经济学人精读笔记10：员工休假居然对企业有好处？

经济学人精读笔记10：员工休假居然对企业有好处？

标签（空格分隔）： 经济学人

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2020/2/27

Part 1

Holidays are good for workers and companies alike

Turn off and drop out

The swimming trunks have been dug out of the chest of drawers. The beach shoes (still caked with last year’s sand) have been retrieved from the shed. Like tens of millions of others, Bartleby is about to go on his annual holiday.

假期对员工和公司同样大有裨益
关掉手机，脱离工作
泳裤已经从抽屉里翻了出来。沙滩鞋（鞋上仍沾有去年结块的沙子）也已从库房里找了出来。和其他千千万万人一样，巴特比即将开始他的年休假。

• retrieve sth from sb/sth to bring or get sth back, especially from a place where it should not be 取回；索回=recover
  The police have managed to retrieve some of the stolen money.警方已经追回了部分被盗钱款。

• annual holiday 年假
  annual [ˈænjuəl] adj.happening or done once every year每年的；一年一次的；年度的
  an annual meeting/event/report年会；一年一度的大事；年度报告

weekly adj.每周的 monthly adj.每月的

【词根词缀】ann =year,表示"年,一年"
anniversary = anni年+vers转+ary表名词→一年转到一次→n.周年纪念日
biannual= bi两+ann年+ual……的→adj.一年两次的

sick / compassionate / maternity leave 病假/事假/产假

• alike [əˈlaɪk] adv.used after you have referred to two people or groups, to mean ‘both’or‘equally’两者都；同样地。Good management benefits employers and employees alike.良好的管理对雇主和雇员同样有利。

• turn off: 指关掉；不再想；不再听的意思，文中暗指暂停工作，出去度假能让员工静心。

• drop out: 我们常见的drop out的意思是辍学；退学，文中指to no longer take part in or be part of sth 不再参加；退出；脱离，意为从工作当中抽离出来

• dug out to find sth that has been hidden or forgotten for a long time 找出，发掘，发现（藏着的或被遗忘的东西），文中意为从抽屉里翻出很久没穿的游泳裤。

• trunks n. 中继线；运动短裤；男式游泳裤

• chest n.（常为木制的）大箱子 a medicine chest 药箱
  a treasure chest 财宝箱

【相关拓展】get sth off sb's chestto talk about sth that has been worrying you for a long time so that you feel less anxious. 倾吐心里的烦恼；吐出心事；一吐为快
I feel it's done me good to get it off my chest. 我感觉吐吐苦水对我有好处。

• drawers n. 抽屉

• caked adj. 沾满(厚厚的)…的

• shed n. 棚, 库;vt. 流出, 流下

• be about to 即将做

Part 2

A vacation gives workers a chance to recharge their mental batteries. For Bartleby, this means reading books that do not have titles like “Beyond Performance 2.0” (sadly, a genuine example of a management tome).

假期给了员工一个重新充电的机会。对于巴特比来说，假期意味着无需再阅读那些书名诸如“业绩突破2.0”（遗憾的是，这真的是一本管理学巨作）之类的书籍了。

• recharge ones mental batteries 给精神充电
  recharge v. 特指给电池充电
  He is using your mains electricity to recharge his car battery. 他在用你家里的电源给他的车载蓄电池充电。

charge v. 给…充电(不限于电池)
The shaver can be charged up and used when travelling.这种电动剃须刀可充电供旅行使用。

charger 就是充电器 mobile phone charger手机充电器

• tome n.toʊm a large heavy book, especially one dealing with a serious topic （尤指理论性的）大部头书，巨著

• genuine adj. 真实的，真正的；诚恳的

Part 3

Heading to a new location allows employees to clear their thoughts. After all, there is more to life than spreadsheets and sales forecasts. To misquote Timothy Leary, the 1960s hippie guru, a holiday is time to “turn off and drop out”.

