Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dunja Špijunović
Dunja Špijunović
( / 10 marks)
Who needs a holiday?
You do! In 137 countries around the world, governments have passed laws that guarantee employees
annual leave of three or four, or even more, weeks every year. However, in some countries, such as the
United States, there is no such annual leave law. France and Finland have the most time off – 30 days. 25
days leave is the norm for quite a few countries, such as Austria, while China and Canada only have ten
days.
Nevertheless, many people don’t take holidays often enough. Some never take them! Their workload is so
huge that they feel that they can’t take any time off. These people are constantly trying to juggle their
workload. Even when they do take a holiday, they often take work with them, so they’re still working.
Even if they don’t take work with them, they almost certainly check e-mails which means they can’t
completely forget about work and relax.
Doctors and medical researchers know that taking time off is more than a good idea. A holiday may be
just as important to your physical health as taking medicine or getting regular exercise. They say that an
annual holiday can cut the risk of heart attack in men by 30 percent and in women by 50 percent. A
holiday enables you to recharge your batteries, to do things that you never have time to do, to experience
new things or even to just rest. Time away from the job also helps your mental health. Just being away
helps relax the mind and increase your level of happiness.
Another benefit of a holiday is that you return from it better able to do your regular work, whatever that
may be. A recent study by C. Fritz and S. Sonnentag showed that holidays increase your energy level so
that you need less effort to get work done when you return. Many people have said that their ability to
accomplish meaningful work is far greater after a holiday; they feel totally energised. So maybe it’s time
to start thinking about taking a real holiday. There may even be some benefit in dreaming about it, even if
you can’t actually do it.
Read the text and the questions below. For each question, choose the correct letter a, b, c or d.
1 In which country do workers have the most time off?
a the USA
b Austria
c Canada
d Finland
2 In paragraph 2, what does the word they refer to?
a people’s workload
b people who don’t take holidays
c holidays
d people who frequently take holidays
3 The writer says that some people who take holidays
a use a laptop to relax on holiday.
b don’t enjoy them.
c can’t stop thinking about work.
d should take work with them.
4 According to paragraph 3,
a people are able to do anything they like when they are at work.
b holidays allow people to exercise their minds.
c holidays are more important than taking medicine.
d doctors believe it is very beneficial to take holidays.
5 How would the writer explain the importance of going on a holiday?
a We work better after a holiday.
b It’s good to think about a holiday after going back to work.
c Work becomes more meaningful before a holiday.
d Holidays make people excited about work