From Mr. Ward Hoffman.
Sir, I was halfway through Professor Raj Persaud's article “What's the tipping point"(Financial Times Weekend, April 9-l0) when it occurred to me that what I was reading was not ironic(讽刺的). If Prof Persaud wants to know why Americans tip in restaurants, he need only ask the first American he meets in London.
Americans tip in restaurants for one reason, and one reason only: we tip to supplement (补贴) the salary of restaurant workers. Quality of service does not enter into it, beyond the fact that one may tip a bit less for poor service, or a little more for good service.
Not tipping at all in a non-fast-food restaurant is not a choice. In the US, one used to tip about 15 per cent for dining in a family-style restaurant or in an upmarket (高档的) restaurant. Here, in San Francisco Bay area restaurants, we are encouraged to tip 20 per cent or more, to help restaurant workers live in this very expensive area.
After eating at an Italian restaurant in my city, I left a tip of 20 per cent on the non-tax part of our dinner bill. It was expected. There is nothing more complicated (复杂的) than that about Americans tipping in restaurants.
Ward Hoffman,
Palo Alto, CA 94306, US
* * *
From Mr. Philip McBride Johnson.
Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud's opinions about the doubtful value of tipping, but with one exception(例外). Tips can be very useful when one is a repeat customer or diner.
It is only when the tipper is a stranger and likely to remain so that the system does not work to his or her advantage. But frequent a hotel or a restaurant, always tip a bit more, and the difference in service and treatment will be easily felt.
Philip McBride Johnson,
Great Falls, VA 22066, US
68. What can we learn from Hoffman's letter?
A. Quality of service determines tipping in the US.
B. Americans don't tip in non-fast-food restaurants.
C. Tipping in US upmarket restaurants is unnecessary.
D. How to tip in the United States is not complicated.
69. Johnson's letter shows ________.
A. a stranger in a restaurant is likely to tip a bit more
B. diners receive better service if they frequent a restaurant
C. repeat diners may get good service if they tip a bit more
D. the tipping system works to the advantage of new customers
70. From the two letters, we can learn Professor Raj Persaud ______ .
A. feels doubtful about the value of tipping
B. believes tipping improves quality of service
C. wants to ask Hoffman about tipping in the US
D. thinks tipping a bit more one can get good service
71. The two letters most probably appears in a ______.
A. notice B. handbook C. book review D. newspaper
任务型读写（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每空格只填一个单词。
As more students begin to use computers for longer periods of time, more of them are suffering from eyestrain （视疲劳）．Just a few hours in front of a computer screen can make a person’s eyes feel tired and painful．A number of eye doctors have studied this growing problem and have found ways to deal with it．Following their advice will help keep computer users more comfortable．Here is some of the advice．
The light in a room shouldn’t be brighter than the computer screen itself．In many classrooms, however, the lights are far brighter than they should be．．Students can block some of this light by wearing baseball caps if they’re allowed at school．
A special computer screen should be used to cut down on bright light because it is especially tiring to the eyes．Another problem to avoid is the wrong kind of contrast．It is best to have dark letters on a light background．This causes less eyestrain than light letters on a dark background．
Students should be seated so that they are looking down at the computer screen rather than straight ahead, which is a far more tiring angle．The top of the monitor should be slightly lower than the top of the head．
The length of time students spend in front of a computer screen leads greatly to eyestrain．Students should take frequent breaks by looking away from the screen every fifteen or twenty minutes．During that time they should either close there eyes or focus on an object at a distance. Long – term computer use can dry out the eyes, so students should remember to blink frequently while in front of the screen.
Title: Computers and Eyestrain
Common Problems Doctor’s
Room
lighting Much brighter in many classrooms Get the light bright.
something to block the light.
The screen Too bright light.
Wrong kind of contrast.
Light letters. the strong light.
Use the kind of contrast.
Have dark letters on a light background. The top of the screen
than the top of the head. Sit were you won’t look
at the serene.
Time Spending too much time a computer screen.
your eyes for a moment.
Look at something at a distance.
Blink often while using a computer.
