From Mr. Ward Hoffman.

    Sir, I was halfway through Professor Raj Persaud's article “What's the tipping point"(Financial Times Weekend, April 9-l0) when it occurred to me that what I was reading was not ironic(讽刺的). If Prof Persaud wants to know why Americans tip in restaurants, he need only ask the first American he meets in London.

    Americans tip in restaurants for one reason, and one reason only: we tip to supplement (补贴) the salary of restaurant workers. Quality of service does not enter into it, beyond the fact that one may tip a bit less for poor service, or a little more for good service.

    Not tipping at all in a non-fast-food restaurant is not a choice. In the US, one used to tip about 15 per cent for dining in a family-style restaurant or in an upmarket (高档的) restaurant. Here, in San Francisco Bay area restaurants, we are encouraged to tip 20 per cent or more, to help restaurant workers live in this very expensive area.

   After eating at an Italian restaurant in my city, I left a tip of 20 per cent on the non-tax part of our dinner bill. It was expected. There is nothing more complicated (复杂的) than that about Americans tipping in restaurants.

Ward Hoffman, 

Palo Alto, CA 94306, US

*                *                  *

From Mr. Philip McBride Johnson.

    Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud's opinions about the doubtful value of tipping, but with one exception(例外). Tips can be very useful when one is a repeat customer or diner.

    It is only when the tipper is a stranger and likely to remain so that the system does not work to his or her advantage. But frequent a hotel or a restaurant, always tip a bit more, and the difference in service and treatment will be easily felt.

Philip McBride Johnson,

Great Falls, VA 22066, US

68. What can we learn from Hoffman's letter?

     A. Quality of service determines tipping in the US.

     B. Americans don't tip in non-fast-food restaurants.

     C. Tipping in US upmarket restaurants is unnecessary.

     D. How to tip in the United States is not complicated. 

69. Johnson's letter shows ________.

     A. a stranger in a restaurant is likely to tip a bit more

     B. diners receive better service if they frequent a restaurant

     C. repeat diners may get good service if they tip a bit more

     D. the tipping system works to the advantage of new customers       

70. From the two letters, we can learn Professor Raj Persaud ______ .

     A. feels doubtful about the value of tipping

     B. believes tipping improves quality of service

     C. wants to ask Hoffman about tipping in the US

     D. thinks tipping a bit more one can get good service            

71. The two letters most probably appears in a ______.

     A. notice                B. handbook              C. book review         D. newspaper  


C
A car that runs on coffee is unveiled(shown to the public for the first time)today but at between 25 and 50 times the cost of running a car on petrol, the invention won’t please any motor industry accountants.
Nicknamed the Car-puccino, it has been created using a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco bought for £400 and it was chosen because it looked like the time-traveling DeLorean in the movie Back To The Future.The car will be driven the 210 miles between Manchester and London powered only by roasted coffee granules (颗粒).It has been built by a team from the BBC1 science programme Bang Goes The Theory and will go on display at the Big Bang science fair in Manchester to show how fuels other than traditional petrol can power vehicles.
The team calculates the Car-puccino will do three miles per kilo of ground coffee (咖啡粉) — about 56 cups of espressos (浓咖啡) per mile.The journey will use about 70 kilos of ground coffee which, at supermarket prices of between £13 and £26 a kilo depending on brand and quality, will cost between £910 and £1,820, or between 25 and 50 times the £36 cost of petrol for the journey.In total, the trip will cost 11,760 espressos, and the team will have to take ‘coffee breaks’ roughly every 30 to 45 miles to pour in more granules.They will also have to stop about every 60 miles to clean out the ‘coffee filters’ to rid them of the soot and tar which is also generated by the process.So despite a top speed of 60mph, the many stops mean the going will be slow, with the journey taking around ten hours.
Sadly, the inventors will still have to pay duty on their coffee fuel---even though tax collectors at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom haven’t yet worked out how much.
Nick Watson, producer of Bang Goes The Theory, said, “Coffee, like wood or coal, has some carbon content so you can use it as a fuel.The coffee needs to be very dry and in granules to allow the air to move through the pile of coffee as it burns.The brand doesn’t matter.” He said the same technology could be used to power a car on other unusual fuels, such as woodchips or nut shells, construction or agricultural waste.
49.Which is the right way to choose the coffee used as fuels to run the Car-puccino?
A.It should be very dry.                B.The stronger, the better.
C.The smaller the granules are, the better.  D.It should be of a certain brand.
50.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.All kinds of materials can be used as fuels.
B.The Car-puccino will be put into the market soon.
C.Nick Watson is the designer of the Car-puccino
D.Much remains to be improved for the Car-puccino.
51.The Car-puccino has its disadvantages EXCEPT that ________.
A.it makes a lot of noise           
B.it runs at a very high cost
C.it has to stop to be refueled very often.       
D.it’s not good enough for long-distance journey
52.How much ground coffee will be used to cover a distance of 126 miles in this car?
A.About 70 kilos    B.About 42 kilos.  C.About 32 kilos    D.About 30 kilos

Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge in March 1952, educated at Brentwood School, Essex and St John's College, Cambridge where, in 1974 he gained a BA (and later an MA) in English literature.
He was the creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy(《银河系漫游指南》), which started life as a BBC Radio 4 series in March 1978. Since then it has been transformed into a series of best-selling novels, a TV series, a record album, a computer game and several stage adaptations.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's success sent the book straight to Number One in the UK Bestseller List and in 1984 Douglas Adams became the youngest author to be awarded a Golden Pan. He won a further two (a rare feat), and was nominated—though not selected - for the first Best of Young British Novelists awards.
He followed this success with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, The Universe and Everything (1982); So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (1984); and Mostly Harmless (1992). The first two books in the Hitchhiker series were adapted into a 6-part television series, which was an immediate success when first showed in 1982. Other publications include Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul (1988). In 1984 Douglas teamed up with John Lloyd and wrote The Meaning of Life and their second huge success, The Deeper Meaning of Life followed in 1990. One of Douglas’s personal favorites was written in 1990 when he teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine and wrote Last Chance to See an account of a world-wide search for rare and endangered species of animals.
Douglas sold over 15 million books in the UK, the US and Australia. He was also a best seller in German, Swedish and many other languages.
Douglas Adams died on Friday, May 11, 2001, in Santa Barbara, CA. He will be greatly missed by fans worldwide.
【小题1】The main idea of this passage is           .

A.Douglas Adams, always loved by fans
B.Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
C.Douglas Adams and his works
D.Douglas Adams’s personal lives
【小题2】The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was first shown to the public as           .
A.a radio series B.a movie C.a TV series D.a computer game
【小题3】Which two books were adapted into a six-part TV series?
A.Life, The Universe and Everything and Mostly Harmless
B.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Life, The Universe and Everything
C.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
D.So Long and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless
【小题4】 Last Chance to See is a book about          .
A.Some stories happening in a Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
B.the author’s personal favorites
C.a zoologist and his worldwide experiences
D.searching for rare and endangered species of animals
【小题5】Which of the following statement is not true?
A.Douglas Adams died at the age of 49 and he was memorized by his fans.
B.Douglas Adams was the youngest author to be selected as one of the first Best of Young British Novelists.
C.John Lloyd was one of the authors of the two books, The Meaning of Lifeand The Deeper Meaning of Life.
D.Douglas graduated from Essex and St John's College and gained a Master’s Degree.

B

To: manager@ tastytreat.com.ca

Date: Monday, 7 October, 3:34p.m.

From: raymondyuen@ canada.net

Subject: Complaint

Dear Mr. Price,

I have eaten in your restaurant many times and have always been happy with the food and service. This makes what happened last Saturday even more disappointing.

