A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure（闲暇）. As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted. The figures support the western prejudice（偏见） that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice. But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised（隐性的） pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too. 1．The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that ______________. A．the government wants to show more concern for the health of the people B．the government needs to get more goods from abroad C．the Japanese have been working too hard D．the Japanese hope to change the western prejudice 2．The group of people who welcome the shorter-hour system in Japan is______________. A．the small companies B．the industrialists C．the unions D．the younger generation 3．The unions think that______________. A．the shorter hours they work, the higher pay the can get B．the more they work, the less leisure they can enjoy C．the shorter hours they work, the less pay they can have D．the greater pressure the government is forcing on them, the less happy they can be 4．The best title for this passage can be ______________ A．Oh no! Not Saturday Again! B．Leisure: the Greatest Threat! C．Enjoy While You are Young! D．Less Work and More Play! |