★ 一週四十小時工時的由來 The 40-hour Work Week

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有些公司正在實驗一週三十二小時的工時和為期三天的週末

 [追根究底] 

文章主講 Bruce, Antony

 　　 For decades, the 40-hour work week has been more or less the standard . Most people clock in at nine in the morning and leave around five in the afternoon. But why is 40 hours a week considered the right amount of time?

　　幾十年來，一週工作四十小時大致上都是標準工時。多數人都在九點打卡上班並大約在下午五點下班。然而，為什麼四十小時被認定是正確的工時呢？

 　　 It all goes back to the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. Back then, American factory workers routinely worked 80 to 100 hours a week. This was of course very tiring and unhealthy. By the mid-19th century, many were calling for a standard eight-hour workday.

　　這一切都要追溯到十九世紀初的工業革命。當時，美國工廠的工人經常每週工作八十到一百小時。這當然非常令人疲憊而且不健康。到了十九世紀中葉，許多人要求標準的一日八小時工作天。

 　　 In 1869, US President Ulysses Grant passed a law for an eight-hour day for government workers. Then, in 1926, auto manufacturer Henry Ford found that an eight-hour workday actually increased workers ’ efficiency. What ’ s more, he realized that for the economy to grow, people needed more free time to spend the money they earned . By 1940, the 40-hour work week was required by national law in America. Employees who worked longer than eight hours a day would receive a higher rate of pay for the additional hours.

　　在 1869 年，美國總統尤里西斯‧格蘭特通過一條法令讓政府員工每天工作八小時。接著，在 1926 年，汽車生產業者亨利‧福特發現一天八小時的工時其實提高了工人的效率。此外，他意識到如果經濟要有所成長，人們得有更多的休閒時間花他們賺到的錢。到了 1940 年，美國的法律已規範一週四十小時的工時。一天工作超過八小時的員工會因為額外的工時而獲得更高的工錢。

 　　 Our idea of what a perfect schedule looks like is still changing today. Some companies are experimenting with 32-hour weeks and three-day weekends. So far, the results are mixed , but as technology and people ’ s needs change, our work schedules will as well.

　　我們對於完美時間表的概念至今仍在改變。有些公司正在實驗一週三十二小時的工時和為期三天的週末。目前，實驗結果並不一致，不過隨著科技和人們的需求改變，我們的工作時數也會跟著變化。

 

延伸閱讀｜主詞與動詞一致

主詞與動詞一致

1. 英文句子中，動詞的單複數需依照主詞的單複數做變化，這就是主詞與動詞的一致。
   A yellow car was spotted heading down that road. 
   一輛黃色的車被看見行駛在那條路上。
2. 表示時間、金錢、距離、重量等複數名詞片語視為一個整體時，則搭配單數動詞，如本句的 40 hours a week。
   One billion dollars is a huge sum of money. 
   十億元是一筆鉅款。
3. 但如果想表達的重點為時間、金錢、距離、重量等數目本身時，複數主詞則搭配複數動詞。
   The 10 days I spent traveling in England were some of the best days of my life. 
   我在英國旅遊的那十天是我人生中最棒的幾天。

 

You Can Do This    英文試金石
請圈選出最適當的選項以完成句子

1. Kelly’s work did not meet the company’s (period / standard / island), so she has to do it again.
2. Sasha finds that her job is (tiring / freeing / winning) and offers little joy.
3. Jon has (exited / erased / earned) the respect of his coworkers.

 

Ans: 1. standard　2. tiring　3. earned