When I worked as a waitress in Chicago, US, my coworkers and I would sigh whenever we heard someone with a foreign accent coming into our restaurant. We knew what it meant to serve a non-American: no tip. We would work just as hard as we always did, but we might not get paid.
Americans have an unspoken rule about tipping: they give tips to almost everyone who offers them a service of some kind. Americans tip their waiters, barbers and taxi drivers. An appropriate tip is between 15 and 20 percent of the amount charged for the service (But the charge for the tip doesn’t appear on the bill. The customer is expected to add it himself/herself.) Tipping less than this sends a message to your waiters that you think they’ve done a bad job serving you. And to leave no tip at all is simply unacceptable.
It’s not that American waiters are greedy. In many countries, waiters are paid a salary for their work. They’ll earn money even if no one comes into the restaurant. This system offers much more safety for waiters than the American version. In the US, waiters know that a night without customers means a night without pay.
Some countries include a tip for waiters – a “service charge” – on the bill itself. Since the tip is included with the other charges, waiters don’t need to worry about people forgetting to tip. But in the US, waiters do not receive a salary, and service charges only appear on bills when there are six or more customers at the table.
Since almost all American customers are familiar with the system, they know to add a tip without being told. But visitors to the US may expect waiters to be paid a salary, or think that the tip is included on the bill.
So much as we waiters loved hearing stories about other places from our foreign customers, we were always nervous when they got ready to leave the restaurant. We were never sure what to expect.
小題1:If you order $200 worth of food, which of the following is a proper total payment?
A.$200B.$215C.$220D.$230
小題2:Why don’t some foreigners tip a waiter according to the writer?.
A.because they are unfamiliar with the American tip system .
B.because they are too mean to give tips to any waiter.
C.because they have difficulty communicating with waiters.
D.because they are not really easy to become satisfied.
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A. The service charge never appear on the bill in the USA.
B. Customers are usually expected to tip waiters in the USA.
C. Dining out in other countries is much more expensive than in the USA.
D. Waiters in other countries earn much more money than those in the USA.
小題4:What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To complain about the difficult life of American waiters.
B.To warn other waiters not to serve any foreign customer.
C.To call on foreign customers to leave tips for American waiters.
D.To tell us something about American waiters’ salary system.

小題1:D
小題2:A
小題3:B
小題4:D

試題分析:本文敘述在美國(guó)服務(wù)行業(yè)的小費(fèi)是普遍現(xiàn)象,是一個(gè)不成文的規(guī)定,因?yàn)樵诿绹?guó),服務(wù)員沒(méi)有工資,只有客人給的服務(wù)費(fèi),才是自己的收入。
小題1:這是細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)An appropriate tip is between 15 and 20 percent of the amount charged for the service (But the charge for the tip doesn’t appear on the bill. 故選D。
小題2:這是細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)But visitors to the US may expect waiters to be paid a salary, or think that the tip is included on the bill.外國(guó)人不熟悉這里小費(fèi)的事情,故選A。
小題3:這是細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)Americans have an unspoken rule about tipping: they give tips to almost everyone who offers them a service of some kind.故選B。
小題4:這是寫(xiě)作意圖題。根據(jù)從全文來(lái)看,講述了美國(guó)的服務(wù)人員的小費(fèi)問(wèn)題,故選D。
點(diǎn)評(píng):閱讀理解題目中的作者意圖題目可以包括意圖、態(tài)度、目的題目, 在考試中出現(xiàn)的比率很大。不同的文章可能有不同的寫(xiě)作意圖,但寫(xiě)作意圖通常有以下三種:1)to entertain readers(娛樂(lè)讀者,讓人發(fā)笑) 2) to persuade readers(說(shuō)服讀者接受某種觀點(diǎn))3) to inform readers(告知讀者某些信息)
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

