阅读理解

Everybody hates it, but everybody does it. A recent report said that 40% of Americans hate tipping.

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 2,547 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 something 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 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.”

72. 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

73. Which can best explain the underlined part “caught on”?

A. Been hated.                       B. Become popular.

C. Been stopped.            D. Been permitted.

74. Among the following people, in your opinion, who is likely to tip most?

A. A French who just quarreled with the barber who did his hair badly.

B. A Chinese student who enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant.

C. A Japanese businessman who asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut.

D. An American who just had a wonderful dinner in a well-known restaurant.

75. 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

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