When necessary labor was shared equally among all able citizens, the burden on each individual became light and sufficient time remained for education, culture, and genuine leisure.
2Reading· 오늘의 본문
We · Yevgeny Zamyatin · 1924
In the island nation of Utopia, the rhythm of life was set by a simple, profound principle: everyone worked. There were no idle rich or overburdened poor. Each morning, citizens—from scholars to farmers—took up their tools for a few hours of necessary labor in the fields or workshops. When this shared duty was done, a remarkable freedom began. The burden on each person was light, and the afternoons blossomed with possibility. People gathered in libraries, debated philosophy in shaded gardens, or practiced music. This equitable sharing of toil wasn't just about survival; it was the foundation upon which a life of education, culture, and genuine leisure was built for all.
B2 · 128 wordsavg 25.6 w/s
Thomas More's Utopia presents a societal architecture meticulously engineered to eliminate the corrosive effects of idleness and disproportionate toil. Its cornerstone is the mandatory, equitable distribution of necessary labor among all able citizens. This systemic design ensures that when the fundamental requirements of sustenance are met collectively, the individual burden becomes remarkably light. The profound consequence is the liberation of a substantial portion of the day, which Utopians dedicate not to frivolous idleness but to the cultivation of the mind and spirit. This created time is the currency of their civilization, invested in scholarly pursuits, artistic endeavors, and philosophical discourse. Thus, the ideal structure of Utopia posits that shared physical labor is not an end in itself, but the essential mechanism that unlocks intellectual and cultural flourishing, redefining leisure as a state of engaged self-improvement rather than mere inactivity. What makes Utopia endure as a work of literature is precisely this refusal to offer easy consolation — it demands that readers sit with the discomfort of a world that does not resolve neatly, and find their own position within it.
C1 · 170 wordsavg 34.0 w/s
3Vocabulary· 핵심 어휘 & 연습
burden
부담
The shared labor meant the burden on any single person was never too heavy.
sufficient
충분한
With only six hours of work, they had sufficient time for other pursuits.
genuine
진정한
Utopians enjoyed genuine leisure, filled with learning and art.
necessary
필요한
Farming and building were considered necessary labor for society's survival.
leisure
여가
Their leisure was spent in libraries and gardens, not in idleness.
Activity 1 · 빈칸 채우기5 questions
1. Every hour of D-503's life was carefully ____ by the Table of Hours.
2. The ____ of privacy did not exist in the One State.
3. Individual names were ____ and replaced with numbers.
4. The glass walls guaranteed there was no ____ for citizens.
5. The State was ____ declared to represent perfect happiness.