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A man claiming to be a pastor(牧师) apparently tried to stiff a waiter on a tip, explaining that his work for God allowed him not to leave one.
A photo of the receipt, posted to Reddit.com, shows a bill for $34.93 with an automatic 18 percent gratuity(小费) (or $6.29) added above a blank space for an additional tip.
“I give God 10%,” the diner wrote on the receipt, scratching out the automatic tip. “Why do you get 18?” He then wrote “Pastor” above his signature, and an emphatic “0” where the additional tip would be. (The automatic gratuity, however, had already been added to the total.)
The Reddit user who submitted the image explained in the comments section that the receipt was part of a total bill for a party of 20, which is why the gratuity was automatically added.
“Parties up to eight ... may tip whatever they’d like, but larger parties receive an automatic gratuity," the server wrote. "It’s in the computer; it’s not something I do.”
The server added: “They had no problem with my service, and told me I was great. They just didn’t want to pay when the time came.”
Scribbling(乱涂) notes on receipts has become something of a trend. Earlier this month, the manager of a North Carolina Red Robin surprised an overdue pregnant woman by comping her meal.
“Once seated, a manager came up to us and started talking,” the woman's husband told Consumerist. “He was extremely friendly and jokingly asked my wife if this was her last meal before heading to the hospital.”
When the check came, a note from the manager next to her portion of the bill read: “MOM 2 BEE GOOD LUC.”
“It was a pleasant surprise and made my tired-of-being-pregnant wife a little more cheery,” the man said.
1.What did the pastor mean by saying, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”
A. He was bargaining with the waiter.
B. He didn’t mean to pay the gratuity at all.
C. God gave him the privilege not to pay a gratuity.
D. The gratuity had already been paid by his friends.
2.What do you learn from the article?
A. The pastor paid ten percent gratuity of the meal to God.
B. A party of six diners can choose whatever gratuity they want to pay.
C. According to the husband, the wife enjoyed the process of being pregnant.
D. The pastor paid $34.93 in total for the meal.
3.What does the underlined word “stiff” mean?
A. amuse B. abuse C. persuade D. fail to pay
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not.
In Kenya, researchers have found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.
In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all.
Garment color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing.
The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.
1.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. Maasai people are a threat to elephants.
B. Kamba people raise elephants for farming.
C. Both Kamba and Maasai people are elephant hunters.
D. Both Kamba and Maasai people traditionally wear red clothing.
2.How did the elephants react to smell in the study?
A. They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing.
B. They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar.
C. They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented clothing.
D. They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies.
3.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Elephants attack people who wear red clothing.
B. Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger.
C. Scientists are now able to control elephants’ emotions.
D. Some Kenyan tribes understand elephants’ emotions very well.
4.What can be inferred about the elephant’s behavior from this passage?
A. Elephants learn from their experiences.
B. Elephants have sharper sense of smell than sight.
C. Elephants are more intelligent than other animals.
D. Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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What is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine or any other science?
We all know that science plays an important role in our societies. However, many people believe that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first aspect is the application of the machines, products and systems of knowledge that scientists and technologists develop. The second is the application of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work.
What are these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is curious - he wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually pays attention to problems which he notices have no satisfying explanation, and looks for relationships even if the data available seem to be unconnected. Moreover, he thinks he can improve the existing conditions and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves.
He is a good observer, accurate, patient and objective（客观的） and uses the facts he observes to the fullest. For example, trained observers obtain a very large amount of information about a star mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum（光谱）.
He does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available. He rejects authority as the only basis for truth. Scientists always check statements and make experiments carefully and objectively.
Furthermore, he does not readily accept his own idea, since he knows that man is the least reliable of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to disturb objective investigation.
Lastly, he is full of imagination since he often has to look for relationships in data which are not only complex but also frequently incomplete. Furthermore, he needs imagination if he wants to guess how processes work and how events take place.
These seem to be some of the ways in which a successful scientist or technologist thinks and acts.
1.Many people believe that science helps society to progress through ________.
A. knowledge B. more than one aspect
C. technology D. the use of machines
2.Which of the following statements about a curious scientist is TRUE?
A. He doesn’t find confidence and pleasure in work.
B. He makes efforts to investigate potential connections.
C. He is interested in problems that are explained.
D. He looks for new ways of acting.
3.According to the passage, a successful scientist would NOT ________.
A. easily believe in unchecked statements
B. easily criticize others’ research work
C. always use his imagination in work
D. always use evidence from observation
4.Which word can be used to describe the data that a good scientist uses?
