“除夕不放假”

今天，国务院办公厅公布2024年部分节假日安排。除夕当天不放假，引发全网热议。

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best captures the main idea of the article?

a) The United States should follow Europe's vacation model to improve productivity.

b) Europeans are less productive due to longer vacations.

c) Vacation time is not important for productivity.

d) Longer vacations can enhance productivity and creativity.

a) They prefer to work.

b) They can't afford it financially.

c) They don't receive paid time off.

d) Workplace stress.

无注释原文：

Vacation can make you more productive — just ask the Europeans

From: CNBC

Aug 25 2017

Europeans have a reputation for taking extra long holidays during summer.

In Norway, the term “fellesferie” refers to two or three weeks of vacation time workers collectively take in July — leaving businesses closed or operating on summer hours.

In the Netherlands, employees in the building industry take construction holidays called “bouwvak” for several weeks.

And until two years ago in France, a law required Parisian bakers to stagger their summer vacation time so enough bakeries stayed open for customers during the holidays.

It's an envious concept to many Americans — the United States is the only counry in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that does not mandate paid vacation. Research shows many Americans who receive paid time off are afraid to take it because of workplace pressures. But it turns out the European vacation mindset could actually help boost productivity.

The European Union's Working Time Directive guarantees EU workers at least 20 paid vacation days per year, contrary to the United States, which does not have a statutory minimum annual leave requirement. Some European countries mandate additional time off: The U.K., France, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg and Sweden all require 25 or more paid annual leave days, according to the OECD.

Data show more time off doesn't have to translate into lower productivity. Nine of the top 10 most productive countries in the OECD in 2015, measured by GDP per hour worked, were in Europe. The United States ranked sixth.

Katie Denis, VP and lead researcher at Project: Time Off, a research group funded by the U.S. Travel Association, has studied the effects of vacation on the workplace for several years.

“The idea that we're sacrificing this time off to get ahead, we're not actually finding that's true,” Denis said.

A 2016 report from the project found workers who took 11 or more vacation days were more likely to have received a raise or a bonus in the previous three years than workers who took 10 or fewer days.

Get inspired on your break

Time away from the office can also spark creativity. The ideas for major businesses, like Instagram, or the musical “Hamilton,” were inspired on vacation.

“The productivity, creativity, bringing new ideas forward isn't the person who's working crazy hours,” Denis said. “It's someone who's getting outside of their day-to-day.”

Studies also find health benefits from taking vacation time, like lower stress, better mental health and even less likelihood of a heart attack.

“Vacations are important because they not only replenish the mind, they also reduce the physical effects of stress on the body,” said Kathleen Potempa, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

Workload stress is a top barrier to taking vacation, according to Project: Time Off's 2017 State of American Vacation report. The survey of more than 7,000 Americans found 43 percent of workers did not take time off because they feared returning to a mountain of work. Cost was also a factor, with 32 percent saying they cannot financially afford a vacation.

But experts say short and frequent breaks away from the office can still have a big impact on productivity. Many studies recommend taking vacation twice a year to improve health benefits, Potempa said.

Potempa added that it's important for workers to unplug from work when they're on vacation. A June survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs research found one-third of Americans work or check in with work on vacation.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Vacation can make you more productive — just ask the Europeans

From: CNBC

Aug 25 2017

Europeans have a reputation for taking extra long holidays during summer.

欧洲人以夏天喜欢长假而出名。

reputation /ˌrep.jəˈteɪ.ʃən/ 表示“名誉；声望；名望”，英文解释为“the opinion that people in general have about someone or something, or how much respect or admiration someone or something receives, based on past behaviour or character”举个🌰：The company has a worldwide reputation for quality. 这家公司的产品质量誉满全球。

In Norway, the term “fellesferie” refers to two or three weeks of vacation time workers collectively take in July — leaving businesses closed or operating on summer hours.

挪威有一个叫“fellesferie”的假期模式，员工会在七月集体休假两到三周，许多公司会因此关门或采用夏季工作时间。

In the Netherlands, employees in the building industry take construction holidays called “bouwvak” for several weeks.

