员工到底该工作多少小时？

How many hours should employees work?

常速 | 四级 | 525词 | 3min40s

刘立军供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. According to the passage, why is it difficult to decide on the ideal number of working hours?

A. Most people now work from home instead of in offices.

B. People value different things in their work and life.

C. Employers around the world have different management styles.

D. Governments have not agreed on a standard workweek.

Q2. What did the study find about workers in Germany and Britain?

A. They hoped to work longer for higher pay.

B. They preferred a 42-hour workweek.

C. They were willing to earn less in exchange for more free time.

D. They believed working longer would improve productivity.

Q3. What can be inferred from the research on productivity?

A. Working longer always leads to better performance.

B. Extra working hours become less effective after a certain point.

C. Most workers are more productive on Friday afternoons.

D. Employers should require everyone to work at least 63 hours a week.

Q4. Why might some employers ask existing workers to work longer instead of hiring new employees?

A. Experienced workers are always more productive than new ones.

B. Existing workers usually prefer longer working hours.

C. Hiring new employees involves additional costs.

D. Most companies cannot find qualified workers.

Q5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. A shorter workweek is always better than a longer one.

B. Long working hours are the key to career success.

C. The ideal workweek depends on different priorities and values.

D. Advances in AI will soon replace the traditional workweek.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

How many hours should employees work?

Many people think of a full-time job as working from nine to five, five days a week. Although working patterns have changed in recent years, the 40-hour workweek is still common in many countries. On average, employed adults around the world work about 42 hours a week. However, this average hides many differences. Men and women often work different hours. Younger and older workers do too. People in richer and poorer countries also have different working patterns.

So what is the ideal number of working hours? (Q1) There is no simple answer. Different jobs, different incomes, and different cultures all lead to different opinions. The answer also depends on what people value most.

Some people believe that work-life balance should come first. A recent study asked workers how much money they would give up in exchange for working fewer hours. (Q2) In Germany and Britain, many people said they were willing to earn less if they could enjoy more free time. For example, German workers said that a 37-hour workweek would be close to ideal. American workers, however, often preferred to work longer if it meant earning more money.

Others believe that productivity is the most important factor. Some research suggests that working fewer hours does not always mean producing less. (Q3) In one study, researchers found that after people worked more than 48 hours a week, each extra hour produced less and less work. After about 63 hours, working longer did not increase total output at all. Many people have probably experienced something similar. Think about how productive you usually feel late on a Friday afternoon.

Cost is another factor for employers. (Q4) Hiring a new worker is expensive because companies must pay for benefits such as health insurance and training. Sometimes it is cheaper to ask existing employees to work longer hours than to hire more staff.

Safety can also influence working hours. In jobs where people make important decisions, fatigue can have serious consequences. One study found that emergency medical workers made more mistakes near the end of long shifts, and these mistakes sometimes led to tragic results.

fatigue n. 疲劳

shift n. 班，轮班

For some jobs, however, longer hours may improve quality rather than quantity. A study of part-time call-center workers found that they did not answer many more calls when they worked longer. However, the quality of their work improved slightly because they became more familiar with common customer problems.

Some business leaders also believe that long working hours show commitment and determination. Startup companies often require employees to work very hard because there are many tasks but only a small team. Even in large companies, working extra hours is often seen as a sign of ambition. Some well-known business leaders have argued that working 60 or even 70 hours a week can lead to greater success.

Of course, there are different ways to think about the ideal workweek. Some people believe that performance matters more than the number of hours worked. Others think governments or new technologies such as AI may change the way we work in the future. Whatever your answer is, it reflects not only your workplace or your culture, but also your own values and priorities.

Part III. KEY

Q1. B.【解析】主旨理解题。题目对应第二段：“There is no simple answer. Different jobs, different incomes, and different cultures all lead to different opinions.” 文章指出，不同的职业、收入和文化背景使人们对理想工作时间有不同看法，因此正确答案为B，即人们在工作和生活中看重的东西各不相同。

Q2. C.【解析】细节题。题目对应第三段：“In Germany and Britain, many people said they were willing to earn less if they could enjoy more free time.”以及“a 37-hour workweek would be close to ideal”。由此可知，德国和英国的许多受访者愿意减少收入来换取更多闲暇时间，因此C正确。

Q3. B.【解析】推断题。题目依据第四段：“In one study, researchers found that after people worked more than 48 hours a week, each extra hour produced less and less work. After about 63 hours, working longer did not increase total output at all.” 由此可以推断，超过一定工作时长后，额外工作时间的效率会不断下降，因此B正确。

Q4. C.【解析】细节题。题目对应第五段：“Hiring a new worker is expensive because companies must pay for benefits such as health insurance and training. Sometimes it is cheaper to ask existing employees to work longer hours than to hire more staff.” 文中明确指出，招聘新员工需要承担福利和培训等固定成本，因此让现有员工延长工作时间有时更有性价比，故C正确。

Q5. C.【解析】主旨大意题。全文围绕“What is the ideal workweek?”展开讨论，从工作与生活平衡、生产效率、企业成本、安全、工作质量以及职业发展等多个角度分析不同工作时长的利弊，并在结尾指出：“Whatever your answer is … it reflects … your own values and priorities.” 因此，文章主旨是：理想的工作时间没有统一答案，而是取决于个人和公司的价值观与取舍侧重，故C正确。

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