【C8】A．stoodB．stoppedC．remainedD．set

单项选择题

Americans suffer from an overdose of work. Regardless【C1】______who they are or what they do, Americans spend【C2】______time at work than at any time since World War II. In 1950, the US had fewer working hours【C3】______any other industrialized country. Today, it exceeds every country【C4】______Japan, where industrial employees load 2,155 hours a year compared【C5】______1,951 in the US and 1,603 in the【C6】______West Germany. Between 1969 and 1989, employed Americans【C7】______an average of 138 hours to their yearly work schedules. The workweek【C8】______above 40 hours, but people are working more weeks each year.【C9】______, paid time off holidays, vacations, sick leave shrank【C10】______15 percent in the 1990s. As corporations have【C11】______stiffer competition and slower growth in productivity, they have pressed employees to work longer. Cost-cutting lay-offs in the 1990s【C12】______the professional and managerial runs,【C13】______fewer people to get the job done. In lower-paid occupations,【C14】______wages have been reduced, workers have added hours【C15】______overtime or extra jobs to【C16】______their living standard. The Government estimates that more than seven million people hold a second job. For the first time, large【C17】______of people say they want to cut【C18】______on working hours, even if it means earning less money.【C19】______most employers are unwilling to let them do so. The Government, which has stepped back from its traditional【C20】______as a regulator of work time, should take steps to make shorter hours possible.

【C8】

A．stood
B．stopped
C．remained
D．set