A. complete B. accurate C. objective D. complicated
5.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Application of technology
B. Progress in modem society.
C. Scientists’ ways of thinking and acting
D. How to become a successful scientist.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Have you heard of the scandal that happened in one of Great Britain’s biggest supermarket chains called Tesco? The British love Tesco as it sells very cheap products and it can be found on almost every corner of a British city or town.
On January 15th 2013 food inspectors discovered 30 % horsemeat in a certain brand of frozen beefburgers that were mostly sold by Tesco in the UK and Ireland.
In times of social media like Facebook and Twitter the news has spread fast and customers have been very concerned about what the food they buy actually contains. Tesco said it had taken away the burgers from the shop shelves immediately, and apologized to their customers. They also promised that they would find out what exactly happened and that they would work harder than ever so this would never happen again. Customers are also able to return the beefburgers and get a refund, that is, their money back.
However, it will be hard for Tesco to get the people’s trust back. Just imagine buying lovely beefburgers that you fry at home and suddenly you find out that you have actually eaten horsemeat! In this case not only horse lovers will be upset!
By the way, why are British people so shocked about eating horsemeat? In history, horses have played great roles as working animals and as an important means of transport. When Britons of today think of horses, they think of majestic animals or cute pets rather than meat.
But this is not the only reason for the protest: Customers also want to be sure that the products they buy contain what it says on the label. Hopefully, supermarkets can avoid mistakes like that in the future. Maybe there should be stricter regulations and more controls of our food? Otherwise we will soon find ourselves eating panda meat instead of pork and parrot instead of chicken. So the next time you are in a supermarket maybe check the ingredients of your food before you buy it or you could get a nasty surprise …
1.What is the scandal?
A. Tesco’s products were much more expensive than they are supposed to be.
B. Tesco didn’t react immediately to a food quality issue.
C. Tesco sold expired food.
D. Horsemeat was found in burgers sold in Tesco.
2.What didn’t Tesco do in response to the scandal?
A. It withdrew the beefburgers.
B. It made an apology to the public.
C. It investigated and found out the cause and effect of the scandal.
D. It returned money to customers who bought the beefburgers.
3.Which statement isn’t among the reasons why customers are furious?
A. People trusted Tesco so much that they never expected a scandal like this.
B. Everyone can call himself or herself a horse lover in the UK.
C. Sellers shouldn’t cheat customers.
D. The horse is humans’ friend.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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As an experienced photojournalist in Nashville, Tennessee, I was hired by USA Today newspaper to photograph a spinal bifida (脊柱畸形) corrective surgical procedure. It was to be performed on a twenty-one week old fetus（胎儿）in uterus（子宫）at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At that time, in 1999, twenty-one weeks in uterus was the earliest that the surgical team would consider for surgery. The worst possible outcome would be that the surgery would cause premature delivery, and no child born earlier than twenty-three weeks had survived.
The tension could be felt in the operating room as the surgery began. A typical C-section cut was made to access the uterus, which was then lifted out and laid at the junction of the mother’s thighs（大腿）. The entire procedure would take place within the uterus, and no part of the child was to breach the surgical opening. During the procedure, the position of the fetus was adjusted by gently moving the outside of the uterus. The entire surgical procedure on the child was completed in one hour and thirteen minutes. When it was over, the surgical team breathed a sigh of relief, as did I.
As a doctor asked me what speed of film I was using, out of the corner of my eye I saw the uterus shake, but no one’s hands were near it. It was shaking from within. Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of the opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The doctor reached over and lifted the hand, which reacted and squeezed the doctor’s finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow! It happened so fast that the nurse standing next to me asked, “What happened?” “The child reached out,” I said. “Oh. They do that all the time,” she responded.
The surgical opening to the uterus was closed and the uterus was then put back into the mother and the C-section opening was closed.
It was ten days before I knew if the picture was even in focus(对焦). To ensure no digital manipulation(篡改) of images before they see them, USA Today requires that film be submitted unprocessed. When the photo editor finally phoned me he said, “It’s the most incredible picture I’ve ever seen.”
1.What may be the best title for the passage?
A. An Amazing Moment B. A Pitiful Fetus
C. An Honorable Job as a Photographer D. An Impressive Surgeon
2.In 1999, people believed that it was ________.
A. possible for a fetus 21 weeks born to survive
B. likely for a fetus born 21 weeks to become abnormal
C. right time for a fetus born 21 weeks to receive an operation
D. risky for a fetus 21 weeks in uterus to receive an operation
3.From the second paragraph, we can see that the surgery was ________.
A. challenging but successful B. demanding and unsuccessful
C. simple and short D. long-lasting and difficult
4.The underlined “It” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.
A. the uterus B. the arm of the fetus
C. the picture D. the head of the fetus
5.From what the editor said in the last paragraph, we know he was very ________.
A. disappointed B. satisfied C. confident D. depressed
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
