[单项选择]Britons are working longer hours than they did a decade ago, but are less productive than their counterparts in the United States and continental Europe, according to a survey released today.
The research, conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council, a government-financed agency, discloses several work-force myths, including the notion that gold-watch employees who spend their entire careers with one company are a dying breed, and that the new economy has created a transient work force made up of professional freelancers who jump from job to job. Policy makers in Britain have promoted the idea of a more flexible work force, in which people held more part-time or temporary jobs and often worked from home, as one benefit of the new economy. The new type of employee even got a new name—the portfolio worker—and was supposed to benefit from a more flexible schedule and shorter hours.
But like so much of the new economy that appears to be more wishful thinking than fa
A. Britain has become a new economy society just like many other developed countries.
B. Contrary to people’s desire, Britain still has a long way to establish a flexible work force.
C. Most employees in Britain hold a permanent job.
D. Employees in Britain spend more time in their job than ten years ago.

[单项选择]Britons are working longer hours than they did a decade ago, but are less productive than their counterparts in the United States and continental Europe, according to a survey released today.
The research, conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council, a government-financed agency, discloses several work-force myths, including the notion that gold-watch employees who spend their entire careers with one company are a dying breed, and that the new economy has created a transient work force made up of professional freelancers who jump from job to job. Policy makers in Britain have promoted the idea of a more flexible work force, in which people held more part-time or temporary jobs and often worked from home, as one benefit of the new economy. The new type of employee even got a new name—the portfolio worker—and was supposed to benefit from a more flexible schedule and shorter hours.
But like so much of the new economy that appears to be more wishful thinking than fa
A. Americans are more efficient than Britons in manufacturing output.
B. Frenchmen are more efficient than Britons in manufacturing output.
C. Britons spend more time in their job than their forefathers.
D. Britons spend more time in their job than Americans.

[单项选择]

The British work longer hours than anyone else in the European Union (EU), which may account for Britain’s faster rate of economic growth in the past decade. But the European Commission wants to put a stop to it. In a recent report it notes disapprovingly that, "the UK is the only member state where weekly working time has increased over the last decade." The commission believes that British companies may be systematically violating the EU’s "Working Time Directive". This demands that Europeans should work a maximum of 48 hours a week on average. Under the directive, workers can sign an "opt-out’, agreeing to work more than 48 hours. Some 33% of British workers have signed such opt-outs, although only 16% are believed actually to be working more than 48 hours.
Anna Diamantopoulou, the European commissioner for employment and social affairs, has a doubt about that. Firms in other European countries have not made much use of opt-ou
A. It firmly supports it.
B. It pays no attention to it.
C. It wants to get rid of it.

[单项选择]

Nowadays, people work longer hours than they used to, but are they really working harder than ever before Apparently, many people believe that the more time a person spends on work, (21) she or he accomplishes. However, the connection between time and (22) is not always (23) . In fact, many studies indicate that after a certain point, anyone’s productivity and creativity begin to (24) . Furthermore, it is not always easy for individuals to (25) that their performance is falling off. Part of the problem is understandable. When (26) evaluate employees, they often consider the amount of time spent on the job (27) performance. Employees know this. Consequently, they work longer hours and (28) less vacation time than they did several years ago. Although many working people can do their job effectively during a (29) 40-hour-work week, they feel they have to spend more time on the job after normal working hours so that
A. the better
B. the less
C. the more
D. the most