阅读理解。
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 serves any useful function . The
paper analyzes numbers they got from 2547 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 15% could well mean dissatisfaction from the customers . Hairdressers
can expect to get 15%-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 , says ,
Mr . Lynn, "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 original and present meaning of tipping
D. most American people hate tipping
2. Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase "caught on" ?
A. been hated
B. become popular
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 NY.
B. A Chinese student enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant in NY.
C. A Japanese businessman asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut in NY.
D. An American just had a wonderful dinner in a well-known restaurant in NY.
4. 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