The tragic death of celebrity Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular．
A survey on the reaction to Wang’s death, conducted by Tencent, which runs China’s most popular instant-messaging service, received more than 600,000 responses, as of press time Monday．Forty-one percent of respondents expressed sorrow over her death, saying, "It’s a pity she died at such a young age．" Some 31 percent said she should have been more cautious and less vain, while 10 percent were enraged at the hospital that conducted the surgery．The remaining 18 percent were indifferent．
A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks．Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society’s unrealistic ideal of beauty: double eyelids, an aquiline nose and the pointed chin typical of Western celebrities．Others said her death underscores the limits to which people will go to achieve fame and fortune．Young people, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love．
"They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage," says Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon with the Peking Union Medical College Hospital．"We’re living in a highly competitive society．People regard appearance as a weapon and a means of empowerment…Most of them tell me, ’I don’t care how much I spend, just make me look beautiful’．" In the past decade, Ding says he Has seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who are young and naturally good-looking．The surgeon attributes this trend to people becoming richer, the standards of beauty changing, competition and frustration．
"Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover," lie says．
The surge in demand for plastic surgery has resulted in a rise in the number of unauthorized business establishments and surgeons conducting such procedures．
Meanwhile, experts say, young and beautiful people who still seek plastic surgery need to address their self-awareness issues and be more accepting．
“They’ve built their identity around the admiration of others and fail to establish a system to assess themselves," says Zhu Wenbo, a psychologist with Blue Bay Psychological Consulting Center in Chengdu．"People’s opinions always change, so this is not a reliable way to evaluate oneself．"Most people are toward the death of Wang Bei according to the survey.
| A．sympathetic | B．indifferent | C．enraged | D．not mentioned |
Why is there such a trend of having medical cosmetic surgery according to Ding Xiaobang?
| A．People become richer. |
| B．The standard the beauty always changes. |
| C．People suffer fierce competition and frustration now and then. |
| D．All of the above. |
What kind of people is regarded as a beauty nowadays?
| A．a person with single eyelid, an aquiline nose and a pointed chin |
| B．a person with double eyelids, an aquiline nose and a pointed chin |
| C．a person with double eyelids, a snub nose and a pointed chin |
| D．a person with double eyelids, a snub nose and a chubby chin |
The purpose of the text is to .
| A．inform us that cosmetic surgery becomes popular. |
| B．emphasize that young people should re-evaluate themselves rationally. |
| C．raise concerns about the risk of medical cosmetology industry. |
| D．state that people’s standard of beauty always changes. |
There was simply too much news and too much information freely available on the net．But was it accurate? Whose opinion should we trust? A survey found that 60% of UK adults think it is worth paying for a "good newspaper", and most of those said they believed more of what they read in the paid-for newspapers．
Here was something newspapers understood—here was what they could offer: news plus comment and opinion．
And the Internet now offered opportunities．A newspaper was just that: news printed on paper．But the Internet now offered newspapers different places to print, and in different media．
This may explain why the readership of newspapers online in the UK is very different from people who read printed newspapers．
The most popular newspaper in the UK is The Sun and is also the most popular newspaper in the world．The "mid—market" audience mainly reads The Daily Mail．Of the "quality" newspapers, the most popular is the Daily Telegraph．
Online, it’s a different story．The most popular site is The Mail, which has 2．3 million "browsers" every day．And the next most popular site is The Guardian.’Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Printed newspapers are disappearing． |
| B．The most popular newspapers has the most popular newspaper website as well． |
| C．People from other countries also enjoy reading British newspapers． |
| D．The free news on the Internet makes people unwilling to buy newspapers． |
What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
| A．People no longer believe what the Internet tells them． |
| B．Printed newspapers are out of date． |
| C．Different readers may have their various reading taste． |
| D．Printed newspapers can not deal with the challenge from the Internet． |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The UK has the most popular printed newspapers in the world． |
| B．The condition of British newspapers in the information age． |
| C．Printed newspapers face a sever challenge． |
| D．The latest developments in online news sites． |
From the survey we can see that the British are generally_____ to the news on the Net．
| A．traditional | B．conservative | C．cautious | D．carefree |
I was fifteen months old, a happy, carefree kid until the day I fell．It was a bad fall．I landed on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it．Trying to save the eye, the doctors stitched the eyeball together where it was cut, leaving a big ugly scar in the middle of my eye．And as I grew, this sightless eye in so many ways controlled me．
Yet Mama would say to me, at every turn, "Hold your head up high and face the world．" It became a litany that I relied on．She had started when I was young．She would hold me in her arms and stroke my hair and say, "If you hold your head up high, it will be okay, and people will see your beautiful soul．" She continued this message whenever I wanted to hide．
Those words have meant different things to me over the years．As a little child, I thought Mama meant; "Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking．" As an a dolescent, even though I tended to look down to hide my shame, I found that sometimes when I held my head up high and let people know me, they lilted me．My mama’s words helped me begin to realize that by letting people look at my face, I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind both eyes even if they couldn’t see it on the surface．
In high school I was successful both academically and socially．I was even elected class president, but on the inside I still felt like a freak．Ail I really wanted was to look like everyone else．When things got really bad, I would cry to my mama and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, "Hold your head up high and face the world．Let them see the beauty that is inside．"
When I met the man who became my partner for life, we looked each other straight in the eye, and he told me I was beautiful inside and out．He meant it．My mama’s love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the confidence to overcome my own doubt．I had faced adversity, encountered my problems head on, and learned not only to appreciate myself but to have deep compassion for others．
"Hold your head up high," has been heard many times in my home．Each of my children has felt its invitation．The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation．How did the writer have her eyes hurt?