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There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.
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The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.
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They have to move about, carrying their belongings, which makes it difficult for the charity and the government to help them. They have limited access to bathrooms and restrooms and are forced to live in dirty conditions, making them easy to be attacked by diseases. They have limited access to health-care facilities in case of emergency, and almost no access to education as they have no money. They are often ill-treated by society, which makes them unfriendly, often ending up being involved in activities connected with crime like selling drugs or guns.
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The federal government is doing all it can to help but it is not enough, so the ordinary citizens have to stand up and try to help whenever it’s possible. There are various organizations, such as charity organizations that are working constantly to make sure that homeless people find a shelter to live in. the united efforts have helped millions of people return to their normal lifestyle. However, there is still a long way to go before a better situation is created for all the homeless.
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① the government ② homeless people ③ charity organizations ④ the ordinary citizens
A.①②③B.①③④C.①②④D.②③④
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A.Most homeless people died of hunger and cold.
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Who owns the large American companies that produce cars, washing machines, and television sets? They are owned by a large group of people called stockholders.
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A.a(chǎn) farmer is not allowed to buy the shares of stock
B.if a company does well, its shares of stock have no value
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Dave Zarifis, head of public safety at Northern Iowa University says, “Some people don’t even come to celebrate. They want to drink hard and make trouble. Someone does something stupid, and it grows from there. You get a mob mentality. People think it’s OK to do almost anything. They think, ‘There are so many of us and not enough of them.’ ”
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A.There’s a connection between violence and sports
B.There are many reasons for violence at sports events.
C.One cause of violence at sports events is alcohol.
D.David Sampson and Dennis Brock have the same opinion.
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A.“ No one knows I’m doing this.”
B.“ It’s safe to do what many people are doing.”
C.“There are so many of us and not enough of them.”
D.“I must drink some alcohol to stop myself feeling shy.”
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A.Five. B.Four.C.Three.D.Two.
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A.how to turn games into big parties
B.how to prevent violence at sports events
C.why to fix cameras in stadiums
D.how to avoid oneself behaving badly
小題5:What lesson can we learn from this passage?
A.Never drink any alcohol no matter where you are.
B.Whenever you are watching a game, you should keep quiet.
C.Never follow blindly no matter how many people are doing something.
D.Be careful when you are at a stadium because there are cameras there.

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American women first moved into the paid labour force during the World War II, when men left their jobs to fight. In the last fifty years, more and more women have worked outside the home. And over these years of developing, Americans have changed their social values as a result. In 1975, women aged 35 and above made up half of all working women. And by 1980, 60 per cent were women at the age of 45 and above.
Now in Japan, women’s work group is M-shaped with middle-aged women and those aged 20-25 at the two peaks. According to statistics(統(tǒng)計(jì)), 37.7 per cent of Japanese women at childbearing age(25-29) still engaged themselves in work in 1980. and the number reached 50 per cent the next year.
Being a housewife has always been regarded as a “graceful occupation” in Japan. Some young Japanese women believe it is good to be a “ professional housewife”. However, old attitudes have been changing everywhere, and sometimes just out of economic necessary. In recent years, a great number of city housewives have poured out of homes to take part time jobs. Even the UN has given its support.. The 34th Congress of the United Nations in 1979 put forward the decision for formal agreement on the getting rid of discrimination(歧視) against women.
So far, most UN members have agreed on it, but some still haven’t,  including the United States.
小題1:From the first passage, we can learn that ________________.
A.experts encourage women to take paying jobs.
B.men encourage women to take paying jobs
C.government encourage women to take paying jobs.
D.more and more people begin to care about women’s life
小題2:In the United States _________________.
A.married women are lazier than their husbands.
B.Husbands are lazier than their wives
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D.More married women used to work outside
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B. seldom work outside their homes
C. have different opinions on their working outside 
D. all do housework at their homes
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B.they have no housework to do
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Everyone needs recognition(賞識(shí)) for his achievements,but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father,“Let’s play darts(飛鏢).I’ll throw and you should say ‘Wonderful!’”
Fran Tarkenton,former Minnesota Vikings quarterback,once called a play that required him to block onrushing tacklers.
FEL quarterbacks almost never block.They’re usually vastly outweighed by defenders,so blocking exposes them to the risk of severe injury.
But the team was behind,and a surprising play was needed.Tarkenton went into block,and the runner scored a touchdown.The Vikings won the game.
Watching the game films with the team the next day,Tarkenton expected a big pat on the back for what he’d done.    It never came.
After the meeting,Tarkenton approached coach Bud Grant and asked,“You saw my block,didn’t you,Coach?How come you didn’t say anything about it?”
Grant replied,“Sure,I saw the block.It was great,but you’re always working hard out there,Fran.I figured I didn’t have to tell you.”
“Well,”Tarkenton replied,“if you ever want me to block again,you do!”
小題1:What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?
A.Praise can have people take risky actions.
B.Encouragement can make people achieve greater progress.
C.No recognition,no progress.
D.People will be discouraged without praise.
小題2:The author gave the little boy as an example in order to            .
A.show the importance of encouragement
B.show father’s deep love to the son
C.show the boy was complete understanding of his father
D.prove the boy was cleverer than the coach
小題3:Which of the following can describe the Fran Tarkenton’s action of blocking onrushing tacklers?
A.Quick,brave,exciting.B.Brave,risky,successful.
C.Brave,successful,kind.D.Fast,clever,strong.
小題4:What did Fran Tarkenton expect while watching the game films?
A.Recognition.B.Pride.C.Cheers.D.Reward.
小題5:It can be inferred from the passage that    .
A.Fran Tarkenton was angry with the coach
B.the coach learned a lesson from Fran Tarkenton
C.Fran Tarkenton might not take a risk in blocking again
D.the coach will highly praise Fran Tarkenton next time he blocks

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