Lesson20 Time Off
Working hours are shorter, holidays are longer, and people have more timeoff now than ever before. What do they do with it?
In both Britain and America, people watch TV for many hours every week. InAmerica there is a very big choice. Many cities have twenty or morechannels, sometimes going for twenty-four hours a day. In Britain there arefour channels, but many people now have satellite or digital TV, offeringhundreds more. Many well-off Americans have a 'camper' or 'trailer' whichthey can use for weekends away. Some have holiday houses in the country, andspend as much time as possible on outside activities like fishing and water-skiing.
Fewer British people have caravans or second homes, but many have gardens,where they spend a lot of their free time. Home owners often take time doingjobs round the house. They paint, put wallpaper, build cupboards and evenmake furniture. There are a lot of DIY (Do It Yourself) shops all over thecountry selling everything they need.
For some, time off means music and dancing. In London and New York, one ortwo new discos open every week. Some close again after a night or two, butsome, like Tramp in London, go on, and on, and on ...
well-off 富裕的, 处境好的
camper 露营车
trailer 汽车拖的活动房屋
caravan [英国]活动住房，野营房车
休闲时光
工作时间变短了，假期变长了，如今人们有了比以往更长的休闲时光。怎么打发这些空闲时间呢？
英国人和美国人每周看很长时间的电视。在美国，可选择的电视节目相当多，许多城市有二十几个频道，有时一天二十四小时播出。英国有四个电视频道，但现在许多人有卫星或数字电视，这类电视可提供上百个频道。不少富有的美国人驾驶自己的“露营车”
或“房车”外出度周末。有些人在乡村有度假房屋，花尽可能多的时间在钓鱼和滑水这样的户外运动上。
英国人很少拥有野营房车或另外的住处，但很多人有花园，把很多空闲时间花在了上面。房主经常花时间打理房子。他们粉刷、上墙纸、做橱柜，甚至制作家具。英国国内有很多的DIY（自己动手）商店，出售人们需要的每样东西。
休闲时光对有些人意味着音乐和跳舞。在伦敦和纽约，每周都会新开一两家迪斯科舞厅。有些开张后一两天马上就关了，但也有的生意一直红火，如伦敦的“Tramp”。 |