Improving the balance between the working part of the day and the rest of it is a goal of a growing number of workers in rich We

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问题     Improving the balance between the working part of the day and the rest of it is a goal of a growing number of workers in rich Western countries. Some are turning away from the ideals of their parents, for whom work always came first; others with scarce skills are demanding more because they know they can get it. Employers, Caught between a falling population of workers and tight controls on immigration, are eager to identify extra perks that will lure more "talent" their way. Just now they are focusing on benefits (especially flexible working) that offer employees more than just pay.
    Some companies saw the change of mood some time ago. IBM has more than 50 different programmes promoting work-life balance and Bank of America over 30. But plenty of other firms remain unconvinced and many lack the capacity to cater to such ideas even if they wanted to. Helen Muftis, with Hay Group, a human-resources consultancy, sees a widening gap between firms "at the creative end of employment" and those that are not.
    The chief component of almost all schemes to promote work-life balance is flexible working. This allows people to escape rigid nine-to-five schedules and work away from a formal office. IBM says that 40% of its employees today work off the company premises. For many businesses, flexible working is a necessity. Globalization has spread the hours in which workers need to communicate with each other and increased the call for flexible shifts.
    Nella Barkley, an American who advises companies on work-life balance, says that large firms ale beginning to understand the value of such schemes, "but only slowly". For most of them, they still mean little more than child care, health care and flexible working.
    To some extent, the proliferation of work-life-balance schemes is a function of today’s labour market. Companies in knowledge, based industries worry about the shortage of skills and how they are going to persuade talented people to work for them. Although white-collar workers are more likely to be laid off nowadays, they are also likely to get rehired. Unemployment among college graduates in America is just over 2%. The same competition for scarce. talent is evident in Britain.
    For some time to come, talented people in the West will demand more from employers, and clever employers will create new gewgaws to entice them to join. Those employers should note that for a growing number of these workers the most appealing gewgaw of all is the freedom to work as and when they please.

选项 A、they always put their work as the first thing in life.
B、they are pursuing a more balanced lifestyle.
C、they are equipped with special skills.
D、they are focusing on benefits more than their salary.

答案B

解析 推理判断题。根据题干中的demanding more定位至首段。开篇指出在西方富裕国家越来越多的人想要在工作和生活之间找到一个更好的平衡。接着介绍他们对此的表现:有些人不再喜欢父母亲一辈认为工作总是第一的理念;另有一些掌握稀缺技术的人则要求更多,因为他们知道自己能得到满足。第二句是对首句的解释,由此可见,雇员向雇主提出更多的要求是为了获得一种更加平衡的生活方式。从第二句可知,认为工作第一是父母一辈的想法,与孩子的想法完全不同;第二句中提到一些工人拥有scarce skills"稀缺技能",这是他们能向雇主要求更多的条件,而不是原因,此外special skills"特别技能"与此意思也有差别;第一段末句最后指出:雇主不仅仅关注雇员的工资,还关注其他福利,如将原句主语换成了"雇员",属于偷梁换柱。
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