荷兰建筑业的员工有名为“bouwvak”的施工假，时间长达数周。

And until two years ago in France, a law required Parisian bakers to stagger their summer vacation time so enough bakeries stayed open for customers during the holidays.

而在法国，直到两年前还有一项法律，规定巴黎的面包师们需要错开时间休假，以确保假期期间还有足够的面包店营业。

stagger /ˈstæɡ.ər/ 1）表示“使（尤指工作、假期或事件的时间）错开；使交错”，英文解释为“to arrange things, especially hours of work, holidays, or events, so that they begin at different times from those of other people”举个🌰：Some countries have staggered school holidays so that holiday resorts do not become overcrowded. 一些国家将学校假期时间错开，这样度假地就不会太拥挤了。

📍2020年政府工作报告Part 3中提到：延长全国春节假期，推迟开学、灵活复工、错峰出行，We extended the Spring Festival holiday nationwide, postponed the spring semester, facilitated flexible resumption of work, and staggered commute times.

2）表示“摇晃；蹒跚；踉踉跄跄地走”，英文解释为“to walk or move with difficulty as if you are going to fall”举个🌰：After he was attacked, he managed to stagger to the phone and call for help. 他遇袭后，跌跌撞撞地走到电话机旁打电话求救。

3）表示“使震惊，使大吃一惊”，英文解释为“to cause someone to feel shocked or surprised because of something unexpected or very unusual happening”举个🌰：He staggered all his colleagues by suddenly announcing that he was leaving the company. 他突然宣布要离开公司，把所有同事都吓了一跳。

📍staggering表示“令人震惊的”，英文解释为“Something that is staggering is very surprising.”如：a staggering $20 million in short- and long-term debt 令人震惊的两千万美元的短长期债务。

🎬电影《迷失东京》（Lost in Translation）中的台词提到：- Just staggering, unbearable pain. - Ooh, that's too bad. - 疼得难以忍受 - 真不走运。

🎬电影《电锯惊魂6》（Saw VI）中的台词提到：and the subsequent cost to you will be staggering. 代价将会非常大/惊人。

bakery /ˈbeɪ.kər.i/ 表示“面包房”，英文解释为“a place where bread and cakes are made and sometimes sold”

baker /ˈbeɪ.kər/ 表示“面包师；糕点师；面包店店员（或店主）”，英文解释为“a person whose job is to make bread and cakes for sale, or to sell bread and cakes”，英式英语里也表示“面包店”。

It's an envious concept to many Americans — the United States is the only counry in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that does not mandate paid vacation. Research shows many Americans who receive paid time off are afraid to take it because of workplace pressures. But it turns out the European vacation mindset could actually help boost productivity.

这种假期观念让很多美国人眼红。因为美国是经济合作与发展组织（OECD）中唯一没有强制带薪假期的国家。研究发现，很多有带薪假期的美国人因工作压力而不敢休假。但事实证明，欧洲人的度假心态实际上可能有助于提高工作效率。

envious /ˈen.vi.əs/ 表示“羡慕的；忌妒的”，英文解释为“wishing you had what another person has”举个🌰：I'm very envious of your new coat - it's beautiful. 我真羡慕你有这么好的新外套——很漂亮。

mandate /ˈmæn.deɪt/ 表示“命令；要求；强制执行；授权”，英文解释为“to order someone to do something”举个🌰：Our delegates have been mandated to vote against the proposal at the conference. 我们的代表受命在会议上对提议投反对票。

可以作名词也可以作动词，表示“改善；提高；增强；推动”，英文解释为“to improve or increase something”举个🌰：The theatre managed to boost its audiences by cutting ticket prices. 剧院设法通过降低票价来增加观众数量。

📍“佩洛西有病还是先治病吧”文中提到be boosted，get boosted用来指打了加强针（疫苗），也有说booster shot/booster dose.

The European Union's Working Time Directive guarantees EU workers at least 20 paid vacation days per year, contrary to the United States, which does not have a statutory minimum annual leave requirement. Some European countries mandate additional time off: The U.K., France, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg and Sweden all require 25 or more paid annual leave days, according to the OECD.

