Additional text Read the text and translate using the dictionary relaxing isn't easy.

I know -1 have tried it. I can see, therefore, why japan's Ministry of Inter­national Trade and Industry should want corporations to have full-time "leisure advisers". It seems an idea worth copying. A start should, perhaps, be made at the very top. Captains of industry often find it hardest of all to relax. Workers at least have the excuse that they need to protect their job and pay off the mortgage. Many tycoons have all the money they could ever hope to spend. So why don't they ease up? Some buy a luxurious yacht, a beach house, or even an island, but seldom make use of these expensive leisure facilities. "I don't have time for a holiday," they insist. What they usually mean is that they could find the time, if pressed, but that they don't want to. Some consider themselves so indispensable that their business would collapse if they were not around to supervise every detail. Some are prisoners of their own success: they sit on so many boards of directors, and have such a heavy schedule of appointments, that they "haven't a moment _r to spare". But more often than not the plain truth is that they don't know how to ease up. No-one has ever told them how to do it. You can't be a frantic executive one day and a leisurely beachcomber the next: the contrast is too great. The bronzed young drifters who make it look simple have had years of practice. Put a captain of industry on a beach and he tends to get bored and restless. He misses the pace, the action. Invite him to play tennis and he will probably decline, because he fears that he will look foolish - he prefers to play games in the office, where he is a proven winner. If he has a holiday home, or stays in a plush hotel, he will be on the telephone six times a day, doing what he does best. Relaxing is for wimps.

So what can a "leisure adviser" do for him - or, increasingly, her? The basic task is to change attitudes, and gradually to introduce him to various leisure activities. Some experts believe in playing what is known as the "fear card". The executive is warned of the risk of "burnout" and told that, if he doesn't take care of his health, the business will suffer. Does he realise what it would cost if he had to go into hospital? More, much more than a holiday. That is the bottom line. But I believe in a more positive approach. A good start is to persuade him that holidays are a "psychological investment", and that it is perfectly feasible to combine business with pleasure. This has to be done step by step: the cold turkey treatment is rarely effective. They can take work with them. (A recent survey by the Hyatt Corporation showed that nearly half of the executives questioned do so.) For a captain of industry, holidays are ideal for strategic planning. They can call the office, though the aim must be to reduce the number of calls as the holiday progresses. They can have faxes sent to them, though the staff should try to cut down on the rolls of fax paper: one should be sufficient after a while. They can be persuaded to " take up golf. It is not only a pleasant (and healthy) way of going for a leisurely walk, but it can also be good for business.

There are plenty of courses in the sun. Executives should be reminded that this is the time of the year when it becomes imperative to embark on inspection tours of overseas subsidiaries in places like Florida, Australia and Jamaica. Once the initial leisure training period has been completed you can try to hook him on other activities which are every bit as challenging as a take-over bid. He can climb mountains, ride river rapids, go scuba diving. He may well end up making a happy discovery: leisure can be fun.

Ex.

1. What sorts of people do you think find it especially hard to take time off and relax? What advice would you give someone who finds it difficult? Read quickly through the text 'Easy does it' to find out the writer's views on these two questions.

2. Find ten words and phrases in the text associated with each of the following:

the world of work leisure activities.

3. Read the text again in detail to complete the following statements.

1. Top executives often find it difficult to take time off because

A it would cause them financial problems.

В they need to protect their jobs.

C they have never really learnt how to relax.

D they simply don't have the time.

2. For many executives the worst thing about going away on holiday is

A having to stay in a hotel or holiday home.

В having to lie on a beach in the sun.

С being out of touch with the office.

D being unable to escape the telephone.

3. The main role of a leisure adviser is to

A teach an executive a new leisure activity.

В give an executive a full medical check-up.

С help an executive alter his approach to life.

D organise a holiday for an executive.

4. The author believes executives need to be convinced of the

A psychological benefits of a holiday.

В financial benefits of a holiday.

С commercial benefits of a holiday.

D social benefits of a holiday.

5. If the initial training is successful, an executive might then be persuaded to

A have regular holidays abroad.

В take up an exciting new activity.

С spend more time at home.

D reorganise his business.

Your thoughts

• What do you think of the idea of a 'leisure adviser'?

• How easy is it for you to relax?

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