Growingstrawberriesinpots·Theb-优题课

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

（1）Secretary. Part time. 20 hours a week. Busy doctor’s office. Experience preferred. Good typing. Call 555-2438.
　（2）BABY SITTER. 3 to 6 weekday afternoons. I will take you home. $5.00 an hour. Call 555-5593.
　（3）Guitar lessons. Your home or mine. Experienced musician. Master’s degree in music. Call Louise 555-6131.
　（4）TENTH STREET BLOCK PARTY. Sunday, July 15. Noon to 8. Food, games, prizes, live band, Tenth Street between Main and North,
　（5）APARTMENT FOR RENT. 3 sunny rooms on high floor, great view. Separate kitchen. Wall-to-wall carpeting. The living room can be used as dining room. Email: SDGT@163.com.cn.
　（6）TAXI DRIVER WANTED. Full or part time. Experience necessary. A good knowledge of the city is required. Call 555-8860 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekday.
（7）A stereo system for sale, It has two speakers. The system has an AM/FM radio. It also has a tape deck and turntable. It is in good condition. The stereo was owned for only one year. The price is $200 including the speakers. The owner will also take the highest price offered if the asking price is not met. Call Bill after 6 p.m., at 555-9834.
How many of the seven ads are placed by people who want to hire someone for certain job?

A．4

B．3

C．2

D．5

Which of the following is true according to the ads above?

A．Those who have some experience in office work will have a better chance to get the job of secretary.

B．The owner of the stereo will never sell his stereo at a price less than $200.

C．The taxi driver is not necessarily familiar with the city.

D．The tenth street block party will last until after 8.

We may learn from the ads above that _____.

A．a baby sitter is paid by the hour

B．the party will be held without any music

C．the rooms for rent cannot get good sunlight

D．people can get guitar lessons at any places they like

These ads may probably appear in the following media except______

A．a local newspaper	B．a page on the internet
C．a government report	D．a special radio program

Mrs Keller had a big family. Her husband had a factory in the town. One of her sons was a lawyers and the other two were drivers. And her two daughters worked in the post office. The old woman stayed at home and could do all housework and wouldn’t employ anybody.
One evening, the telephone rang while the old woman was preparing supper. She went to answer it. She was told that one of her sons died in a traffic accident. She heard this and fell in a faint. When she came back to life, she was in hospital. And she needed to be helped after that.
Several months later she was told on the telephone her daughter died while she was being operated on. The old woman was so sad that she had to be in hospital again. From then on she was afraid to answer any telephones and sometimes she was afraid hear the bell. Of course it brought them some trouble and some important business was held up. So her husband advised her to see a psychiatrist. The man examined her carefully and then asked her some questions.
“You will soon be all right if you follow my advice, Mrs Keller.” said the psychiatrist.
The old woman took the medicine the doctor gave on time and tried to forget her dead son and daughter. And two months later she went to see the psychiatrist again.
“You have saved me, Doctor,” the old woman said, as soon as she saw him.
“Are you afraid to answer the telephone now?”
“No,” answered Keller.
“I dare answer it whether it rings or not.”
Mrs Keller could do all housework because ______.

A．she had no money to employ a helper.

B．she was strong enough to do all at home

C．she didn’t believe anybody

D．only she was free at home

The old woman fell in a faint because _____

A．she went to answer the telephone.

B．she was very ill that evening

C．she walked in the room carelessly

D．she heard the news about her son’s death.

After she came out of hospital, Mrs Keller wasn’t _________as before.

