Most of my work is done online these days, and I'm always surprised at how many people expect me to be available 24/7, answering emails as soon as they arrive, night or day.
我的大部分工作，现在一般都是在网上完成。看到大家都希望我一天二十四小时一星期七天都在线，不分白天昼夜只要一有邮件就回复，我总是很吃惊。
It wasn't too long ago that people tended to work a fixed timetable - once the work was done they headed home and that was it for the day.
不久前，人们就开始有固定工作时间——一旦工作完成了，他们就会回家，而这一天也就告一段落了。
But the rise of the Internet, online shopping and banking and other 'always on' services has given us the idea that everything should be available all of the time.
但是，锁着因特网的出现，网上购物和银行交易以及其它随时随地都在线的服务已经给了我们这种印象：所有的一切都应该是无时无刻都在线可用的。
And that's where the expression 24/7 comes in.
而这就是24/7这个词的来源。
When something's 24/7 you can pretty much guarantee that it's always available, or that a service is offered all day, without interruptions, around the clock.
如果某物是24/7的状态，这就意味着，这个东西或者服务是全天候可用的，不会终端，二十四小时有效/可用。
The Oxford English Dictionary first included 24/7 way back in 1983, but it's only in recent years that it's become so widespread, covering shops, websites and even people.
早在1983年，牛津英语字典第一次收录了24/7这个词，但是它是在最近才开始流行起来的，会在商店、网站甚至人身上使用。
These days you might even find 24/7/365, meaning that a service is available every day of the year - which more or less describes my work routine!
现在，大家甚至有可能会听到24/7/365这个词，意思是提供全年全天候的服务——这差不多是我的工作的写照。
