字数 : 4 69 words 建议做题时间: 6.5 分钟 As government agencies and corporations scramble to cut expenses, one idea gaining widespread attention involves cutting something most employees wouldn’t mind losing: work on Fridays. Regular three-day weekends, without a decrease in the actual hours worked per week, could not only save money, but also ease pressures on the environment and public health, advocates say. The economic downturn started the trend, as companies looked to avoid laying off employees, notes John Langmaid, organizer of an upcoming symposium on the issue for the Connecticut Law Review. Firms soon realized that when they closed on Fridays they could save money without having to reduce weekly hours. Indeed, Langmaid remarks , the idea of a four-day , 40-hour workweek “has been out there for quite some time as a response to environmental issues , commuting pressures , as well as work-family balance. ’’ Local governments in particular have had their eyes on Utah over the last year ; the state redefined the workday for more than 17, 000 of its employees last August. For those workplaces, there’s no longer a need to turn on the lights, elevators or computers on Fridays — nor do janitors need to clean vacant buildings. Electric bills have dropped even further during the summer, thanks to less air-conditioning: Friday’s midday hours have been replaced by cooler mornings and evenings on Monday through Thursday. As of May, the state had saved $1.8 million. Perhaps as important, workers seem all too ready to replace “TGEF” (Thank God it’s Friday) with “TGIT”. “People just love it , ” says Lori Wadsworth, a professor of public management at Brigham Young University in Provo. She helped survey those on the new Working 4 Utah schedule this May and found 82 percent would prefer to stick with it. The environment seems to like it, too. “If employees are on the road 20 percent less, and office buildings are only powered four days a week,” Langmaid says, “the energy savings and congestion savings would be enormous.’’ Plus, the hour shift for the Monday through Thursday workers means fewer commuters during the traditional rush hours, speeding travel for all. It also means less-time spent idling in traffic and therefore less spewing of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. An interim report released by the Utah state government in February projected a drop of at least 6, 000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually from Friday building shutdowns. If reductions in greenhouse gases from commuting are included , the state would check the generation of at least 12, 000 metric tons of CO 2 — the equivalent of taking about 2, 300 cars off the road for one year. “As we move further into the 21st century, governments need to look for ways to become more efficient. Moving to a four-day workweek should be at the top of the list,” Gianaris says. “It helps the environment. People like it. It’s a no-brainer. ’ 1.According to the passage, the four-day workweek trend was brought out by