Exercise 4

Paraphrase the following passage:

“Europeans often observe that Americans schedule everything except time for relaxation. This is particularly true of American executives, who drive themselves too hard, often at the expense of their families and their health. Americans have fewer holidays and take shorter vacations than do Europeans. In the opinion of many German and French executives, American executives are obsessed with work; they are workaholics. Most Europeans do not accept working on weekends or holidays; they reserve these times for themselves and their families (Hall & Hall, 1995).”

Answer:

Americans were frequently seen by Europeans to have tight schedule and little leisure time. The American professional work hard and do not even sacrifice time for family welfare. Moreover, Europeans prefer to taking off during weekends and longer holidays than the Americans. Many executives in Germany and France believe that Americans are workaholics. Unlike Americans, Europeans enjoy the free time with their families instead of obsessing over work.