Recently, Danny Meyer, founder of the Shake Shack chain, announced that his restaurants will do away with tipping. He plans to pay his staff higher wages and pass the cost to customers by raising prices on menus. Is this a good idea? I'm sure Meyer's latest move will be a winner. The new model could work in Meyer's restaurants because he draws a particular type of customers who are there for a high-end experience. Besides, if the restaurants charge more for meals, they'll pay higher in taxes. As restaurants move to higher wages, the benefit costs will be higher, too. --Mel Robbins For a European, eating in an American restaurant is like attending a high school reunion. Tipping turns the whole process into a drawn-out experience where money is at the center stage. There are so many opportunities for embarrassment. So I think Danny Meyer's proposal will change it for the better. --Andre Spicer Danny Meyer is doing the right thing by stopping tipping. Eating out costs what it costs and workers are hard-working humans who deserve the stability of a wage. It may take a while to catch on, but we'll get there and it'll become the norm. --Kat Kinsman I've found that the practice of tipping has traditionally attracted millions of employees to our industry. The current tipping model still has strong support from diners and they are more than happy to reward good service. But it is vital that restaurants continue to have the freedom to choose what works best for their business and their employees. --Cicely Simpson Who considers giving waiters tips as an embarrassment? A) Mel Robbins. B) Kat Kinsman. C) Andre Spicer. D) Cicely Simpson.
C
(Question)
One of the biggest accomplishments in sports in the last hundred years was the 4-minute mile. Running a mile in under 4 minutes was a huge barrier in sports. Once it was broken by one person, lots of athletes tried to break it too. For years, people thought that running a mile in less than 4 minutes was just _ impossible. It was common knowledge that nobody on earth could physically run a mile in under 4 minutes. Professional runners had been trying for years, training to beat that time, but had failed every time. In 1952, a British man by the name of Roger Bannister set a goal for himself: to be the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. He trained intensely, and 2 years later, Bannister finally broke 4-minute barrier. And you know what? Soon after that, more and more people began to run the mile in under 4 minutes. New world records were set almost every year following Bannister's sub-4-minute-mile. Nowadays, even a high school student can reasonably run a 4-minute mile. In about 50 years, the 4-minute mile went from impossible to professional to amateur. But I guess I'm not really answering the question here: what on earth does this have to do with learning Japanese? When you have a goal in mind, mental barriers can be huge obstacles to overcome, and learning Japanese is no different. But if you're devoted enough and make your goal your top priority , you might be surprised at what you can do. Put everything else aside for a while, just go for it and see what you can achieve. After all, if somebody can accomplish something that people thought was physically impossible, then maybe learning Japanese isn't so hard after all. The passage mainly deals with _ . A) the problems happening around the readers B) how Japanese learners obtain their goals C) why ordinary high school students are better that athletes D) how to overcome difficulties and break more records
(Answer)
B
Ques: An unemployed man is desperate to support his family. His wife watches TV all day and his three teenage kids have dropped out of high school to hang around with the local toughs. He applies for a cleaner's job at a large firm and easily passes an aptitude test. The human resources manager tells him, "You will be hired at minimum wage, $5.15 an hour. Let me have your e-mail address so that we can contact you easily. Our system will automatically e-mail you all the forms and advise you when to start and where to report on your first day." Greatly surprised, the man protests that he has neither a computer nor an e-mail address. To this, the manager replies, "You must understand that to a company like ours that means you virtually do not exist. Without an e-mail address you can hardly expect to be employed by a high tech firm. Good day." Unable to believe what he heard, the man leaves. Not knowing where to turn and having $10 in his wallet, he walks past a farmers' market and sees a stand selling beautiful tomatoes. He buys a crate , carries it to a busy corner and displays the tomatoes. In less than two hours he sells all the tomatoes and makes 100% profit. From that day on, he repeats the tomato business and becomes increasingly successful as time goes on. By the end of the fifth year he owns a fleet of nice trucks and a warehouse. The tomato company has put hundreds of homeless and jobless people to work and the business grossed a million dollars. Planning for the future, he decides to buy some life insurance. The insurance adviser asks him for his e-mail address in order to send the final documents electronically. When the man replies that he doesn't have time to mess with a computer and has no e-mail address, the insurance salesman is surprised, " No computer? No Internet? Just think where you would be if you'd had all of that five years ago!" "Ha! If I'd had all of that five years ago, I would be sweeping floors at Microsoft and making $5.15 an hour!" the man replies. The man's tomatoes sell well because _ . A) the tomatoes look very beautiful B) he has chosen the right place to sell them C) many jobless people help him D) the tomatoes are contained in beautiful crates
Ans: B
Of all the things our wisdom tells us will make life entirely happy, the greatest is the possession of friendship. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. On the first Sunday in August, it's time to recognize your friends and their contribution to your life. The first Sunday in August was fixed as National Friendship Day by the U.S. Congress in 1935, and remains a tradition observed in many countries and cultures. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship. Apparently, there are several friendship holidays, all of which fall on fixed dates. National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August Women's Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in September International Friendship Month is February Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May People show their appreciation for friendship in various ways. Some expressions may be practical ones, such as flowers, particularly the pink friendship roses, cookies, chocolates, souvenirs from their vacations, a tape of favorite songs, farewell dinners, and welcome balloons. Recipe for Friendship 2 cups of patience, 1 heart full of love, 2 handfuls of generosity, 2 cups of loyalty, 1 cup of understanding, A dash of laughter. Mix them all well. Spray generously over a lifetime and serve everyone you meet. Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe, another great reason to celebrate! Although our friends certainly deserve thanks on more than just one day of the year, what better day to honor them than Friendship Day!! "Recipe for Friendship" here actually means _ . A) a prescription for curing friends B) a method of keeping a friendship C) the pleasure of having friends D) the importance of friendship
B