B
Modern Manners
Philip Howard answers your questions on contemporary etiquette (礼仪)
Philip Howard,
When my friend and I (two ladies of a certain age) go out to have a meal, she always leaves an extremely large tip. At times, the tip will equal the amount of one of the main dishes—sometimes it comes to about 30 per cent of the bill. I feel 15—20 per cent is adequate for services offered and depending on the type of restaurant. At a cafe I would like to leave 15 per cent or a bit more depending on the service and etc. A larger tip would be appropriate if we are in a big city or a nicer place. My friend says “Well, I am sure they are not driving a Mercedes (奔驰汽车).” Well, neither am I, and how does she know? Who is correct and how can I make changes? I might add I do truly feel tipping should be based on good service, and also if you frequent a place and know the staff a larger tip is OK. I would never hesitate to tip a waitperson. I always leave to the higher side.
Yours,
Barbara Bade
Barbara Bade,
Americans are more generous tippers than the British. I suspect that 10 per cent for a tip is about normal in the UK. Tipping is a strange survival in our age of supposed equality and minimum wages. Your friend has a generous nature and deep purse. I do not see why you cannot let her tip whatever she wants, and do your own thing. I agree that a tip should be a reward for good service and general good feeling. If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah (厚颜) to do this. Sensible restaurants have a box for tips, so that they are shared out among the staff, including those in the kitchens whom we do not see. (I trust that the management does not receive the money as extra profit.) I look forward to the day when waiters and other servants are paid a good enough living wage, so that they do not have to depend on the generosity of strangers to survive. To wait at table is just as honorable a way to earn a living in this wicked world. If you are pleased with the meal and cheerful service, you should tip as handsomely as your purse affords. I don’t suppose that your waiter / waitress is driving a Mercedes, even in the States.
Yours,
Philip Howard
60. We can learn from the first letter that Barbara prefers ___________.
A. changing her own ideas on how to tip waiters
B. leaving a bigger tip to the familiar waitpersons
C. eating at a café rather than in a nice restaurant
D. saving as much money as possible for herself
61. It can be inferred that Barbara’s friend tips waiters heavily ________.
A. to show that she is well off B. because they are thought to be poorly paid
C. to show that she is generous D. because they have offered her full service
62. Besides quality of service, Philip regards __________ as principles of tipping.
A. taste of food and amount of one’s money
B. taste of food and the number of servants
C. generosity of strangers and the number of servants
D. amount of one’s money and generosity of strangers
I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The announcement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box office in Richland Hills any day between 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Since I work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unluckily, the theatre is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for 15 minutes waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip. So I gave up and went back to the office.
The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly 20 minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and went back across the town. By Friday, I realized that my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth to hear the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold out all the tickets.The writer could go and buy the ticket __________.
A.any day before work hours |
B.both before and after work hours |
C.only during lunch time |
D.on Saturday and Sunday |
The writer tried to go to the theatre every day, but was only successful______.
A.twice | B.three times |
C.four times | D.five times |
He failed to get the ticket on Friday because _________.
A.it was impossible to make the round trip to the theatre in 45 minutes |
B.the concert wasn’t on Friday |
C.it was expensive to take a taxi |
D.all the tickets had been sold out |
The word "______" can be used instead of the underlined(划线的)word "relieved".
A.nervous | B.terrified | C.pleased | D.sad |
We couldn’t forget the historic moment on Oct.11, 2012, when the first Chinese Nobel laureate, Mo Yan, won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. Minutes after the award was announced, millions of Chinese expressed pleasure and pride for Mo Yan on the Internet. So a Chinese getting the Nobel Prize for literature did really increase the national pride.
On Dec.11 (Monday) in Sweden Mo was given the Nobel diploma, medal and a document confirming the prize amount. In his speech at the ceremony, Mo said receiving the prize felt like a fairy tale, but of course it was true and that literature was useless compared with science. Mo's award filled the blank left by Chinese literature in the world literary history. Meanwhile, Monday's Nobel awards ceremony set off another buying rush on Mo's works among Chinese readers. Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for _________.
A.history | B.Literature | C.peace | D.physics |
Which of the following words can best describe our Chinese feeling when hearing the news?
