[E458]Fuss and bother|经济学人
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist 2016年第30期，International版块。
Workplace stress
How firms are easing the strain
Jul 23rd 2016
THE cost of stress is staggering[1]. In Britain, 43% of all working days lost due to ill-health are because of stress-related conditions. Across Europe the share is even higher. One recent paper in America estimated that work-related stress—which excludes that experienced by the unemployed, students and those working in the home—accounted for between $125 billion and $190 billion in health-care costs annually.
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Governments and firms are starting to pay attention. Last year Japan—which has a word (karoshi[过劳死]) to describe death from overwork—flirted with[2] the idea of forcing employees to take more of the vacation to which they are entitled. France recently passed a law giving workers the “right to disconnect”, which obliges[3] firms with more than 50 staff to draw up rules for handling out-of-hours[在正常工作或学习等时间之外] work e-mails. Google has nap pods[4] in its headquarters; employees can also attend meditation[冥想] and mindfulness[正念;内观;静观] classes. The New York offices of Knewton, an education-technology company, boast[5] ping-pong tables and a large terrace[平台;露台] for “knerds” in need of a break.
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Travellers at Los Angeles International Airport are greeted by dogs from the airport’s Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP) programme. On Fridays at Yale Medical School, angsty[忧虑的;焦虑的] students can visit Finn the Therapy Dog, whose ancestry includes terrier and poodle[6]. The University of Minnesota[明尼苏达大学] has a similar scheme with a range of animals, including Woodstock, a lushly feathered[羽毛丰密的] chicken (pictured). Petting animals[7] is known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol[胆固醇].
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注释
[1]staggering：very shocking and surprising 惊人的，令人震惊的
It costs a staggering $50 000 per week to keep the museum open to the public.
维持博物馆向公众开放的费用每周竟高达5万美元。
staggeringly expensive
贵得吓人
[2]flirt with sth：to consider doing something, but not seriously, or to be interested in something for a short time 不认真地考虑；对…暂时感兴趣
I'm flirting with the idea of taking a year off and travelling round the world.
我心血来潮，想休假一年去周游世界。
[3]oblige
1）to force someone to do something, or to make it necessary for someone to do something 责成；强迫，迫使
The law obliges companies to pay decent wages to their employees.
法律强制公司向其雇员支付适当的工资。
2）to please or help someone, especially by doing something they have asked you to do （尤指按别人要求的去做以）讨好，帮助，为…效劳
We only went to the party to oblige some old friends who especially asked us to be there.
我们去参加这个聚会只是为了照顾一些老朋友的面子，他们特意要求我们到场。
[4]nap pods
nap 小睡，打盹儿；小憩
pod：a long narrow container which is fixed to an aircraft for carrying engines, weapons, extra fuel, 吊舱；（翼梢等上的）发射架；副油箱
an escape/storage/accommodation pod
逃生／储藏／住宿舱
pod 还有箱；容器；蚕茧；豆荚等意思。
nap pods应该是指在Google总部设置有让员工休息/小憩的地方。
[5]boast：to have or own something to be proud of 有（值得自豪的东西）
Ireland boasts beautiful beaches, great restaurants and friendly locals.
爱尔兰拥有美丽的海滩、很棒的餐馆和友好的当地人。
[6]terrier：a breed of small active dog, originally used for hunting and chasing animals into or out of their underground holes （一种活泼的小狗，最初用于狩猎和将猎物赶进或赶出洞穴） 㹴
poodle：a dog with curly hair that is usually cut short, except on its head, tail and legs 髦毛狗，贵妇犬
a miniature poodle
迷你贵妇犬
[7]pet：If you pet an animal, child, etc., you touch them gently and kindly with your hands 抚摸，爱抚，轻按
Our dog loves to be petted and tickled behind the ears.
我们的狗喜欢人在它耳后抚摸、挠痒。
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以上言论不代表本人立场。
原文摘自The economist，仅外语学习之用。
其中生词解释来源于Cambridge Dictionaries
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