When I worked as a waitress in Chicago, US, my coworkers and I would sigh whenever we heard someone with a foreign accent coming into our restaurant. We knew what it meant to serve a non-American: no tip. We would work just as hard as we always did, but we might not get paid.
Americans have an unspoken rule about tipping: they give tips to almost everyone who offers them a service of some kind. Americans tip their waiters, barbers and taxi drivers. An appropriate tip is between 15 and 20 percent of the amount charged for the service (But the charge for the tip doesn’t appear on the bill. The customer is expected to add it himself/herself.) Tipping less than this sends a message to your waiters that you think they’ve done a bad job serving you. And to leave no tip at all is simply unacceptable.
It’s not that American waiters are greedy. In many countries, waiters are paid a salary for their work. They’ll earn money even if no one comes into the restaurant. This system offers much more safety for waiters than the American version. In the US, waiters know that a night without customers means a night without pay.
Some countries include a tip for waiters – a “service charge” – on the bill itself. Since the tip is included with the other charges, waiters don’t need to worry about people forgetting to tip. But in the US, waiters do not receive a salary, and service charges only appear on bills when there are six or more customers at the table.
Since almost all American customers are familiar with the system, they know to add a tip without being told. But visitors to the US may expect waiters to be paid a salary, or think that the tip is included on the bill.
So much as we waiters loved hearing stories about other places from our foreign customers, we were always nervous when they got ready to leave the restaurant. We were never sure what to expect.
小題1:If you order $200 worth of food, which of the following is a proper total payment?
A.$200B.$215C.$220D.$230
小題2:Why don’t some foreigners tip a waiter according to the writer?.
A.because they are unfamiliar with the American tip system .
B.because they are too mean to give tips to any waiter.
C.because they have difficulty communicating with waiters.
D.because they are not really easy to become satisfied.
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A. The service charge never appear on the bill in the USA.
B. Customers are usually expected to tip waiters in the USA.
C. Dining out in other countries is much more expensive than in the USA.
D. Waiters in other countries earn much more money than those in the USA.
小題4:What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To complain about the difficult life of American waiters.
B.To warn other waiters not to serve any foreign customer.
C.To call on foreign customers to leave tips for American waiters.
D.To tell us something about American waiters’ salary system.

小題1:D
小題2:A
小題3:B
小題4:D

試題分析:本文敘述在美國服務(wù)行業(yè)的小費(fèi)是普遍現(xiàn)象,是一個(gè)不成文的規(guī)定,因?yàn)樵诿绹⻊?wù)員沒有工資,只有客人給的服務(wù)費(fèi),才是自己的收入。
小題1:這是細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)An appropriate tip is between 15 and 20 percent of the amount charged for the service (But the charge for the tip doesn’t appear on the bill. 故選D。
小題2:這是細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)But visitors to the US may expect waiters to be paid a salary, or think that the tip is included on the bill.外國人不熟悉這里小費(fèi)的事情,故選A。
小題3:這是細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Americans have an unspoken rule about tipping: they give tips to almost everyone who offers them a service of some kind.故選B。
小題4:這是寫作意圖題。根據(jù)從全文來看,講述了美國的服務(wù)人員的小費(fèi)問題,故選D。
點(diǎn)評:閱讀理解題目中的作者意圖題目可以包括意圖、態(tài)度、目的題目, 在考試中出現(xiàn)的比率很大。不同的文章可能有不同的寫作意圖,但寫作意圖通常有以下三種:1)to entertain readers(娛樂讀者,讓人發(fā)笑) 2) to persuade readers(說服讀者接受某種觀點(diǎn))3) to inform readers(告知讀者某些信息)
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It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, but also business people. Stores, companies, and advertisers use psychology to increase business: they consider people’s needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs and opinions, etc. in their advertising and sales methods.
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B.men encourage women to take paying jobs
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Everyone needs recognition(賞識) for his achievements,but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father,“Let’s play darts(飛鏢).I’ll throw and you should say ‘Wonderful!’”
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FEL quarterbacks almost never block.They’re usually vastly outweighed by defenders,so blocking exposes them to the risk of severe injury.
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Watching the game films with the team the next day,Tarkenton expected a big pat on the back for what he’d done.    It never came.
After the meeting,Tarkenton approached coach Bud Grant and asked,“You saw my block,didn’t you,Coach?How come you didn’t say anything about it?”
Grant replied,“Sure,I saw the block.It was great,but you’re always working hard out there,Fran.I figured I didn’t have to tell you.”
“Well,”Tarkenton replied,“if you ever want me to block again,you do!”
小題1:What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?
A.Praise can have people take risky actions.
B.Encouragement can make people achieve greater progress.
C.No recognition,no progress.
D.People will be discouraged without praise.
小題2:The author gave the little boy as an example in order to            .
A.show the importance of encouragement
B.show father’s deep love to the son
C.show the boy was complete understanding of his father
D.prove the boy was cleverer than the coach
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A.Quick,brave,exciting.B.Brave,risky,successful.
C.Brave,successful,kind.D.Fast,clever,strong.
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A.Recognition.B.Pride.C.Cheers.D.Reward.
小題5:It can be inferred from the passage that    .
A.Fran Tarkenton was angry with the coach
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C.Fran Tarkenton might not take a risk in blocking again
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