万花筒2008-01-18:强制性职工病假

Sike leave may be made mandatory¹ in Washington D.C. at all businesses

A national movement to make sure you get sick days at work is catching² on. Fortune small business reports / Washington D.C could become the second US city to require a mandatory sick leave at all businesses. Right now worker advocates estimate/ 70 million American employees don't have sick leave benefits. So the advocates are pushing for universal laws. San Francisco approved the sick leave law in 2006. Ten states plus the city of Milwaukee have introduced similar bills. None of them have passed yet. DC council members are scheduled to vote on February 5th.

Boeing has announced passengers will have to wait a while longer before the aerospace³ giant's newest jumbo jet hits the skys. Boeing says it's pushing back delivery of the first 787 dreamliner possibly by three months. That will give Boeing's workers more time to build the massive aircraft. The dreamliner will be Boeing's first newly designed commercial jet since the 777 began flying in 1995. The plane will boast technological⁴ advances that allows more fuel efficiency, bigger windows, less turbulence⁵ and higher humidity in cabins, which could lead to a more comfortable flight for you.

For Consumer Watch, I'm Lizz Kennedy

1 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

4 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

5 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。