欧盟的《工作时间指令》（Working Time Directive）规定员工每年至少有20天的带薪假，相比之下，美国没有任何法定年假最低标准。根据经合组织的数据，一些欧洲国家如英国、法国、奥地利、丹麦、芬兰、卢森堡和瑞典，都规定了至少25天或更多的带薪年假。

guarantee /ˌɡær.ənˈtiː/ 1）表示“保证；担保；保障”，英文解释为“to promise that something will happen or exist”举个🌰：European Airlines guarantees its customers top-quality service. 欧洲航空公司保证为乘客提供最好的服务。

2）表示“确保，使必然发生”，英文解释为“If something guarantees something else, it makes certain that it will happen.”举个🌰：The £50 deposit guarantees (that) people return the boats after their hour has finished. 50英镑的押金会确保人们在划完船后将船归还。

statutory /ˈstætʃ.ə.tər.i/ 表示“法定的”，英文解释为“decided or controlled by law”如：statutory obligations 法定义务。

Data show more time off doesn't have to translate into lower productivity. Nine of the top 10 most productive countries in the OECD in 2015, measured by GDP per hour worked, were in Europe. The United States ranked sixth.

数据也证明，多休假并不意味着生产力会下降。在2015年经合组织发布的最具生产力国家的前十名中，有九个是欧洲国家，美国排名第六。

Katie Denis, VP and lead researcher at Project: Time Off, a research group funded by the U.S. Travel Association, has studied the effects of vacation on the workplace for several years.

凯蒂·丹尼斯（Katie Denis）是美国旅游协会资助的研究项目Project: Time Off副主管兼首席研究员，她多年来一直在研究休假对职场的影响。

“The idea that we're sacrificing this time off to get ahead, we're not actually finding that's true,” Denis said.

“很多人认为牺牲休假时间会有更好的职业前景，但实际上我们发现事实并非如此，”丹尼斯表示。

A 2016 report from the project found workers who took 11 or more vacation days were more likely to have received a raise or a bonus in the previous three years than workers who took 10 or fewer days.

2016年该项目的一份报告发现，与休假天数在10及以下的员工相比，休假天数在11天及以上的员工在过去三年中获得加薪或奖金的可能性更大。

bonus /ˈbəʊ.nəs/ 表示“奖金；红利；津贴”，英文解释为“an extra amount of money that is given to you as a present or reward for good work as well as the money you were expecting”如：a productivity bonus 生产效益奖金。

也可以表示“意外收获；另外的优点；额外的好处”，英文解释为“a pleasant extra thing”举个🌰：I love the job, and it's an added bonus that it's so close to home. 我喜欢这份工作，它还有个优点是离家很近。

Get inspired on your break 在休息中获得灵感

Time away from the office can also spark creativity. The ideas for major businesses, like Instagram, or the musical “Hamilton,” were inspired on vacation.

离开办公室也能激发创造力。例如，Instagram和音乐剧《汉密尔顿》（Hamilton）等重要的商业点子都是在假期中产生的。

spark表示“引发”，英文解释为“If one thing sparks another, the first thing cause the second thing to start happening.”举个🌰：My teacher organized a unit on computer science that really sparked my interest. 我的老师编排了一个关于计算机科学的单元，它真正激发了我的兴趣。

此前，《后浪》和「青年」文中标题中就用到：Bilibili's May 4th Youth Day video sparks discussion on social media 引发热议。

类似的还有：

📍stir表示“激发，激起（强烈的感情）；引起（强烈的反应）”，英文解释为“to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction”举个🌰：The poem succeeds in stirring the imagination. 这首诗能够激发起想象力。

📍provoke也表示“激起，引起”，英文解释为“to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one”，如：provoke debate/discussion 激起辩论/讨论。

📍spur 鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats. 是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。

🎬电影《龙之心3：巫师的诅咒》（Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse）中的台词提到：To spur the clans to war. 激励部族发起战争。

📍trigger表示“发动；引起；触发”，英文解释为“to make sth happen suddenly”举个🌰：Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction. 坚果可以引起严重的过敏反应。

“The productivity, creativity, bringing new ideas forward isn't the person who's working crazy hours,” Denis said. “It's someone who's getting outside of their day-to-day.”