前往一个全新的地方可以让员工理清思路。毕竟，生活不仅仅是电子表格和销售预测。错误地引用20世纪60年代嬉皮士大师蒂莫西·利里的话来说，假期就是“关掉手机，脱离工作”的时候。（蒂莫西·利里的原话是：“Turn on, tune in, drop out”，即“激发热情、向内探索、脱离体制”）

• head在这里作动词，意为“朝着（某一地点）行进”比如：He headed for the bus stop.他朝着公共汽车站走去。

head in a new direction 朝新方向发展【写作推荐】

head 作名词可用来表示头衔，义为“首脑，领袖，主管人”(a leader or person in charge of a group or organization)，注意这时候head前不加冠词，比如部门主管head of department

• clear one's thought/mind 理清思绪，也就是在度假中放空大脑的意思

• forecast [ˈfɔrkæst] n.a statement about what will happen in the future, based on information that is available now预测；预报The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。weather forecast天气预报

forecast 作动词意为“预计”
be forecast to do sth预计；估计 （注意forecast的动词变形是forecast-forecast-forecast）The car market is forecast to keep growing briskly for the rest of this decade.据预测，汽车市场将在未来4年继续保持增长。

【类似表达】同样表示预测的短语还有be estimated to do sth, be expected to do sth, be predicted to do sth, be projected to do sth等。

• guru [ˈgʊruː]古鲁，来自于印度梵语，指印度教或锡克教的宗教导师或领袖，现在常用来指“专家”、“权威”、“大师”（someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, and gives advice to other people），比如：a management guru 管理专家 a health guru 保健专家 a fashion guru 时装专家

• spreadsheets n. 电子制表软件,电子数据表

Part 4

It also means workers get more sleep by escaping the tyranny of the early-morning alarm. In addition, they no longer suffer the agonies of the daily commute: the cramped railway carriages or gridlocked roads.

这也意味着，员工们可以逃脱清晨闹钟的烦扰，从而睡个懒觉。此外，他们也无需经受日常通勤的痛苦了：狭窄的地铁车厢或拥堵的道路。

• tyranny n.[ˈtɪrəni]原义指“暴虐；专横”比如：a victim of oppression and tyranny压迫和暴政的受害者

在文中tyranny 取另外一个生僻义：(不中意或令人不快的)必需品 You can describe something that you have to use or have as a tyranny if you think it is undesirable or unpleasant.
The telephone is one of the great tyrannies of modern life. 电话是现代生活中让人最反感的必需品之一。

• daily commute日常通勤

commute [kəˈmjuːt]既可以作名词，指每天上下班的路程，也可以作动词，指上下班，通勤，比如我早上上班路上要花 45 分钟，我们可以说My morning commute takes 45 minutes.
再比如纽约时报中的一个句子:On average, urban dwellers who commute via walking, biking or public transportation are fitter than suburban commuters who drive to work. 通过步行、骑行或使用公共交通出行的城市居民，通常比开车上班的郊区通勤者更加健康。

在写作中我们可以用名词commute 替换the journey home from the office, the (subway/bus…) ride to work。【写作推荐】

• cramped railway carriges 拥挤的车厢。

• gridlocked roads 拥挤的道路，gridlock除了有交通堵塞的意思，还可指因政治中的意见不合造成的僵局。

Part 5

And best of all, there are no meetings to endure—no need to sit with a vaguely interested expression on your face while time seems to slow to a crawl. In short, holidays reduce stress. And in the long run, stress makes workers less likely to perform well.

最重要的是，无需再忍受会议了——无需佯装着兴趣十足的样子度日如年地坐在那里了。简而言之，假期可以减轻压力。从长远来看，压力不利于员工发挥良好的工作表现。

• endure v. [ɪnˈdjʊə(r)]忍耐；忍受类似的表达还有bear和stand
  They had to endure a long wait before the case came to trial.在此案审理前他们只得忍受长时间的等待。
  She could not endure the thought of parting.一想到分别她就无法忍受。

endure还有“持续；持久”的意思，相当于 last 比如：a success that will endure 将会持续的成功 May our friendship long endure. 愿我们的友谊长存。

• slow to a crawl是一个固定搭配，表示缓慢前行，time seems to slow to a crawl则是度日如年

crawl v. [krɑ:l] to move slowly or with difficulty, especially (of a person) with the body stretched out along the ground or on hands and knees 缓慢移动；艰难前行；爬行；匍匐前进
The child crawled across the floor. 那个孩子爬过了地板。

我们还可以使用Time hangs heavy.表达度日如年。相反，时间飞逝该如何用英语表达呢，Time flies，把 time 比喻成飞机嗖一下飞过去。

• vaguely adv. 含糊地;不明确地

Part 6

Indeed, just as employees need a break from the workplace, companies sometimes need a break from their employees.

