2. 职称英语
  3. The following two excerpts are about overtime stresses of Chinese white-

The following two excerpts are about overtime stresses of Chinese white-

游客2024-11-06  11
问题         The following two excerpts are about overtime stresses of Chinese white-collar workers. From the excerpts, you can find that white-collar workers in China have to work overtime, willingly or unwillingly, due to acceleration of life pace and the ever-increasing working pressure.
        Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
        1. summarize work status of white-collar workers in China, and then,
        2. express your opinion on how to keep a balance between a workaholic and a life pleasure pursuer.
Excerpt 1
                                                       Overtime Is Norm for White-Collar Workers
        Working overtime has become routine for white-collar workers, with more than 60 percent of employees in a recent survey saying they have to work extra time on weekdays and 40 percent having to do so on the weekends. Nearly 14 percent said they only enjoyed half the weekends off in a month, while 3.4 percent said they had no day off in a month.
        Guangdong province, Beijing and Zhejiang province have the most employees working extra time from Monday to Friday, while Hong Kong, Shanghai and Jiangsu province have the highest average number of monthly overtime days.
Huang Ruoshan, Zhaopin’s senior career consultant, said working overtime is only prevalent in certain industries such as real estate, the Internet and finance. "Those industries are developing very rapidly, which demands employees work hard under pressure and work extra time," said Huang. "Take the e-commerce industry as an example: It actually demands that employees be available 24 hours a day seven days a week." In the Internet field, there is a term called "996", which means employees start at 9 am, finish around 9 pm and have to work on Saturday.
        Shen, 27, an employee of mobile phone company in Shenzhen, said it is normal to work extra time and he is willing to do that. "I barely have weekends. However, I am satisfied with my job, my colleagues and working environment. This industry is changing so fast, I am proud to say I am creating value in my position.
        "However, I know working overtime hurts my health. I even look older than my peers," added Shen. "So I am considering an early retirement when I have enough savings."
Excerpt 2
                                        Constant Overtime Stresses Chinese White-Collar Workers to Breaking Point
        China is facing an epidemic of overwork, to hear the state-controlled press and Chinese social media tell it. About 600,000 Chinese die each year from working too hard, according to the China Youth Daily. China Radio International in April reported a toll of 1,600 every day.
        "What’s the point of working overtime so you can work to death?" asked one commentator on Weibo, lamenting that his boss told employees to spend more time on the job. The rising death rate comes as China’s workforce appears to be getting the upper hand, with a shrinking labor pool able to demand higher wages and factory workers regularly going on strike.
        But the message hasn’t gotten through to China’s white-collar warriors. In exchange for starting salaries typically double blue-collar pay, they put in hours of overtime on top of eight-hour workdays, often in violation of Chinese labor law, according to Geoffrey Crothall, spokesman for Hong Kong-based labor-advocacy group the China Labour Bulletin.
        "China is still a rising economy, and people are still buying into that hardworking ethos," said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at the Tokyo branch campus of Temple University of Philadelphia.
选项
答案                                                                 Enjoy Working, Enjoy Life Pleasure
        Nowadays, it’s common for bosses to require their staffs to work overtime, despite defying the labor law. Meanwhile, given the growing working pressure, young workers, especially those in rapid-developed industries, now tend to be workaholics who constantly work overtime, believing that hardworking makes a bright future. Some white-collar workers, like Shen in the first excerpt, work extra time willingly, because of the fulfillment they find in work. However, this kind of attitude can do great harm. It is reported in the second excerpt that the alarmingly overwork toll in China is high up to 600,000 each year. In my opinion, this increasing death rate should be a wake-up call for young people, especially workaholics, that it’s crucial to strike a balance between life and work.
        The first and most important step is to rectify a problematic cultural value that "work comes first". This is a traditional belief prevalent in the Chinese society. Praises are sung to selfless heroes who dedicate their life to endless labor despite toil and hardship. That is why we cannot identify with the western idea of "call it a day once the shift is done". From the perspective of happiness and health, the clear-cut division between work and play is more conducive to a pleasant, efficient and well-balanced life.
        In the mean time, young people should also rearrange their schedules. Apart from keeping a healthy and regular diet, they should remember to take their mind off work once leaving the office. "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy" is the golden rule to stick to. It is important to develop hobbies and friendships to relieve occasional stress and loneliness. The criterion of a successful life is being about to enjoy the fun of work as well as delights outside of work.
        In a word, health and youth are invaluable assets, not for us to exploit, but to cherish while they are still in our possession. We can work for many jobs after all but we all live for once.
解析         两段材料对中国白领普遍超时工作的情况进行了分析报道。
        选段一指出，近期调查数据显示过半数的职员需要加班（work extra time）。但专家认为，加班只是在一些行业盛行（prevalent in certain industries）。一位手机行业职员表示他乐意加班，因为在这个迅速发展的行业中，他能感觉到自己在创造价值（creating value）。
        选段二则指出，当下白领加班的情况很普遍（an epidemic of overwork）。我国每年因过劳工作致死的死亡率不断攀升，有能力获得更高薪水的劳动力储备下降（shrinking labor pool able to demand higher wages），同时工厂的工人经常罢工。劳工权益组织发言人表示，白领工人常要工作超过八小时，这是违反劳动法的。也有学者指出，加班盛行的原因之一是在经济快速发展的中国，人们仍然奉行勤奋的信条（hardworking ethos）。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3833449.html
相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)