| A．She was attacked by a glass rabbit． | B．Her eyes were hurt by accident． |
| C．The doctor made a mistake． | D．A serious illness blinded her． |
When she heard her mother told her to hold her head up high for the first time, she_____．
| A．didn’t fully understand these words |
| B．was greatly encouraged and moved |
| C．was puzzled by these words |
| D．was surprised by these words |
Why did the writer still feel unhappy when she was successful both academically and socially?
| A．Because she was not satisfied with what she has． |
| B．Because she thought she could have done better． |
| C．Because she wanted to live a normal life． |
| D．Because she really wanted to be different． |
What is the point of the story?
| A．A mother’s love for a daughter is a treasure． |
| B．One should not be controlled by others． |
| C．The real beauty is inside out． |
| D．Where there is a will．there is a way． |
Holding a cell phone against your ear or stalling it in your pocket may be hazardous to your health．
This paraphrases a warning that cell phone; manufacturers include in the small print that is often tossed aside when a new phone is purchased．Apple, for example, doesn’t want iP hones to come closer to you than 1．5 centimeters; Research In Motion, Blackberry’s manufacturer, recommends 2.5 centimeters．
If health issues arise from cell phone use, the implications are huge．Voice calls - Americans chat on cell phones 2．26 trillion minutes annually - generate $109 billion for the wireless carriers．
Devra Davis, an epidemiologist who has worked for the University of Pittsburgh, has published a book about cell phone radiation, "Disconnect." The book surveys scientific research and concludes the question is not settled.
Brain cancer is a concern that Ms. Davis examines. Over all, there has not been an increase in its incidence since cell phones arrived. But the average masks an increase in brain cancer in the 20-to-29 age group and a drop for the older population.
"Most cancers have multiple causes," she says, but she points to laboratory research that suggests low-energy radiation could damage cells that could possibly lead to cancer.
Children are more vulnerable to radiation than adults, Ms. Davis and other scientists point out. Radiation that penetrates only five centimeters into the brain of an adult will reach much deeper into the brains of children because their skulls are thinner and their brains contain more absorptive fluid. No studies have yet been completed on cell phone radiation and children, she says.
Henry Lai, a research professor in the bioengineering department at the University of Washington, began laboratory radiation studies in 1980 and found that rats exposed to radiofrequency radiation had damaged DNA in their brains.
Ms. Davis recommends using wired headsets or the phone’s speaker. Children should text rather than call, she said, and pregnant women should keep phones away from the abdomen.We can infer from the passage that________．
| A．Cell phone may do harm to our health if we hold it against our ear or store in our pocket |
| B．Devra Davis thinks that there are many factors contributing to cancer． |
| C．The increase in brain cancer in the young adults may have something to do with cell phone |
| D．Children are more likely to be affected by radiation |
According to the passage, how could children avoid being hurt by cell phone radiation?
| A．They can keep cell phones away from the abdomen． |
| B．They can send short massage instead of making phone calls directly． |
| C．They can pay more attention to the small print on the phone． |
| D．They should use more advanced cell phones． |
From this passage we can learn that．________．
| A．American cell phone manufacturers did not give any warning to their customers |
| B．American cell phone manufacturers benefit greatly from their products |
| C．Scientists have found the connection between brain cancer and ceil phone |
| D．Cell phone should be banned because of the increase in brain cancer |
In which column can we most probably read this passage?
| A．Advanced technology． | B．Entertainment． |
| C．Science and life． | D．Celebrity． |
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