And businesses may not seize the opportunity either. Working less may be linked tohigher productivity (on a per-hour basis), but overall output could still fall because of thesmaller number of hours worked. That will not get governments or employers excited.

　　Advocates of a four-day week could claim that improving people's quality of life is moreimportant than boosting the economy. In an essay published during The Great Depression,John Maynard Keynes wrote of an"age of leisure and abundance"in which technologicaladvances would allow people to work 15-hour week.

　　Unfortunately for any readers working hard on a Friday aftemoon, Keynes jumped at his conclusion too soon. Even Ms. O'grady, now demanding a longer weekend, is pessimistic inher timescale. A four-day week is apparently achievable"in this century".

24. The underlined phrase"leap at "in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.

　A. Refuse B.grab C. abandonD. obtain

25. We can infer from the last paragraph that Ms. O'grady _______.

　A.calls for an urgent attention to her suggestion

　B. feels confident of making longer weekend a reality

　C. regrets coming up with the idea of a longer weekend

　D. realizes the idea of longer weekend remains a distant dream

26. What is the text mainly about?

　A. A longer weekend isn't that practical.

　B. The French oppose a longer weekend

　C. A longer weekend causes lower efficiency.

　D. A three-day weekend is a fresh idea in Europe.

Palaces are known for their beauty and splendor, but they offer little protection againstattacks. It is easy to defend a fortress (堡垒),but fortresses are not designed with thecomfort of a king or queen in mind. When it comes to structures that are both majestic andwell-defended, the classic European castle is the best example of design. Across the agescastles changed, developed, and eventually fell out of use, but they still command thefascination of our culture.