英国上班族午餐仅用3分半钟

 　　The traditional lunch break is disappearing, with workers spending only 3.5 minutes a day eating their midday meal, according to new research.

　　While people used to take their break with a leisurely¹ meal or stroll, they now spend their time shopping, making personal calls or checking their online bank account.

　　Of the 2,000 people polled, nearly two thirds (64 per cent) said they tried to cram² as many activities into their lunch time as possible, with 32 per cent saying it was their only chance to do "essential jobs".

　　The survey found that the average lunch break is now split into at least seven activities ranging from shopping online, catching³ up with friends and family and sorting out personal finances.

　　The poll was commissioned by Dial-a-Phone Pay-As-You-Go, the mobile phone retailers⁴.

　　最新调查表明，英国现代的上班族们花在午餐上的时间只有3分半钟，因为大家都挤出大量休息时间办理私事。

　　据《每日电讯报》5月19日报道，上班族在午间漫不经心地享用美食甚至饭后漫步的情景已经不多见了，越来越多的人都在利用午餐时间去购物、打电话或是查询网络银行帐户等。

　　由英国一家手机零售商的一份针对2000人的社会调查显示，64％的被调查者说，他们尽可能地在午餐时间解决更多的私事，而32％的人说这是他们惟一能够办理“重要事情”的时间。

　　调查发现，上班族在午餐时间至少从事了如下7项活动：网上购物、与朋友或家人聊天、整理私人财务等。

1 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

2 cram   

v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习

参考例句：

• There was such a cram in the church.教堂里拥挤得要命。
• The room's full,we can't cram any more people in.屋里满满的，再也挤不进去人了。

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。