111 年國中教育會考 英語科閱讀 第 32 題

Modern Workplace June 5, 2016

The problem of long working hours is a real headache in our country. It kills many people every year (see Figure 1), and many companies are trying to change that. They have at least one “No Overtime Day” in a week, and it is often Wednesday. On “No Overtime Day,” workers are asked to leave their offices before 8 p.m. At 8 p.m., companies play the song “There’s Always Tomorrow” and turn off all the lights.

However, after the workers walk out of their offices, they don’t go home. Some go back later, turn on their table lamps, and keep working, and others find somewhere else to work until very late at night. Restaurants and coffee shops are busier on Wednesday evenings, and they have started selling drinks and meals for these workers.

But why do these people keep working? A study shows that workers who work more hours often have a bigger chance to get paid more and rise higher in their companies. This is true for both men and women (see Figure 2). Working long hours has become a way to show that people are hard-working. Clearly, this must be changed before the problem gets any worse.

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