A．strong

B．able

C．clever

D．sad

______made the old woman not answer the telephone.

A．The doctor’s advice	B．Her husband’s suggestion
C．Her poor health	D．The two pieces of bad news

I moved into a new house in July. Since then I have met a few of my neighbors who are very nice people. For Christmas, I thought I would do something nice for each of the neighbors I know. There were nine neighbors whom I knew by name or spoke with often when I was out in my yard. I knew which houses they lived in.
I decided to add one more to my list. This lady I decided to add lives down the street from me. I meet her every morning walking to work as I drive down the street. She always smiles to me. But I had no idea who she was and which house she lived in.
I planned to make small fruit baskets and leave them on my neighbor's front porches (门廊) on Christmas Eve. I signed the cards: “Happy Holidays from 5104 Northumberland Road.”
I saved the last for the friendly lady. I finally decided on a house where I met her each morning and guessed that it was hers.
My neighbors really appreciated the baskets and would tell me as they saw me in the yard or they would call, and a couple even came by to thank me.
This morning I found a small note in the mailbox. It was addressed simply: Resident, 5104 Northumberland Road.
The Thank You card really caught me by surprise. I opened it and read the message, “Thank you for the lovely fruit basket you left on our porch. It was very thoughtful. Richard Kelly passed away last week. He talked a lot about how nice it was that someone remembered him in his time of illness. He really appreciated it.”
I had no idea who Richard Kelly was and that he had been seriously ill. I had left that nice lady’s basket on his porch by mistake. I wanted to say sorry, but that would be wrong. I believe that Mr. Kelly was meant to have that basket because he was dying. I hate that the nice lady did not get to receive a fruit basket on Christmas, but I believe if she knew what had happened, she would be happy. I feel pleased to have helped Richard Kelly's last days be more cheerful.
How many Christmas gifts did the author intend to send?

A．9.

B．8

C．10

D．11

Where did the friendly lady live?

A．She lived at the end of Northumberland Road.

B．Her address was 5104 Northumberland Road.

C．She was thought to share a house with Mr. Kelly.

D．The author was not sure about her address at all.

How did the author’s neighbors respond to his gifts?

A．They liked the gifts very much and were thankful.

B．They were thankful that they wanted to be friends.

C．They all made phone calls to say “Thank You”.

D．They all visited him by person to show gratitude.

What does the author mean in the last paragraph?

A．He was regretful that the nice lady didn’t receive his gift.

B．He was glad to have made Mr. Kelly's life more pleasant.

C．He thought Richard Kelly deserved to receive that basket.

D．The old lady was happy to sacrifice to make Kelly happy.

Grown-ups know that people and objects are solid. At the movies, we know that if we reach out to touch Tom Cruise, all we will feel is air. But does a baby have this understanding?
To see whether babies know objects are solid. T. Bower designed a method for projecting an optical illusion (视觉影像) of a hanging ball. His plan was to first give babies a real ball, one they could be expected to show surprised in their faces and movements. All the 16 to 24-week-old babies tested were surprised when they reached for the illusion and found that the ball was not there.
Grown-ups also have a sense of object permanence. We know that if we put a box in a room and lock the door, the box will still be there when we come back. But does a baby realize that a ball that rolls under a chair does not disappear and go to never-never land?
Experiments done by Bower suggest that babies develop a sense of object permanence when they are about 18 weeks old. In his experiments, Bower used a toy train that went behind a screen. When 16-week-old and 22-week-old babies watched the toy train disappear behind the left side of the screen, they looked to the right, expecting it to re-appear. If the experiment took the train off the table and lifted the screen, all the babies seemed surprised not to see the train. This seems to show that all the babies had a sense of object permanence. But the second part of the experiment showed that this was not really the case. The researcher substituted (替换) a ball for the train when it went behind the screen. The 22-week-old babies seemed surprised and looked back to the left side for the train. But the 16-week-old babies did not seem to notice the switch (更换). Thus, the 16-week-old babies seemed to have a sense of “something permanence,” while the 22-week-old babies had a sense of object permanence related to a particular object.
The passage is mainly about .

A．babies’ sense of sight	B．effects of experiments on babies
C．babies’ understanding of objects	D．different tests on babies’ feelings

In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, an object .

A．still exists

B．keeps its shape

C．still stays solid

D．is beyond reach

What did Bower use in his experiments?

A．A chair

B．A screen

C．A film

D．A box

Which of the following statements is true?

A．The babies didn’t have a sense of direction.

B．The older babies preferred toy trains to balls.

C．The younger babies liked looking for missing objects

D．The babies couldn’t tell a ball from its optical illusion.

A．a scientific repot	B．a gardening guide
C．a book review	D．a fashion column