1 . This week the Portuguese parliament attracted headlines around the world after we banned bosses from contacting their employees outside of working hours. Under the new laws, employers will now face punishment if they text-message, phone or email their workers when they are off the clock.
There should be a boundary between the time in which a worker is a resource in the service of the person paying their salary, and the time in which they should be the owner of a life that is not all about work. We have introduced these new labour laws to avoid the blurring (模糊) of the boundary needed for a good work-life balance.
In the age of the industrial revolution, workers could be little more than workers. The demand for shorter working hours was a central tenet of the labour movement from the very beginning. Long working hours can cause poor health. The worry has been that the rise of remote working is threatening to take us back to that period before trade unions won protections for their members, when the working day stretched out endlessly. Remote working has to be step forward, not a step back. When more and more of us are working remotely, it is all the more essential to establish clear boundaries.
Labour market regulation cannot ignore the inequality between the parties: employers and employees. A work relation is not one between equals that can be freely regulated by the individual contract. Between the weak and the strong, the state must be involved to regain the balance.
In an unequal relationship such as that between boss and worker, it is not enough to establish the latter has a “right to disconnect”; to switch off their mobile phone, close their laptop, or ignore phone calls that arrive in the middle of dinner with their family. Any abuse that conflicts with that right must be stopped through punishment. This is why we have prohibited employers from contacting workers outside working hours, and imposed potential fines for breaking the rules.
1. What’s the purpose of the new laws?| A．To make workers serve others more efficiently. |
| B．To increase workers’ time remaining for the enjoyment of life. |
| C．To strengthen the boundaries between working time and personal time, |
| D．To encourage bosses to provide better working environments for their workers. |
| A．It is threatening to make us work longer. | B．It is more tiring than working in an office. |
| C．It frees workers from unnecessary tasks. | D．It is a step forward in establishing clear boundaries. |
| A．Workers should be paid for their extra work. |
| B．The relationship between boss and worker is unequal. |
| C．Many workers have not signed contract with their bosses. |
| D．Bosses have too many ways to send messages to their workers. |
| A．Remote Working Makes the Protection of Workers Necessary and Urgent |
| B．Portuguese Workers’ Right to Disconnect Has Been Largely Strengthened |
| C．Laws Stopped Portugal’s Bosses Contacting Staff Outside Work Hours |
| D．Laws Protecting the Relationship Between Parties Were Passed in Portugal |
2 . Some places in the world have strange laws. It's important for you to know about them before going there.
Whoever likes to chew gum (口香糖) may have to leave Singapore. The government really wants to keep the city clean and will fine you for chewing gum.
Before you leave for the United Arab Emirates, you'd better make sure you aren’t visiting during Ramadan (斋月). During that time you aren’t allowed to eat or drink in public. Tourists have been fined up to $275 for drinking in public.
In Thailand it's against the law to drive a car or motorcycle without a shirt on, no matter how hot it is. Punishments are different in different areas and can include warnings and tickets costing about $10. No joke--the local police will stop you.
Studies in Denmark have shown that cars with their headlights on are more noticeable by other drivers than those with their headlights off. Drivers there are required to leave their headlights on even during the day, or they may face a fine up to $100.
Make sure you know about these laws before your next trip. Better safe than sorry.
1. What is mainly talked about in the text?| A．How to make your trip around the world safe. |
| B．Why there are strange laws in the world. |
| C．Interesting places you can go to around the world. |
| D．Some strange laws you should know about for your trip. |
| A．you should wear your shirt even though it's hot |
| B．the police will play a joke on you |
| C．the police will give you tickets costing about $10 |
| D．you should always keep your headlights on |
| A．In Thailand it's against the law to drive a car or motorcycle with a shirt on. |
| B．The Singaporean government cares a lot about its environment. |
| C．Tourists in the United Arab Emirates shouldn't eat in public. |
| D．You can turn your headlights off in daytime in Denmark. |
3 . While the U.S. is still debating about getting rid of the penny, Sweden is rapidly moving towards abolishing currency(货币) altogether. Though this may sound radical(过激的), it is a natural evolution in this digital society.
Sweden, which was the first European country to introduce banknotes in 1661, has just been working harder to convince its residents that digital payments are a safer alternative to carrying cash.
Over the years, the idea has gained popularity with residents, especially the younger generation that is much more comfortable with technology. Today many banks don't even have ATMs and some have stopped handling cash altogether!
Tickets to ride public buses in most Swedish cities can only be purchased via cell phones. Numerous businesses are also moving towards accepting only digital payments. Even the homeless that sell street paper to make ends meet have to start accepting this mode of payment!
But despite its growing popularity, some people don't like this radical idea. They include the homeless, elderly people as well as those living in rural areas who are still uncomfortable with mobile phones and computers. But the officials are confident that in the very near future, they will be able to convince everyone to move this safe and more cost-effective payment system.
Sweden is not the only country trying to abolish paper currency and coins. The movement is rapidly gaining ground in Denmark and Finland as well. In 2014, Israel announced a three-step plan to go cashless and just last week the vendors(小贩)of a popular street in Sydney declared they would stop accepting currency from customers. Whether this phenomenon spreads remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure—With increasingly advanced payment systems being introduced every day, pulling out cash is rapidly becoming “uncool”.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 3 and 4?| A．Many banks in Sweden don't have ATMs. |
| B．You don't have to buy tickets when riding buses. |
| C．People don't give the homeless money but food. |
| D．People can just take cell phones when shopping. |
| A．Sweden was the first country to get the idea to abolish currency. |
| B．The younger generation is opposed to the measures. |
| C．Bus fare can only be purchased via cell phones in most Swedish cities. |
| D．Banks in Sweden have stopped dealing with cash completely. |
| A．An Advanced Country –Sweden |
| B．A Controversial Government Policy |
| C．Sweden to Influence the World's Cash Payment |
| D．Sweden to Become the Cashless Society |
| A．Education. | B．Economy. |
| C．Travel. | D．Insurance. |