After a trading scandal at Société Générale, a French bank, in 2008, Britain’s then regulator, the Financial Services Authority, recommended that all traders take a two-week break at some point in the year. The aim was to ensure that any unusual dealing patterns would be discovered while the miscreant was away from their desk.

事实上，正如员工需要离开公司休息一样，公司有时也要离开员工休息一下。
2008年，在法国兴业银行爆出交易丑闻后，英国当时的监管机构金融服务管理局建议所有的交易员在一年之中抽个时间休息两周。其目的就是为了确保罪犯离开了他的办公桌，从而得以发现异常交易模式的蛛丝马迹。

• pattern [ˈpætərn]n. Apatternis the repeated or regular way in which something happens or is done. 模式All three attacks followed the same pattern.3次袭击都依照同一模式。

• miscreant n.恶棍
  【记忆方法】mis坏+creant相当于create→做坏事的人→恶棍

• scandal n. 丑事, 丑闻

• then adv. 当时, 那时

Part 7

Senior managers can also benefit from seeing what happens when their juniors head to the beach. Does office morale improve as soon as a mid-level manager disappears? If so, this suggests that he or she is not running the department well. Does an underling impress when standing in for their boss? In that case, they may be overdue a promotion.

公司的高层管理者也可以在下属前往海滩度假后从公司的所见所闻中有所收获。当中层管理者离开后，办公室里的士气会有所提高吗？如果确实如此，这意味着他（或她）没能很好地管理这个部门。当下属暂时顶替其上司时给人留下了深刻的印象吗？如果情况属实，他们或许早该升职了。

• senior managers 高层管理者
  mid-level manager 中层管理者

上级下属的表达方式
inferior [ɪnˈfɪəriə(r)] n.下属、晚辈
superior [su:ˈpɪəriə(r)] n. 级别（或地位、职位）更高的人；上级；上司
He's my immediate superior (= the person directly above me) .他是我的顶头上司。
【记忆方式】可将inferior与superior结合来记忆
infer在…下面+ior较…的→adj.下等的,下级的;劣等的,差的 n.下级,晚辈
super在…上面+ior较…的→adj.优良的,卓越的;上级的 n.上级;长者;高手

senior [ˈsi:niə(r)] n.级别（或地位）较高者；上级；上司
junior [ˈdʒu:niə(r)] n. 职位较低者；低层次工作人员Junior and middle-ranking civil servants have pledged to join the indefinite strike. 基层和中层公务员已承诺要加入到无限期罢工中来。
【记忆方式】可将senior和junior 结合来记忆
sen老+ior较…的→adj.年长的;地位较高的 n.[大学]四年级学生
jun年轻+ior较…的→adj.&n.年少的/者,三年级的/学生,下级

subordinate [səˈbɔ:dɪnət] n. 下属；下级的Nearly all her subordinates adored her. 几乎所有的下属都崇拜她。

betters n.上司；上级Sit down and be quiet in front of your elders and betters. 在长辈和上级面前要老老实实地坐着。

underling [ˈʌndəlɪŋ] n.下属；跟班儿，常有贬义He's like the schoolyard bully recruiting a good underling 他就像校园混混，招了个好部下。（例句中recruiting与逻辑主语bully成主动关系，即 bully recruit a good underling，所以用现在分词）

• morale n. [məˈrɑ:l] the amount of confidence and enthusiasm, etc. that a person or a group has at a particular time 士气

to boost/raise/improve morale 鼓舞 / 提高士气；增强信心
bolster one’s confidence/courage/morale 增强某人的信心/勇气/士气

• stand in for 顶替相当于to take sb's place
  My assistant will stand in for me while I'm away.我不在期间，由我的助手代替我。

• overdue adj.[ˌəʊvəˈdju:]that should have happened or been done before now 早该发生的；早应完成的

overdue reforms 迟来的改革
A book like this is long overdue . 像这样的书早就该有人出版了。

• underling n. <贬>下属,走卒

Part 8

Some Americans are reluctant to take a long holiday for fear that their employer will find they can easily manage without them. None of that nonsense at The Economist.

