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 a 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 .”

49．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

50．Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase “caught on” ?

       A．been hated          B．become popular

       C．been stopped       D．been permitted

51．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.

52．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

Buying a house for most of the people is a once in a lifetime decision, which means people decide to do so only after coming across the ideal house. Surprisingly, eight in every 10 home buyers are unhappy with their houses.
A survey conducted by the Beijing Consumers’ Association (BCA) recently shows about 80 percent of the 2,315 respondents in 23 residential complexes of Beijing are dissatisfied with the soaring house prices.
They think the reasonable price in Beijing should be between 3,000 yuan and 7,000 yuan per square meter.
The quality of the buildings, the surrounding environment and traffic and property management(物业管理)are the other factors that play a role in people’s decision to buy a house.
The BCA has suggested strict sales regulations and contracts to ease house-owners’ sufferings. It has urged the authorities to impose severe punishment on developers found violating building and other rules and joining hands with others to bid up property prices, About 41.2 percent of the respondents have complained that their house have defective designs, while nearly 40 percent say the lighting and ventilation(通风)are far from satisfactory.
The landscapes in the residential areas are a source of unhappiness for 43.2 percent of the respondents, and about one-third say they were “bluffed” into buying “third grade” house. And more than half are not satisfied with the sport and entertainment facilities in their neighborhood.
Property management in the buildings, 56.5 percent of the respondents say, is way below standard compared to the high fee charged by the complexes.
60 percent of the consumers doubt the contents of developers’ advertisements, with only 6.3 percent being satisfied.
Experts have suggested consumers gather thorough knowledge about a developer and their work before deciding to buy a house from it. They should check the day-light conditions and ventilation in different weather conditions in advance, if possible.
【小题1】 According to the passage________ of the buyers are NOT content with their houses.

Buying a house for most of the people is a once in a lifetime decision, which means people decide to do so only after coming across the ideal house. Surprisingly, eight in every 10 home buyers are unhappy with their houses.

A survey conducted by the Beijing Consumers’ Association (BCA) recently shows about 80 percent of the 2,315 respondents in 23 residential complexes of Beijing are dissatisfied with the soaring house prices.

They think the reasonable price in Beijing should be between 3,000 yuan and 7,000 yuan per square meter.

The quality of the buildings, the surrounding environment and traffic and property management(物业管理)are the other factors that play a role in people’s decision to buy a house.

The BCA has suggested strict sales regulations and contracts to ease house-owners’ sufferings. It has urged the authorities to impose severe punishment on developers found violating building and other rules and joining hands with others to bid up property prices, About 41.2 percent of the respondents have complained that their house have defective designs, while nearly 40 percent say the lighting and ventilation(通风)are far from satisfactory.

The landscapes in the residential areas are a source of unhappiness for 43.2 percent of the respondents, and about one-third say they were “bluffed” into buying “third grade” house. And more than half are not satisfied with the sport and entertainment facilities in their neighborhood.

Property management in the buildings, 56.5 percent of the respondents say, is way below standard compared to the high fee charged by the complexes.

60 percent of the consumers doubt the contents of developers’ advertisements, with only 6.3 percent being satisfied.

Experts have suggested consumers gather thorough knowledge about a developer and their work before deciding to buy a house from it. They should check the day-light conditions and ventilation in different weather conditions in advance, if possible.

1. According to the passage________ of the buyers are NOT content with their houses.

2.Which is the best title of the passage?

3.The meaning of the underlined word probably means “_______”.

4.If you want to buy a flat, according to the survey, you will consider the following EXCEPT_______.