“生产力、创造力、新创意的产生并不是源于那些疯狂工作的人，”丹尼斯表示，“而是源于那些能够跳出日常工作的人。”

Studies also find health benefits from taking vacation time, like lower stress, better mental health and even less likelihood of a heart attack.

研究还发现，休假对健康有好处，比如减少压力，改善心理健康，甚至降低心脏病发作的风险。

“Vacations are important because they not only replenish the mind, they also reduce the physical effects of stress on the body,” said Kathleen Potempa, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

“休假不仅能补充精力，还能减少压力带给身体的不良影响，”密歇根大学护理学院教授凯瑟琳·波滕帕（Kathleen Potempa）表示。

replenish /rɪˈplen.ɪʃ/ 表示“补充；把…再备足；重新装满”，英文解释为“to fill something up again”举个🌰：Food stocks were replenished by/with imports from abroad. 粮食储备通过从国外进口得到了补充。

Workload stress is a top barrier to taking vacation, according to Project: Time Off's 2017 State of American Vacation report. The survey of more than 7,000 Americans found 43 percent of workers did not take time off because they feared returning to a mountain of work. Cost was also a factor, with 32 percent saying they cannot financially afford a vacation.

Project：Time Off发布的《2017年美国休假状况报告》显示，工作压力是休假的首要障碍。这项针对7000多名美国人的调查发现，43%的人因担心回来后会面对大量工作而不敢休假。费用也是一个因素，32%的人则表示他们没有经济能力去度假。

a mountain of sth表示“大堆，大量”，英文解释为“a large amount of something”举个🌰：I've got a mountain of work to do. 我有大量的工作要做。

But experts say short and frequent breaks away from the office can still have a big impact on productivity. Many studies recommend taking vacation twice a year to improve health benefits, Potempa said.

但专家认为，即便是短暂和频繁的休假也能显著提升工作效率。波滕帕说，许多研究建议每年休假两次，以改善健康状况。

表示“推荐，介绍；建议”，英文解释为“to suggest that someone or something would be good or suitable for a particular job or purpose, or to suggest that a particular action should be done”举个🌰：I can recommend the chicken in mushroom sauce - it's delicious. 我可以向您推荐蘑菇汁鸡肉——这道菜非常可口。

📍单词“recommend”由词根“-mend”（来自拉丁语“mendare”，表示“赞扬”）和前缀“reco-”（表示强调）组成。想象你正在强烈推荐一道美味的鸡肉沙拉，这就是“recommend”。

Potempa added that it's important for workers to unplug from work when they're on vacation. A June survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs research found one-third of Americans work or check in with work on vacation.

波滕帕还强调，在休假期间完全放下工作也非常重要。根据美联社-NORC公共事务研究中心6月份的一项调查，三分之一的美国人即便在休假也会工作或者了解工作进展。

unplug /ʌnˈplʌɡ/ 1）表示“拔下（电器的电源插头）”，英文解释为“to take the plug of a piece of electrical equipment out of the place where it is connected to the electricity supply”举个🌰：Did you unplug the iron? 你拔下熨斗的插头了吗？

2）表示“除掉…的障碍物”，英文解释为“to remove what is blocking something”举个🌰：The video shows you how to unplug a bath drain full of hair. 这段视频向你展示如何疏通一个完全被头发堵塞的浴缸下水道。

在这里，unplug的意思是从工作或其他日常责任中暂时断开，以便能够完全享受假期或休闲时间。这通常意味着不查看工作相关的电子邮件、不接工作电话，以及不参与任何其他与工作有关的活动。

1）表示“（通过打电话、拜访等确认或报告某人是否无恙）取得联系，查看；报平安”，英文解释为“to contact someone by making a phone call, short visit, etc., usually in order to make sure there are no problems or to tell them that there are no problems”举个🌰：My son checks in regularly with me when he's travelling. 我儿子在外旅游的时候会经常打电话给我报平安。

2）表示“（在机场）办理登机手续”，英文解释为“to show your ticket at an airport so that you can be told where you will be sitting and so that your bags can be put on the aircraft”举个🌰：Passengers are requested to check in two hours before the flight. 乘客应在飞机起飞前两小时办理登机手续。

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