阻碍;妨碍
Among other things, he suggests setting aside a weekday afternoon once a month to see a film. Taking three hours off every so often ought not to feel outlandish if you catch up on your work later.
其中一个建议是每月留出一个工作日的下午去看电影。如果你之后能赶上工作进度,那么偶尔休息三个小时应该不会让人觉得奇怪。
outlandish adj. 不寻常的;古怪的
【例】an outlandish costume 奇装异服
outlandish ideas 异想天开
catch up on sth 补做某事;赶某工作
【例】I have some lessons to catch up on.
我要补上几节课。
【拓展】catch up with sb 追上某人的水平
【例】I have to work hard to catch up with other students.
我必须努力用功,追上其他同学。
subterfuge n. 遁词;托辞
【例】He wasn't really ill; it was a subterfuge.
他并不是真的生病了,生病不过是一种托辞。
【拓展】refuge n. 避难;庇护所
But few employers would react well to an out-of-office message that reads “I am watching Deadpool & Wolverine and will be slower to respond than normal.” So an uncomfortable degree of subterfuge is required.
但是如果雇主收到一条在办公室之外发送的消息,上面写着“我正在看《死侍与金刚狼》,回复信息会比平时慢”,很少有雇主能对此有什么好态度。所以你需要一定程度的、让你感到无法心安的掩饰。
outlandish adj. 不寻常的;古怪的
【例】an outlandish costume 奇装异服
outlandish ideas 异想天开
catch up on sth 补做某事;赶某工作
【例】I have some lessons to catch up on.
我要补上几节课。
【拓展】catch up with sb 追上某人的水平
【例】I have to work hard to catch up with other students.
我必须努力用功,追上其他同学。
subterfuge n. 遁词;托辞
【例】He wasn't really ill; it was a subterfuge.
他并不是真的生病了,生病不过是一种托辞。
【拓展】refuge n. 避难;庇护所
First, following Mr Newport’s advice, you label the time as a “personal appointment”; never has a calendar entry looked more suspicious.
首先,按照纽波特的建议,你将这段时间标记为“私人会面”,日历表事项从未看起来如此可疑过。
label sth as 给某事贴上......标签
【例】He was unfairly labeled as a troublemaker by his teachers.
他很冤枉地被老师贴上了捣蛋鬼的标签。
He labeled the file as “private”.
他把文件夹标记为“私人文件”。
【拓展】clothing labels 衣服标签
name tag 姓名牌
price tag 价格标签
transgression n. 违规;违法;过失
【例】The company was fined for its transgressions against environmental laws.
这家公司因为违反环境法而被罚款。
to commit a transgression of college rules 违反大学校规
【拓展】transgress v. 违反(法律、规章、道德等)
【辨析】trespass v. 擅闯;非法进入(私人土地)
Before you enter the cinema you check around for colleagues. You are told to turn off your phone, the ultimate working-hours transgression.
在你进入电影院之前,先四处看看是否有同事。你被告知要关闭手机,这是工作时间最大的违规行为。
label sth as 给某事贴上......标签
【例】He was unfairly labeled as a troublemaker by his teachers.
他很冤枉地被老师贴上了捣蛋鬼的标签。
He labeled the file as “private”.
他把文件夹标记为“私人文件”。
【拓展】clothing labels 衣服标签
name tag 姓名牌
price tag 价格标签
transgression n. 违规;违法;过失
【例】The company was fined for its transgressions against environmental laws.
这家公司因为违反环境法而被罚款。
to commit a transgression of college rules 违反大学校规
【拓展】transgress v. 违反(法律、规章、道德等)
【辨析】trespass v. 擅闯;非法进入(私人土地)
During the film you feel guilty that you have been munching popcorn while everyone else has been working. The whole experience is sufficiently draining that you need another rest.
在看电影时,你会感到内疚,因为当其他人都在工作的时候,你在吃爆米花。整个翘班经历让人如此精疲力竭,以至于你需要另一次休息。
draining adj. 使人疲惫的;耗费精力的
【例】Dealing with constant complaints from customers can be mentally draining.
处理客户不停的投诉让人很心累。
【拓展】drain sb of sth 耗尽某人的某物
【例】I’m drained of energy/money.
我没有精力了/我的钱都花完了。
mistake A for B 把A误认为B
【例】She mistook him for his brother because they look so alike.
她把他错认成了他哥哥,因为他们俩长得太像了。
【近义词】confuse A with B 把A和B弄混了
Managers may well feel that their workforce shouldn’t be heading off to the cinema whenever it feels like it. But organisations should ensure that their employees do not mistake exhaustion for accomplishment or breaks for laziness.
经理们很可能会觉得,他们的员工不应该想什么时候去看电影就什么时候去。但是组织应该确保,他们的员工不会将疲惫误认为是成就,也不会将休息误认为是懒惰。
draining adj. 使人疲惫的;耗费精力的
【例】Dealing with constant complaints from customers can be mentally draining.
处理客户不停的投诉让人很心累。
【拓展】drain sb of sth 耗尽某人的某物
【例】I’m drained of energy/money.
我没有精力了/我的钱都花完了。
mistake A for B 把A误认为B
【例】She mistook him for his brother because they look so alike.
她把他错认成了他哥哥,因为他们俩长得太像了。
【近义词】confuse A with B 把A和B弄混了
课后练习
Why was the year 1843 a significant year?
A. Because the first industrial revolution started.
B. Because the modern weekend began to take shape.
C. Because paid vacations were introduced for workers.
D. Because the concept of a four-day work week was proposed.
What kind of trap do white-collar workers face?
A. The irregular meals and unhealthy lifestyle.
B. The difficulty of working remotely from home.
C. The impression that they are always contactable.
D. The obligation to work longer hours without extra pay.
Why do you need subterfuge when going to the cinema on weekdays?
A. To avoid being seen by friends.
B. To ensure you are not interrupted by work.
C. To prevent employers from being angry at you.
D. To make sure you don't miss any important meetings.
What should organizations do regarding taking breaks?
A. Ensure employees understand that taking appropriate breaks is allowed.
B. Encourage employees to avoid taking breaks to increase productivity.
C. Limit the number of breaks employees can take during work hours.
D. Require employees to report all breaks to their managers.