WHAT is it that sets Spain apart from the rest of Europe? It might be “siestas”, the three-hour lunch break that is customary (惯例的) in the country.
The Spanish start work at 8 or 9 am, but in the early afternoon they usually take a three-hour break. After lunch, people can be seen napping in cars or on benches. During hot summer afternoons, Spanish village streets are often totally deserted .
When they return to their offices at 4 pm, Spanish workers often have to make up for the lost time by working until 8 or 9 pm. So, while most other Europeans are sound asleep, Spaniards are still having dinner or watching television.
“Everything in Spain happens later, from meal times to broadcast entertainment,” described AP.
“This work schedule is a Spanish cultural vice,” said Nuria Chinchilla, head of the International Center on Work and Family at the University of Navarra in Barcelona. “Changing to the European schedule should be the most urgent (紧急的) project for the government.”
Many Spanish people complain about their never-ending workdays, and some even think the issue has affected the country’s development.
“In Spain we sleep almost an hour less than the World Health Organization recommends,” lawmakers in the Spanish parliament wrote in a proposal. “This has a negative effect on productivity, stress, accidents and school dropout rates.”
That’s why, last September, they recommended that Under the proposed newuthe government turn back the clocks by one hour. schedule, the lunchtime break would be cut to an hour or less. And a regular eight-hour workday would be introduced.
However, some doubt that changing the time zone would reverse low productivity, which comes more from the country’s service-oriented economy (服务型经济), according to Maria Angeles Durant, a sociologist with the Spanish National Research Council.
But Ignacio Buqueras, the president of the Association for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours, told The New York Times that “changing the Spanish schedule would allow families more free time together and boost Spain’s economy.”
The Spanish government is treating the campaign seriously, but it hasn’t taken any action yet, reported The New York Times.
Spain’s siesta is not actually a product of its relaxed Mediterranean (地中海的) culture. At the start of the 20th century, Spain had the same working hours as many parts of Europe. It was during World War II that the country moved the clocks forward to align (结盟) them with those of Nazi Germany.
The same thing happened in Portugal. After the defeat of Hitler, Portugal returned to Greenwich Mean Time, but Spain did not.
67. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Spain hopes to boost its economy by changing its work schedule.
B. Spain will change the time zone to allow families more free time together.
C. Spain’s long lunch set it apart from the rest of Europe.
D. The typical workday in Spain includes a long break at lunch.
68. What does the underlined word “siesta” mean?
A. nap B. afternoon tea C. lunchtime break D. noon
69. Which of the following is not the benefit of changing the Spanish work schedule?
A. change the structure of its service-oriented economy
B. Allow families more free time together
C. Boost Spain’s economy
D. Reverse low productivity
70. What can you infer from the passage?
A. The present work schedule in Spain has existed for over 100 years.
B. Many countries in Europe arrange their work schedules according to Greenwich Mean Time.
C. The present work schedule has a negative effect on productivity.
D. The Spanish government has taken some action to change the work schedule.