专题 09 英美文化阅读理解专项：美国周末+美国婚礼+英国婚礼习俗- 2024年高考英语常考英美文化阅读专练+素材积累

21. Weekend in America美国人的周末 In the United States Monday is the beginning of the workweek; it is the day most Americans like least. It is not surprising then that the day they like most is Saturday. Saturday is the end of the workweek and the beginning of the weekend. Life is different on the weekend; most Americans take care of their house, car or garden. They sleep till late in the morning. They enjoy the feeling that the time seems to move more slowly. The week is for things you have to do; the weekend is for things you want to do. Some people may get in a car and go for a drive in the country. They like to take part in a sports activity outdoors. And on Saturday night they might go to a public eating place or a movie. The idea of the weekend is a recent invention. In the 1870s wealthy people began to speak of spending weekends in the country visiting friends. For most people back then, however, the workday was six days long. It ended at about noon or later on Saturday. Automobile maker Henry Ford was the first major employer in the United States to establish (设立) a workweek of 5 days. He did that in 1926. Henry Ford thought that if the working people had more free time they would spend more money, which is good for the economy. By 1940 it had become common for most Americans to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Today the lives of most Americans are organized that way: 5 days of work or school followed by 2 days of rest. For many people Saturday night is the highpoint of the weekend and the week. It is the night for going out and having fun. Many people spend the Saturday night at home with friends. They have dinner together. Perhaps they watch a movie on a video cassette recorder. Other people go on a date. A date usually involves (牵涉) two people. People on a date might go to a public concert, yet they talk only to each other. Is there anything people do not like about the weekend? A study of 1,000 Americans found that half would gladly trade a paid workday