Ambitious young writers will be eager to fill the vacant space left by this column with insights into the business world. The business editor will be relieved of the need to remove some of this writer’s questionable puns [much appreciated, ed.].

一些美国人之所以不愿意休长假，是因为他们担心雇主会发现公司没有他们在一样能好好运转。这对于《经济学人》来说则毫无意义。
富有雄心的年轻作家们渴望利用他们对商业世界的洞察来填补本专栏所留下的空白。商业板块的编辑就无需删除专栏作者的一些存疑的双关语。（非常感谢，编辑）

• be reluctant to 不愿意做某事

【类似表达】类似的词组还有hesitate to do sth , be unwilling to do sth

• balk at sth / doing sthto not want to do or try sth 畏缩不前，犹豫 Many people would balk at setting up a new business during a recession. 经济衰退的时候，许多人都不愿开新公司。
  Westerners balk at the prospect of snake on the menu. 看到菜单上有蛇的菜肴，西方人就会犹豫回避。

• ambitious adj.[æmˈbɪʃəs]determined to be successful, rich, powerful, etc. 有野心的；有雄心的
  a fiercely ambitious young manager 雄心勃勃的年轻经理
  They were very ambitious for their children (= they wanted them to be successful) .他们望子成龙心切。

ambitious还有“艰巨的”意思 an ambitious engineering project艰巨的工程项目 an over-ambitious health reform program冒进的医疗改革计划 【熟词僻义】

• column n.[ˈkɒləm]a part of a newspaper or magazine which appears regularly and deals with a particular subject or is written by a particular writer （报刊的）专栏，栏目
  the gossip/financial column漫谈 / 财经专栏
  I always read her column in the local paper.我一直读她在当地报纸上的专栏文章。

• insight [ˈɪnsaɪt] n.
  -[C, U] ~ (into sth) an understanding of what sth is like洞悉；了解
  -the ability to see and understand the truth about people or situations 洞察力；领悟

insightful adj.有洞察力的

• puns n. [pʌnz] the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound the same 双关语
  双关语(pun)指在一定的语言环境中，利用词的多义和同音的条件，有意使语句具有双重意义，言在此而意在彼的修辞方式。双关可使语言表达得含蓄、幽默，而且能加深语意，给人以深刻印象。

比如：Every kid should have an Apple after school.
这是苹果公司的广告语，文中apple是双关语，暗示每个孩子应当在放学后吃一个苹果，会让人不自觉得联想到，应当拥有一台自己的笔记本计算机。

再比如：美国有一家眼镜公司的产品牌子是OIC，读作Oh, I see.（这则广告生动地运用了谐音双关，这三个大写字母形状像眼镜，同时，这个广告语又表达了视力不佳的人戴上这个品牌的眼镜后看见清晰的世界的喜悦之情，真是一则富有感染力的广告。　）

• vacant adj. 空的；空闲的；空缺的；空虚的；茫然的

• be relieved of 免除

• questionable adj. 可疑的;有疑问的

Part 9

Work can be irritating but, as any unemployed person will tell you, it is better than the alternative. It gives purpose to people’s days and, on occasion, can even be fun. But not every day. Some days it is better to be reading a paperback. By a pool, in the sunshine. Enjoy.

• irritating adj.烦人的，恼人的

irritate v.[ˈɪrɪteɪt]to annoy sb, especially by sth you continuously do or by sth that continuously happens 使烦恼（尤指不断重复的事情）
The way she puts on that accent really irritates me.她故意操那种口音的样子实在令我恼火。

• paperback n. 平装本, 平装书