新视野大学英语视听说教程 4 Unit 7-11

 

V. Let’s Talk
Script
The notion of a weekly rest is ancient. Christian¹ religions celebrate a day of rest known as the Sabbath, also called the Lord’s Day. It is on Sunday. The weekend as a holiday is a rather modern invention. Before the industrial revolution the wage labor² force was a small fraction of the population. The day of the Sabbath was viewed as one dedicated³ to God, not one of relaxation⁴.

The early industrial period in Europe saw a six-day work week with only Sunday off, but some workers had no days off at all. Only the workers’ rights movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a five-day work week introduced as Saturday became a day of rest and relaxation. This movement began in England.

In many ways this has been a great boon⁵ to the economy as it leads to a great increase in consumer spending on Saturdays as restaurant visits, motorcar journeys, or trips to the movies became common on Saturday. Many jurisdictions⁶ continued to enforce strict Lord’s Day laws on Sunday, which meant that most places of recreation, such as stores and theaters, were forced to close on that day. These regulations began to weaken in the years after the Second World War, and Sunday also became a day of recreation for many.

After centuries of development, the weekend is now a part of the week usually lasting⁷ two days in which most paid workers do not work. This is a time for leisure and recreation, and for religious activities.

Christian religions celebrate a day of rest known as the Sabbath, also called the Lord’s Day. It is on Sunday. Before the industrial revolution the day of the Sabbath was viewed as one dedicated to God, not one of relaxation.

The early industrial period in Europe saw a six-day work week with only Sunday off.

Only the workers’ rights movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a five-day work week introduced as Saturday became a day of rest and relaxation

In many ways this has been a great boon to the economy as it leads to a great increase in consumer spending on Saturdays.

After the Second World War, and Sunday also became a day of recreation for many.

The weekend is now a part of the week usually lasting two days in which most paid workers do not work. This is a time for leisure and recreation, and for religious activities.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

5 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

6 jurisdictions   

司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围

参考例句：

• Butler entreated him to remember the act abolishing the heritable jurisdictions. 巴特勒提醒他注意废除世袭审判权的国会法令。
• James I personally adjudicated between the two jurisdictions. 詹姆士一世亲自裁定双方纠纷。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。