新东方背诵文选 L29 Telecommuting
时间：2018-12-15 作者：英语课 分类：新东方背诵文选
英语课
Telecommuting-- substituting the computer for the trip to the job ---- has been hailed as a solution to all kinds of problems related to office work.
For workers it promises freedom from the office, less time wasted in traffic, and help with child-care conflicts. For management, telecommuting helps keep high performers on board, minimizes tardiness 1 and absenteeism by eliminating commutes 2, allows periods of solitude 3 for high-concentration tasks, and provides scheduling flexibility 4. In some areas, such as Southern California and Seattle, Washington, local governments are encouraging companies to start telecommuting programs in order to reduce rush-hour congestion 5 and improve air quality.
But these benefits do not come easily. Making a telecommuting program work requires careful planning and an understanding of the differences between telecommuting realities and popular images.
Many workers are seduced 6 by rosy 7 illusions of life as a telecommuter. A computer programmer from New York City moves to the tranquil 8 Adirondack Mountains and stays in contact with her office via computer. A manager comes in to his office three days a week and works at home the other two. An accountant stays home to care for her sick child; she hooks up her telephone modern connections and does office work between calls to the doctor.
These are powerful images, but they are a limited reflection of reality. Telecommuting workers soon learn that it is almost impossible to concentrate on work and care for a young child at the same time. Before a certain age, young children cannot recognize, much less respect, the necessary boundaries between work and family. Additional child support is necessary if the parent is to get any work done.
Management too must separate the myth from the reality. Although the media has paid a great deal of attention to telecommuting in most cases it is the employee's situation, not the availability of technology that precipitates 9 a telecommuting arrangement.
That is partly why, despite the widespread press coverage 10, the number of companies with work-at-home programs or policy guidelines remains 11 small.
1 tardiness
n.缓慢；迟延；拖拉
- Her teacher gave her extra homework because of her tardiness. 由于她的迟到，老师给她布置了额外的家庭作业。 来自辞典例句
- Someone said that tardiness is the subtlest form of selflove and conceit. 有人说迟到是自私和自负的最微妙的表现形式。 来自辞典例句
2 commutes
上下班路程( commute的名词复数 )
- She commutes from Oxford to London every day. 她每天上下班往返于牛津与伦敦之间。
- Barbara lives in Oxford and commutes. 芭芭拉住在牛津，通勤往来。
3 solitude
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方
- People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
- They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。
4 flexibility
n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性
- Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
- The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。
5 congestion
n.阻塞，消化不良
- The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
- Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。
6 seduced
诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷
- The promise of huge profits seduced him into parting with his money. 高额利润的许诺诱使他把钱出了手。
- His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。
7 rosy
adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的
- She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
- She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
8 tranquil
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的
- The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
- The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。
9 precipitates
v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的第三人称单数 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀
- Water precipitates camphor from its alcoholic solution. 水能把樟脑从其酒精溶液中淀析出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Precipitates are usually collected by centrifugation at intervals. 常常是用离心法分段收集沉淀的。 来自辞典例句