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 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.”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 |
Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase “caught on” ?
| A．Been hated． | B．Become popular． |
| C．Been stopped． | D．Been permitted |
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．A Chinese student enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant in New York. |
| C．A Japanese businessman asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut in New York. |
| D．An American just had a wonderful dinner in a well known restaurant in New York. |
We can infer from this passage that________.
| A．tipping is no longer a good way to satisfy some customers themselves |
| B．tipping has something to do with people’s character |
| C．tipping in America can make service better now |
| D．tipping is especially popular in New York |
On a freezing cold day, a couple had to move into a small apartment because of their failure in business．The husband worked day and night to support the family but with no care of his wife．So she thought, “He doesn't love me any more, he just cares about his business ．．．not me”．
One day, she was about to take a shower when he stopped her at the door, “Let me take it first, okay？”“Why not me first？” she asked．“I am tired, honey, you take it later, okay？”She was entirely unhappy．
One day, she found nothing to do and turned on his computer．A few words came into her sight．Reading them, she burst into tears．It was his diary：
Today, I was quite sad．She asked me why I was always taking the shower first, and I said to her, I was exhausted．She was unhappy．In her mind, I treated her not as well as usual, but what could I do? I was not as rich as before! We moved to the small apartment, and there was only one shower in the bathroom．It was so cold to take a shower in such a cold winter．But I found that if one person took the shower first, the room could get a little warmer．So every day I rushed to the bathroom first．I was thinking that, when she took the shower, the room would get warmer, even if it was only 1℃．
Now I cannot give her a comfortable life, take her to good restaurants, or buy expensive dresses for her, but at least, I can give her 1℃love．Why did the couple move to the small apartment?
| A．Both of them were out of work． |
| B．They wanted to live a better life． |
| C．The man could take better care of his business． |
| D．They were too poor to live in the former house． |
Which of the following can replace the underlined word “exhausted”？
| A．Devoted． | B．Worried． | C．Tired． | D．Injured． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．They would live a richer life soon． |
| B．The woman misunderstood her husband． |
| C．The man would care less about his business． |
| D．The woman would get angry after reading the diary． |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．A Love Story | B．1℃Love |
| C．A Suffering Couple | D．Fight for the Bathroom |
In Europe, many people make friends across the borders between their countries through town twinning. Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become “twins” with sister city relationship.
Their citizens find pen friends in the twin town. They exchange newspapers and stamps. The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town. Officials visit the twin town for celebrations. Ordinary citizens travel to the twin town, too, but not very often if it is far away.
Sometimes, schools even exchange their classes for two or three weeks! For example, German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain, staying with British families. A few months later, their British friends come to study in Germany.
Some towns even arrange exchange visits for theatre groups, choirs（合唱团）and orchestras （ 管弦乐队）. Others send lecturers to the twin town who tell the people there all about their own town , and show photos and slides.
Town twining can help make friends and motivate（促进） people to learn from each other. It helps students to improve their language skills, and it contributes to （有助于）strengthening peace and understanding between different nations.Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Town Twinning |
| B．Friendly Towns |
| C．Exchange Teachers and Students |
| D．Peace and Understanding |
Twin towns develop ________.
| A．between European countries and China |
| B．in the English-speaking countries only |
| C．in the same country |
| D．between different countries in Europe |
One of the advantages of town twinning is __________.
| A．to earn more money |
| B．to set up schools |
| C．to improve students language skills |
| D．to develop industry and agriculture |
There are many traditions around the holidays. “Holiday traditions” are things that people do every year during a holiday such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. At Christmas, for example, many people put up a Christmas tree or Christmas lights. These are Christmas traditions that have been going on for many years. But there is a “new” Christmas tradition that has become very popular: the TV firelog, a TV channel that shows nothing but a large log fire, blazing in a fireplace.
People put it on their TV and it makes them feel like they are watching and listening to a crackling fire. It makes them feel calm and comfortable. The origin(起源) dates back to 1986 in Canada. At that time, not very many people knew about it or watched the channel. Today, more than three million people watch the firelog channel during the winter holiday season. That year, the firelog channel was created(创造) to give the workers in the company that is now called Shaw Cable, a break at Christmas. By running the firelog during the holidays, everyone could go home for a few days and enjoy a bit of time off.
