高失业率让美国人不敢休假

    Feeling stressed and in need of a vacation? You are not alone but more than half of Americans do not take all their vacation days, even though they think they need a holiday more this year than last.
    And nearly a third of workers who do take a break check in with work every other day and some keep in touch hourly, according to a new survey.
    "We're workaholics," said Samuel Nahmias, executive vice¹ president(执行副总裁) and chief operations officer of research firm StudyLogic, which conducted（管理,指挥） the poll of 1500 American adults.
    "From an overall perspective this has a lot to do with the economic situation in the US. More and more people are unemployed（失业的）," he added.
    With jobless numbers hovering² at 9.6 percent people who have jobs seem to be reluctant to take time off.
    "It is not a great picture and that affects vacations. People are not going on vacation as much and those that are going on vacation are being more selective about where they are going," Nahmias explained.
    Unlike European countries where four or more weeks of holiday each year is the norm, 27 percent of people questioned in the poll said they had six to 10 days of annual leave and 20 percent had less than three days.
    But two-fifths of people questioned in the survey commissioned by Westin Hotels & Resorts thought three to four days were needed to unwind during a break.
    With more people on the unemployment lists those still with jobs are facing more responsibility at work, which is reflected in their lack of time off.
    The survey showed that up until August 22 percent of workers had not used or planned to use any vacation days, despite potentially forfeiting³ the days if they were not taken.
    The majority of workers who did not take time off cited too many responsibilities or stress at work, while some people said they simply did not have the time to plan a holiday.
    "People are more conscious of what they are doing and when they are going on vacation because they don't want to look bad in this situation," Nahmias explained.
    Sixty four percent of workers admitted they had canceled or postponed⁴ a vacation this year and 33 percent said it was because of work-related reasons.
    Technology is also playing a part with Blackberries and smartphones enabling workers to keep in contact in ways that were not possible before.
    "It has to do with technology and the level of concern about what is going on in the office," Nahmias added.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

3 forfeiting   

（因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In his eyes, giving up his job and forfeiting his wages amounted practically to suicide. 辞事，让工钱，在祥子看就差不多等于自杀。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• That would be acknowledging the Railroad's ownership right away-forfeiting their rights for good. 这一来不是就等于干脆承认铁路公司的所有权-永久放弃他们自己的主权吗？

4 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。