A.Calm | B.Relaxed | C.Proud | D.indifferent |
The underlined word “laureate” in Paragraph 1 most probably means _________.
A.loser | B.winner | C.fan | D.superstar |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.It was hard for Mo Yan to believe he was awarded the prize. |
B.Mo Yan thinks Literature is useless. |
C.Mo Yan was given the Nobel Prize, medal and a document. |
D.Mo Yan’s works were more popular after his receiving the prize. |
Better Body Gym Welcome all aged 18 or over Join us today and receive special offer! 1 month free membership! 2 free T-shirts! 2 free personal training hours! Start fighting the fat 30 minutes from the downtown area First-class gym with the best sports equipment Membership fees for one year are 2400 Yuan With reduction for shorter periods It’s never too late to sign up for it at www.weightloss club.com or call 5554567 for more information. |
Once you join the club today, you will be offered all except _________.
A.one month free membership | B.2 free T-shirts |
C.2 free personal training hours | D.2400 Yuan |
According to this text, the gym _________.
A.is at the centre of the downtown area |
B.is far away from the downtown area |
C.takes in anyone |
D.provides one month free membership always |
If you apply for half a year’s membership, you should pay_________.
A.2400 Yuan | B.more than 2400 Yuan |
C.less than 2400 Yuan | D.nothing |
The writer seems to hope that _________.
A.More people will be interested in the Better Body Gym |
B.More people will join the Better Body Gym |
C.More people will be fond of losing weight |
D.More people will contact with the Better Body Gym |
阅读下面微博上的短文,然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
I have know Li Yong, my friend, since my childhood and we have been studying in the same class of the same middle school, so we have been together almost every day and have built up very close friendship.
Li Yong actually used to be a good example for me to follow because be was a top student in study and got along very well with us fellow classmates. He was once responsible, active, positive and s army guy street with himself, so both teachers and classmates thought well of him. However, 3 months ago, everything changed. He often came late for class. When at class, be often did something that had mouthing to do with study. Last week, he even fought with a student of another class over a very small thing, which had a very bad influence on our class. He let us all a little bit down!
But this afternoon, when school was over, he was alone in the classroom, writing something with a knife on his desk. Coming closer to him I found carved on the desk were the words: “For my class, I must change! Action speaks louder than words.” From these words I could read his determined mind, which make me moved, while at the same time, it seemed as if the desk were crying and wanted to say something to him because of the carving.
[写作内容]
1.以约30个词概括以上博文的主要内容。
2.然后以约120个词就李勇的做法发表你的看法,内容包括:
(1)李华为何因李勇的行为而感动,并说明其理由;
(2)假如你是“课桌”,你想对李勇说什么,为什么?
(3)作为学生,你是如何为班级做出自己的贡献的?
[写作要求]
1.作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事,也可以参照阅读材料的内容,但不得直接引用原文中的句子。
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准]
概括准确,语言规范,内容合适,语篇连贯。
All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand, the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.
Good teachers make the growth of critical (批判性的) thinking easier in their students, only to find that this can lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have reservations about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies of that same government. The rebellions (叛逆的)young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent or not realistic in their demands, but their voices must be heard.
Good parents know that just forbidding particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about he lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.By saying “Revolutions are led by the young”, the author indicates that young people are more .
A.conventional | B.realistic | C.creative | D.heartbreaking |
From the second paragraph we know .
A.teachers’ basic beliefs should be questioned by students |
B.schools encourage parents to question their education methods |
C.movement is satisfied with the new leaders’ attack on the policies |
D.the voice of the rebellious young should be heard by the government |
In order to educate children well, parents should .
A.forbid particular behaviors in their daily life |
B.know them well and set a good example to them |
C.educate them with facts and expect much of them |
D.know as much as possible as their children |
From the passage we can learn that the author prefers .
A.free parenting | B.traditional parenting |
C.critical parenting | D.smart parenting |
What is the best title of the passage?
A.Letting Go – for Children’s Independent Life |
B.Parents’ Tasks – in Children’s Development |
C.Way of Growth – for the Young Groups |
D.Teaching Methods – for Teachers and Schools |