At that time, it was only broadcast to people in Edmonton but today it reaches people across Canada and beyond. This year, the Shaw firelog was updated. It is pretty high tech. Although it’s still really just a fire log that has been filmed, it has its own Twitter account (@ShawFireLog), its own Facebook page and it even has a computer App so you can see the burning log on a smartphone or a tablet. The Shaw firelog will burn until Jan. 5 on Shaw Cable, channel 222.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．The origin and popularity of the TV firelog. |
| B．Famous holiday traditions. |
| C．What makes the TV firelog so popular. |
| D．The TV firelog today. |
What does the underlined words “the TV firelog” mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．It is an old Christmas tradition beginning a long time ago. |
| B．It is a TV channel that shows nothing but a fireplace. |
| C．It is a TV channel with all kinds of Christmas traditional programs. |
| D．It is a TV channel where people can watch a large log fire. |
For what purpose was the TV firelog created?
| A．To attract more people to watch their programs. |
| B．To make people feel calm and comfortable by watching a crackling fire. |
| C．To give the people working at the company a few days off at Christmas. |
| D．To create more new traditions for people to celebrate Christmas. |
What can we learn about the TV firelog from the passage?
| A．More than three million people watched the channel in 1986. |
| B．It was broadcast to people in Edmonton and across Canada when it first started. |
| C．It has its own Twitter account but no Facebook page now. |
| D．The burning of the firelog will last until Jan. 5 on Shaw Cable. |
A family in Guelph, Ontario is spending a year living “in 1982”. They’re doing it so their kids can see what life was like before technology like iPads, computers and even coffee machines was part of everyday life.
They have stopped using all technology from their home and are relying on the things people would have used back in the 80s. There is a box at the front door where people can put their cell phones in, while they’re visiting the family.
Blair McMillan and his wife Morgan want their kids—Trey, 5, and Denton, 2—to have a year without technology.
Instead of reading e-readers, they are reading books. Instead of using a GPS, they used paper maps. The home the family is living in was built in the 1980s. Even the way they dress and style their hair is from the 80s.
The whole idea started when young Trey was called to come outside. He didn’t because he was busy playing on the ipad. That’s why his dad thought of the idea of living “in 1982” for a year. The family plans to live like “it’s 1982” until April next year. To them, one of the hardest things was giving up their cell phone.What will the visitors do when they come to see the family?
| A．The way they dress and style their hair must be from the 80s. |
| B．They must leave their cell phone at home. |
| C．They will put their cell phone outside before entering the room. |
| D．They can use the phone prepared by the family. |
What is mainly talked about in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Dos and don’ts. |
| B．Reasons and results. |
| C．Advantages and disadvantages. |
| D．Advice and plans. |
Who made the family have the idea of living “in 1982”?
| A．The reporter. | B．Young Trey. |
| C．Blair McMillan. | D．Morgan. |
DCU·LS is the English Language Training Center of Dublin City University. Our courses are designed for adults (18+). We offer a lot of English language courses throughout the year in addition to special programmes in summer. Our school proudly has the same high standards which have gained Dublin City University a national and international reputation(名声) for the excellence of its courses. Recognized by Department of Education as an English language school for the teaching of English as a foreign language. DCU·LS offers you a friendly atmosphere in which you can improve your English skills. Because we are a university based company, we also offer our students ways to university facilities(设备).
For more information please contact(联系):
DCU Language Services, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
Tel: +353 1 705552
Fax: +353 1 70511
Email: Is.elt @ dcu.ie
Web: www.dculs.dcu.ieWho can take part in the courses offered by DCU·LS ?
| A．Teenagers. | B．Adults over 18. |
| C．College students. | D．English teachers. |
What can we learn about DCU·LS according to the passage?
| A．They offer special programmes throughout the year. |
| B．We can contact it by writing letters as well as sending emails and fax. |
| C．The school is famous for its excellent courses both at home and abroad. |
| D．DCU·LS lies in Dublin City University, Dublin 9, England. |
What kind of writing is this passage?
| A．A traveling guide | B．A notice |
| C．An official report | D．An advertisement |