It was my son’s birthday so we booked a no-smoking table at your restaurant for 7:30 p.m. We arrived on time but were told that our table was not yet ready. At 8:00 p.m., we were given a table in the smoking section. I asked to move but I was told that there were no other tables. A lot of people were smoking so it was uncomfortable and unhealthy.

Our first waitress, Janet, was very polite and helpful. She gave us free drinks for waiting so long. Our food also came quickly and looked fresh and tasty. When my wife had eaten most of her meal, she found a dead cockroach (蟑螂) in her vegetables. She was shocked and wanted to leave. At first, the waitress told us it was a piece of garlic(蒜). When we told her that garlic does not have legs, she apologized and took the food away.

We asked for the bill, expecting not to pay for my wife’s meal. Nobody came. After 15 minutes, I asked to see the manager. The head waiter told us that you were on holiday. I complained again about the horrible cockroach. He told me Janet had finished work. He didn’t believe my story and gave me a bill for three meals. I argued with him but was forced to pay.

The waitress, Janet, was always friendly, but I would like an apology from your impolite head waiter and a full refund (退款) for our meal. It cost $68. Until then, I will not be eating at your restaurant or recommending it to anyone.

You can contact me at 742-3254 or through e-mail if you want more information.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Raymond Yuen

69. We learn from the text that last Saturday Mr. Yuen _____.

  A. was satisfied with the restaurant.          B. was disappointed with the restaurant

  C. had to wait for his food                   D. ate for the first time at the restaurant

70. The writer had to pay the bill because _______.

A. the head waiter would not believe his story 

B. the manager was on holiday

C. Janet didn’t believe there was cockroach in the vegetables

D. his wife had eaten most of her meal

71. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. Mr.Yuen demanded that the head waiter apologize to him.

B. Mr.Yuen asked for a full refund for their meal.

C. Mr.Yuen will not eat at the restaurant any more.

D. The head waiter was not as polite as Janet. 

 

信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分)

阅读下列应用文及相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

    首先, 请阅读下面几个网站的介绍:

A. www.moviefan.com

   If you are a super fan of movies, TV series and cartoons, please visit this website. You can watch them online. You can also download them from the Internet.

B. www.nba.com

   This is a website about Ameirican National Basketball Association, where you can find all the information about the NBA teams and the scores of basketball matches. If you are interested in basketball stars you can also find a lot of introduction about them.

C. www.utoronto.ca/writing/advise.html

   This online writing course provides a number of resources for intermediate ESL learners who want to improve their writing skills. The site provides varieties of topics, sample essays, and writing suggestions.

D. www.wiseshpper.com

   If you like shopping online, it is the best website for you. Here you can find anything you want, such as food, clothes, books and so on. We’re sure that you can enjoy the same shopping pleasure as in the shopping center!

E. www.rollingstone.com

   This is a music website and you can find a lot of latest songs. The most interesting thing about this website is that you can even record your song in the website and allow others to enjoy your voice! It’s wonderful, isn’t it?

F. www.book.com.cn

   Do you like reading? Do you want to write your own books? If yes, it is the very website for you. Here you can not only read others’ books but also write your own books. Besides, you can ask famous writers for advice on how to improve your writing skills.

 

  请阅读以下人物的信息,然后为他/她匹配感兴趣的网站。

1.Amy is taking ESL soon. But she is still not sure about her writing ability, so she is eager to look for a website with various writing materials.

2.Charles likes watching movies on the Internet at home instead of going out with his friends. He says he wants to be a director (导演) in the future.

3.Mary is a basketball fan. Now she is a member of School Basketball Club, where she meets many students who are talented in playing basketball. They often exchange information about the famous basketball stars.

4.Alice likes writing and she wants to be a writer like J.K. Rowling. She wants to find a website for people who like writing and reading.

5.Janet works in a big company and is well-paid. Though she likes shopping very much, she is very busy and can’t spare(抽出) any time for shopping.

 

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