Everybody hates it, but everybody does it. A recent report said that 40％of Americans hate tipping. In America alone, tipping is a $16 billion-a-year industry. Consumers acting politely ought not to pay more than they have to for a given service. Tips should not exist. So why do they? The common opinion in the past was that tips both rewarded the efforts of good service and reduced uncomfortable feelings of inequality. And also, tipping makes for closer relations. It went without saying that the better the service, the bigger the tip.
But according to a new research from Cornell University, tips no longer serve any useful function. The paper analyzes numbers they got from 2,547 groups dining at 20 different restaurants. The connection between larger tips and better service was very weak. Only a tiny part of the size of the tip had anything to do with the quality of service.
Tipping is better explained, by culture than by the money people spend. In America, the custom came into being a long time ago. It is regarded as part of the accepted cost of a service. In New York restaurants, failing to tip at least l5% could well mean dissatisfaction from the customers. Hairdressers can expect to get l5%-20%, and the man who delivers your fast food $2. In Europe, tipping is less common. In many restaurants the amount of tip is decided by a standard service charge. In many Asian countries, tipping has never really caught on at all. Only a few have really taken to tipping.
According to Michael Lynn, the Cornell papers' author, countries in which people are more social or outgoing tend to tip more. Tipping may reduce anxiety about being served by strangers. And Mr. Lynn says, “In America, where people are expressive and eager to mix up with others, tipping is about social approval. If you tip badly, people think less of you. Tipping well is a chance to show off."
1. This passage is mainly about ________.
A. different kinds of tipping in different countries
B. the relationship between tipping and custom
C. the origin and present meaning of tipping
D. most American people hate tipping
2.Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase "caught on"?
A. become popular. B. been hated.
C. been stopped. D. been permitted
3.Among the following situations, in your opinion, who is likely to tip most?
A. A Frenchman just quarreled with the barber who did his hair badly in New York.
B. An American just had a wonderful dinner in a well known restaurant in New York.
C. A Japanese businessman asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut in New York.
D. A Chinese student enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant in New York.
4.We can infer from this passage that ________.
A. tipping is no longer a good way to satisfy some customers themselves
B. tipping is especially popular in New York
C. tipping in America can make service better now
D. tipping has something to
do with people's character
书面表达
假设你的英文名为Jack,是英国诺丁汉大学的中国留学生。你负责为在该校就读的32名中国学生筹划暑假期间的苏格兰之行，为期7天，请你给诺丁汉的STA(Students’ Travel Agency)经理Phil发一封电子邮件，联系有关事宜。要点如下：
1. 希望能够派车接送；
2. 需要一名说标准英语，并非常熟悉苏格兰的导游；
3. 请求告知旅行日程及就餐、旅馆、费用等情况；
4. 你的联系方式：电子邮箱地址：Jackwang@yahoo.com.cn或电话号码：07747745007
注意：（1）词数：100词左右；
（2）开头和结尾已为你写出，不计入总词数；
（3）参考词汇：诺丁汉大学Nottingham University; 旅馆住宿accommodation；旅行日程安排itinerary；长途客车coach。
Hi, Phil,
I’d like you to organize a trip to Scotland for us.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Jack
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误, 每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加: 在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧), 并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除: 把多余的词用斜线(﹨)划掉。
修改: 在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Mr. Johnson is a hardworking teacher. Every day, he spends too much time with his work. With little sleep and hardly any break, so he works from morning till night. Hard work have made him very ill. “He has ruined his healthy. We are worried about him. ”That is which other teachers say. Yesterday afternoon, I paid visit to Mr. Johnson. I was eager to see him, but outside her room I stopped. I had to calm myself down. Quietly I step into the room. I saw him lying in bed, looking at some of the picture we had taken together. I understood that he missed us just as many as we missed him.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
A baby is in danger and its mother is crazy with worry. This is something anyone can relate to, even though we are talking about a mother elephant that has been separated 1. her child.
