夏说英语新闻晨读 第257期:加泰罗尼亚的生活

 本期内容：
Catalonia has moved a step closer to abandoning the long working hours and protracted¹ lunch breaks that have tested Spaniards'powers of endurance for more than seven decades, by adopting an initiative intended to reset² people's work-life balance. On Monday, an alliance of 110 companies, trade unions, educational groups and social activists³ signed up to a working hours reform pact⁴, which aims to make the working day shorter, more flexible and more compact. Workers in Spain tend to start their day around 9am, break for coffee mid-morning and then work until 2pm. The lunch break lasts two or three hours, after which they return to work until 8pm or later. Such a late finish means that dinner isn’t eaten before 9pm. Add in a couple of hours of TV to help wind down, and people end up going to bed well after midnight.

Catalonia: 加泰罗尼亚
Protracted: 拖延的
Powers of endurance: 忍耐力
Adopt: 采纳措施
Pact: 议案
Wind down: 逐步停止，放松

1 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。