近日，日本政府发布了年度经济政策指南，其中包括建议企业允许员工选择每周工作四天而不是五天。

 

 

【本文章内容摘选奇速英语时文阅读原创部分内容（未经授权，不能转载）】

The Japanese government plans to encourage firms to let their employees choose to work four days a week instead of five, aiming to improve the balance between work and life for people who have family-care responsibilities or need more time off to acquire new skills.

The COVID-19 has helped the idea of a four-day work week gain traction since people spent more time at home. Government leaders now hope to convince management that flexible working hours, remote working, growing interconnectedness(相互联系) and a host of other developments can be beneficial if they remain in place even after the end of the pandemic.

“The government is really very keen for this change in attitude to take root at Japanese companies,” Martin Schulz, chief policy economist for Fujitsu Ltd.’s Global Market Intelligence Unit,said. “During the pandemic, companies have shifted to new ways of operating and they are seeing a gradual increase in productivity. Companies are having their employees work from home or remotely, at satellite offices or at their customers’ locations, which can be far more convenient and productive for many.”

Microsoft in Japan instituted a temporary three-day weekend in August 2019, which resulted in a reported 40 percent increase in productivity, according to the company, and reduced electricity consumption and paper printing.

重难句解析

• acquire / əˈkwaɪə(r) / v. 获得
  例句：She has acquired a good knowledge of English. 她英语已经学得很好。
• traction / ˈtrækʃn / n. 牵引；牵引力
  例句：The traction control system is also fully automatic. 牵引力控制系统是也完全自动的。
• convince / kənˈvɪns / v. 使信服;使相信
  例句：He convinced us of his fitness for the task. 他使我们相信他适合做这项工作。
• flexible / ˈfleksəbl / adj. 灵活的
  例句：Working from home offers the ultimate flexible in life styles. 在家办公为人们提供了极其灵活的生活方式。
• institute / ˈɪnstɪtjuːt/ v. 实行
  例句：The new management intends to institute a number of changes. 新任管理层打算实行一些改革。
• The Japanese government plans to encourage firms to let their employees choose to work four days a week instead of five, aiming to improve the balance between work and life for people who have family-care responsibilities or need more time off to acquire new skills.
  日本政府计划鼓励企业让员工选择每周工作4天而不是5天，旨在改善那些有家庭照顾责任或需要更多时间休息以获得新技能的人的工作和生活之间的平衡。aiming 是现在分词作目的状语；who引导定语从句，修饰先行词people。
• Companies are having their employees work from home or remotely, at satellite offices or at their customers’ locations, which can be far more convenient and productive for many.
  公司让员工在家里或远程办公，在卫星办公室或客户所在地办公，这对许多人来说可能更加方便和高效。which引导非限制性定语从句，修饰前面整个句子。
• Microsoft in Japan instituted a temporary three-day weekend in August 2019, which resulted in a reported 40 percent increase in productivity, according to the company, and reduced electricity consumption and paper printing.
  2019年8月，微软日本公司设立了一个为期三天的临时周末，据该公司称，这使得生产率提高了40%，并减少了电力消耗和纸张印刷。 which引导非限制性定语从句，修饰前面整个句子； result in意为“导致”。

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