A video capturing(捕捉)the reunion between the elephant and her 8-month-old baby in Kenya was one of the 2. (impressive)scenes in 2012. The baby fell inside 3. man-made hole and was unable to climb out, according to the video released by the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Despite the best efforts of her desperate mother, the baby seemed helpless 4. a team of conservation workers rushed to help. They had to chase the overprotective mother away first, so that 5. could get close enough to rescue the baby. They 6.(struggle)to pull the baby out with ropes and a vehicle.
7. (lucky), the workers managed to pull the baby to safety. 8. followed was a touching scene. As soon as the baby was free, it ran away across the plain. In the 9.(distant), the cries of her mother could be heard as she came running from the opposite direction. The two were reunited, 10. (hug)each other with their trunks.
完形填空通读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。
A little boy wanted to meet God. He thought it was a long trip to where God lived, he packed his suitcase with lots of food and drinks and he started his .
When he had gone about three blocks, he an elderly man. The boy sat down next to him and his suitcase. He was about to take a drink when he noticed that the man looked , so he offered him a drink.
The man it and smiled at the boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he him another one.
The man smiled at him. They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy it was time to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he , ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy home a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of on his face. She asked him what made him so happy.
He replied, “I had lunch with God, and God’s got the most beautiful I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the elderly man returned to his home. His son was by the look of joy on his face and asked him the question as the little boy’s mother. The elderly man replied, “I ate and drank in the park with God.” However, he , before his son responded, “You know, he’s much than I expected.”
Too often we underestimate the of a touch, a smile, a kind word, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. We should treat the people we meet ; they come into our lives for a reason. Embrace all equally!
1.A. if B. so C. but D. or
2.A. work B. study C. journey D. exploration
3.A. came across B. picked up C. learned from D. took away
4.A. hid B. opened C. examined D. ignored
5.A. worried B. anxious C. thirsty D. tired
6.A. refused B. avoided C. received D. accepted
7.A. lent B. bought C. made D. offered
8.A. again B. still C. only D. just
9.A. imagined B. realized C. announced D. pretended
10.A. played around B. sat around C. turned around D. got around
11.A. gave B. promised C. supplied D. begged
12.A. left B. called C. missed D. returned
13.A. joy B. confidence C. disappointment D. horror
14.A. drink B. food C. face D. smile
15.A. sad B. nervous C. amazed D. excited
16.A. same B. strange C. unique D. unusual
17.A. replied B. added C. reminded D. thought
18.A. braver B. shorter C. younger D. cleverer
19.A. power B. quality C. favor D. difficulty
20.A. differently B. proudly C. calmly D. kindly
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中的两项为多余选项。
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks around the world. 1. Experts claim that there are more flavors of coffee than there are of wine. Coffee contains caffeine, an element (成分) that raises our awareness, keeps us from falling asleep or simply gives us a kick in the morning or after lunch.
2. For a long time doctors have told people not to drink too much coffee, because it may lead to heart problems, high blood pressure, insomnia (失眠) and headaches.
Scientists have now found out that it is the quality of coffee and the way it is brewed (冲泡) that holds the key to our health. 3. Among other things, this is linked to the consumption of a strong brew of coffee. Experts also point out that different roasts and types of coffee beans have different effects on our health.
A new study by a Harvard research group says that there is no link between coffee and health problems. 4. Doctors, however, warn against drinking too much coffee, as it can lead to stomach problems.
Coffee has many advantages, as the new study suggests. While alcohol makes people sleepy and slow-moving, coffee gives them energy. 5.
Although a lot still needs to be uncovered about coffee, it seems to reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes. Reports show that people who drink coffee may develop Parkinson’s disease later in life, or maybe not at all.
A. There are many different types of coffee.
B. Scientists ask people not to drink coffee at night.
C. Elderly people in Greece live longer than normal.
D. But experts are still undecided on how healthy coffee is.
E. Sugar can change the different levels of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
F. Drinking several cups of coffee a day is not connected with heart diseases.
G. Getting together for a cup of coffee also has a positive effect on relationships.
