大学体验英语 快速阅读教程3 Unit 13 Working Overtime and Holiday Stress

Unit 13 Working Overtime and Holiday Stress
Text A Overtime Demands
The federal rules that designate which categories of workers must be paid for overtime work have been in the news a lot lately, mainly because of efforts to make it clearer who is —and who is not —exempt from the definitions of managerial, administrative and professional categories. Nonexempt workers who fear they might lose overtime pay are opposed to the changes.
But another overtime issue —apart from nonexempt workers’ concerns about moving to exempt status —is also making news. It’s indicated by suits for overtime pay by white-collar employees who are not eligible(合格的) for overtime pay but want to be reclassified as eligible.
These stories highlight a new trend that employers are likely to follow closely, namely, the rise in class-action lawsuits by white-collar employees over working conditions.
Certainly, the suit give employers further incentive to push for clarification of any gray areas in laws pertaining to(关于) workers, and changing the overtime rules —contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act —would have impact on the trend.
But there may be other concerns involved. Have working conditions for white-collar employees changed? Have there been changes in what white-collar employees consider acceptable working conditions?
The main arguments in the suit for overtime pay reflect white-collar workers’ frustration with long hours on the job, particularly in high-tech industries —a sector notorious(臭名昭著的) for long working hours. With the tech boom over and stock options and salaries no longer enough to balance out long hours, there could be an increase in exempt high-tech employees suing(起诉) for overtime pay.
But whether working long hours overall have been on the increase is debatable. In fact, some labor analysts contend that long hours have remained relatively stable over the past few decades. Other argue that although working hours overall have remained stable —particularly for blue-collar workers —they have indeed risen for a significant proportion of the white-collar workforce.
The increased pressures for greater for greater productivity during the economic downturn, coupled with workers’ weakened position in an uncertain job market, could influence their white-collar employees’ views of working conditions. Many
white-collar employees, particularly managers and high performers, are said to be dissatisfied at work and ready to leave their employers as soon as the job market improves.
So we may also be experiencing a shift in white-collar employees’ perception of what are and acceptable working conditions. And perhaps more significant, we may be seeing a change in the relationship between white-collar workers and employers.
As manufacturing is being replaced by information and service jobs, more middle-income workers who would have been in manufacturing in an earlier era will join the ranks of the white-collar workforce.
The sheer numbers of employees in white-collar jobs will have an enormous impact on working life and will lend force to any dissatisfaction over working conditions.
For the reason, learning what motivates this group of workers will become a central concern for employers. It will fall to HR professionals to balance the drive for productivity with the delivery of job satisfaction incentives for an increasingly demanding workforce.
1. According to the passage, who is most concerned about the overtime issue?
A. Nonexempt workers who fear they might lose overtime pay.
B. Workers who are exempt from the overtime pay requirements.
C. White-collar employees classified as eligible for overtime pay.
D. White-collar employees reclassified as ineligible for overtime pay.
2. Why are high-tech employees more likely to sue for overtime pay lately?
A. Because long hours on the job can’t be balanced out their salaries.
B. Because they feel frustrated when working in high-tech industries.
C. Because they don’t like working overtime whatsoever.
D. Because high-tech industries are notorious for long working hours.
3. What could influence white-collar employees’ views of working conditions?
A. The perceptions of what are and are not acceptable working conditions.
B. The pressures for greater productivity and their weakened position in an uncertain job market.
C. The long working hours for a significant proportion of the high-tech employees
D. Their anticipation for immediate improvement in the job market.
4. The author is of the opinion that as manufacturing is being replaced by information and service jobs .
A. overall working hours will remain relatively stable in the next few decades
B. the relationship between white-collar workers and employees will be more significant
C. more middle-income workers will become members of the white-collar workforce
D. working conditions will become more satisfactory
5. What’s the responsibility of HR professionals?
A. Motivating employees to meet the demand for productivity.
B. Driving employers to deliver job satisfaction
C. Balancing productivity with an increasingly demanding workforce.
D. Falling back on employers to raise productivity.
Text B How to Beat Holiday Stress?
A) Sunshine and Sangria may sound like the ideal cure for all your ills. But holidays can also be source of stress--- and that can affect your health. So if you want to really relax while you're away, follow these rules.
B) Stress is now a major health issue of our time. One survey put the annual cost to British business at 1.3 billion in absenteeism(旷工), with around 100 million workdays lost each year. If left unchecked, stress can lead to illnesses which affect physical fitness, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and severe aches and pains, particularly neck-and backache. Yet although work is frequently cited as the main cause, holiday stress can be even more damaging. The traditional summer break, regarded by most people as the highlight of their year, can actually undermine health and put pressure on family relationships.
C) Instead of tackling the problems before they go away, a lot of people believe a holiday will work magic for them. But holidays are spent in strange places where it may be difficult for tense people to relax. They may feel even more disturbed if they get the idea that others are having a more wonderful time than they are. It becomes a complex vicious(恶性的) circle, with people coming home more stressed than before
they went away.
D)Holiday preparations involve a series of mini-stresses, like tying up loose ends at word, remembering to cancel the milk and newspapers, boarding the family pet, arranging foreign currency, last-minute shopping, working out how much spending money to take and worrying about securing the home again burglars. Crowded airports, delayed flights and packed hotels are also major stress factors for most holidaymakers.
E) Stress experts say we should take two or three short holidays a year instead of a long mid-summer one. Professor Cary Cooper, psychologist at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, says，"If your one holiday turns out to be disaster you have nothing to look forward to for another year." "A big mistake is to take holidays according to the month, instead of when your body tells you it is time to unwind. July and August can be the two most disastrous months for holidays because there are always crowds, queues and delays. Some people like crowds, but holidays are a time for peace, quiet and personal space."
F)"Another strain is not being able to do what you want on holiday, so you end up compromising, and no-one has a really good time. If the holiday is self-catering(自供伙食的), a wife is going to feel stressed at having to cook, look after the children and do all the other chores she handles at home, while her husband goes off to play golf." "Disappointment is very stressful. If you have high hopes of your holiday and it lets you down, you won‘t be refreshed, and may feel in need of another holiday. It‘s not going to kill you, but it won‘t help you to recharge your batteries."
G) "Some people become over-anxious when they are going on holiday," says Professor Ben Fletcher, head of psychology at Hertfordshire University, "and worry about what happens if they are taken ill. So, for them, their chosen holiday spot is not a secure place." "Many couples and families are simply not used to spending a long time with each other, and some people cannot cope with that. Others may try to establish who is boss on holiday, while a lot of people just find it difficult to relax."
1. Staying together with family members for too long may not always be a good idea.
2. If people want to have a quiet and peaceful time, they’d better not take their holidays in July and August.
3. Strange places are likely to prevent strained people from enjoying their holidays
4. Many health problems can be caused by stress, for example, heart disease, high
blood pressure and seven pains.
5. Disappointment could be another source of stress, so you should lower your hopes of the holidays in order to be refreshed.
6. The wife will be too busy with the chores to enjoy herself in a self-catering holiday.
7. A person will feel disappointed if his holidays fails to live up to his high hopes.
8. Over-anxious people may worry about the security of their chosen holidays spot.
9. Holidays, if not taken in a proper way, can also be a source of stress which may influence people’s health.
10. Holiday preparations may cause stress because there are too many things to be arranged for the work, for the home, and for the trip.。