Modern Manners

Philip Howard answers your questions on contemporary etiquette (礼仪)

Philip Howard,

When my friend and I (two ladies of a certain age) go out to have a meal, she always leaves an extremely large tip. At times, the tip will equal the amount of one of the main dishes—sometimes it comes to about 30 per cent of the bill. I feel 15—20 per cent is adequate for services offered and depending on the type of restaurant. At a cafe I would like to leave 15 per cent or a bit more depending on the service and etc. A larger tip would be appropriate if we are in a big city or a nicer place. My friend says “Well, I am sure they are not driving a Mercedes (奔驰汽车).” Well, neither am I, and how does she know? Who is correct and how can I make changes? I might add I do truly feel tipping should be based on good service, and also if you frequent a place and know the staff a larger tip is OK. I would never hesitate to tip a waitperson. I always leave to the higher side. 

Yours,

Barbara Bade

Barbara Bade,

Americans are more generous tippers than the British. I suspect that 10 per cent for a tip is about normal in the UK. Tipping is a strange survival in our age of supposed equality and minimum wages. Your friend has a generous nature and deep purse. I do not see why you cannot let her tip whatever she wants, and do your own thing. I agree that a tip should be a reward for good service and general good feeling. If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah (厚颜) to do this. Sensible restaurants have a box for tips, so that they are shared out among the staff, including those in the kitchens whom we do not see. (I trust that the management does not receive the money as extra profit.) I look forward to the day when waiters and other servants are paid a good enough living wage, so that they do not have to depend on the generosity of strangers to survive. To wait at table is just as honorable a way to earn a living in this wicked world. If you are pleased with the meal and cheerful service, you should tip as handsomely as your purse affords. I don’t suppose that your waiter / waitress is driving a Mercedes, even in the States. 

Yours,

Philip Howard

60. We can learn from the first letter that Barbara prefers ___________.

A. changing her own ideas on how to tip waiters

B. leaving a bigger tip to the familiar waitpersons

C. eating at a café rather than in a nice restaurant

D. saving as much money as possible for herself

61. It can be inferred that Barbara’s friend tips waiters heavily ________.

A. to show that she is well off                              B. because they are thought to be poorly paid

C. to show that she is generous                          D. because they have offered her full service

62. Besides quality of service, Philip regards __________ as principles of tipping.

A. taste of food and amount of one’s money

B. taste of food and the number of servants

C. generosity of strangers and the number of servants

D. amount of one’s money and generosity of strangers

Dear sir,
I read your story (of the 4th February) about the cost of living in the country rather than in the town, and I agree with most of the points that you made. My husband and I lived in the middle of Horlton until two years ago — a seaside town of nearly five hundred thousand people. When my husband stopped working, we moved to our present house in a small village at the foot of Roland Hill, and there is no doubt that our costs are higher now.
I have to do my shopping in small shops, where the food is more expensive than in city supermarkets; it costs more to travel by bus; and because the men who come to mend the television or the washing machine, have to come farther, we have to pay them more.
But it does not cost us much to enjoy what is beautiful in the country; and peace and quiet are cheap. Many people spend a great deal of time and money driving into the country to enjoy the simple things of life; yet we can enjoy them just by going out of the front door. It costs more to live here than it did in Horlton but now life really is worth living.
Yours faithfully.
Edith Randall
【小题1】What do you know about Horlton?

A．The letter is written by an unknown person.

B．This letter is a reply to the questions of 4th February.

C．Living in the country is better than living in the city.

D．The cost of living in the city is lower than that of the country.

——Do you think it necessary that he ________ to Miami but to New York?

——I agree， but the problem is ________ he has refused to.

A.will not be sent; that

B.not be sent; that

C.should not be sent;what

D.should not send; what

Mr Clarke works in a middle school. He likes reading and often  1 some books from the library. He keeps  2 to the radio every morning and reading  3 after supper. So he knows much and teaches well. His  4 worship（崇拜）him very much. Mike, Mr Clarke’s little son，is only nine. He  5 likes reading books. And he often asks his father some questions. Mr Clarke always thinks he’s too  6 to understand him and chooses_ 7 ones to answer. Of course the boy is not satisfied with（对…满意）it．
One day Mike read  8 about the electric lights（电灯）and was  9 　 it．When his father told him to do some housework，he went on thinking of it．He asked him  10 questions，and his father answered all．Then his father said proudly，“Fathers always know  11 than sons!”The boy thought for a while and said，“  12 !”
　　“Oh? Why?”
　　Mike didn’t answer and asked，  13 ，“Who invented the electric lights?”
　　“  14 .”answered Mr Clarke．
　　“Why didn’t his father invent them，then?”
Looking at his son，Mr Clarke didn’t know  15  to answer !

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 restarts 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 up-market (高档的) restaurant. Here, in San Francisco Bay area restaurants, we me encouraged to tip 20 per cent or more, to help restart workers live in this very expensive area.

   After eating at an Italian restart 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 Americas tipping in restaurants.

Ward Hoffman, 

Palo Alto, CA 94306, US

*                *                  *

From Mr. Philip McBride Johnson.

    Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud's opinion 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 ha easily felt.

Phfiip McBnde Johnson,

Great Falls, VA 22066, US

68. What can we learn from Hoffrnan'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 upmarknt restarts 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 dinners may get good service ifthay tip a bit more

     D. the tipping system works to the advantage of new customers           

70. From tbe two letters, we can learn Professor Raj Persaud ______ .

     A. feels doubtful about the value of tipping

     B. believes tipping improves quality of service

     C. wats to ask Hoffman about tipping m the US

     D. thinks tipping a bit mom one can get good service                     

71. The two letters most probably appears in a ______.