Question

 

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 restarts 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 up-market (高档的) restaurant. Here, in San Francisco Bay area restaurants, we are encouraged to tip 20 per cent or more, to help restart workers live in this very expensive area.

   After eating at an Italian restart 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 Americas tipping in restaurants.

Ward Hoffman, 

Palo Alto, CA 94306, US

*                *                  *

From Mr. Philip McBride Johnson.

    Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud’s opinion 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

1.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 up-market restaurants is unnecessary.

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

2.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 dinners may get good service if they tip a bit more

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

3.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               

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

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

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

【详解】由第三段Not tipping at all in a non-fast-food restaurant is not a choice.看出不给小费是错的，所以B错。one used to tip about 15 per cent for dining in a family-style restaurant or in an up-market (高档的) restaurant说明在up-market restaurants里也是需要小费的。而地方不同，小费费率也不同，说明不光是服务质量决定小费，所以A错。从文章中可以轻松了解如何给小费，因而并不复杂。There is nothing more complicated (复杂的) than that about Americas tipping in restaurants. 关于美国人在饭店给小费就这么简单（除了上面这些内容，没有更复杂的东西了）

2.C

【详解】由第二封信第一段“Tips can be very useful when one is a repeat customer or diner”推知答案。.小费多少对新顾客没什么影响，但对老顾客来说，小费多一点，下一次服务可能就好一些。所以答案选C。

3.A

【详解】由第二封信第一段“Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud’s opinion about the doubtful value of tipping,” 可以看出Raj质疑value of tipping，说明以他的观点，多付小费不一定能得到好的服务。并且，不同地区付小费的多少也不同，小费的多少不能决定一个人是不是能得到好的服务。

4.D

【详解】由第一封信第二段“(Financial Times Weekend, April 9-l0)”(经济时报周末版—四月9-10号)可以看出这两封信是在报纸上的内容。