The porter brings your bags to your room and helpfully explains all you want to know.Then he points to the phone and says:"If there's anything else you need, just call."All this time you have been thinking of one thing:"How much should I tip him?" To make your next trip a little easier, here's guide to tipping across some Asian countries. Bangkok In general, the more westernized the place is, the more likely you will be expected to leave a tip.Some top-end restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill.If not, waiters will appreciate your tacking on the 10% yourself.However, if you're eating at a lower-end restaurant, a tip is not necessary.If you're staying at one of Bangkok's many five-star hotels, expect to tip the porter 20 to 50 baht ,depending on how many bags you have.Taxis are now metered in Bangkok.Local custom is to round up the fare to the nearest five baht. Hong Kong Tipping is customary in this money-mad metropolis .Most restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill, but the extra money often ends up in the pocket of the owner. If the service is good, add another 10% to the bill, up to HKMYMl00 in an especially nice restaurant.For HK MYM10 hotel porters should do it at all but the nicest hotels where a new HKMYM20 bill may be more acceptable.When in a taxi, round up to the nearest dollar. Kuala Lumpur Tipping in Malaysia is limited to the expensive westernized hotels, which often add a 10% service charge to your meal or hotel room.If you are at a hotel restaurant, expect a 10% service charge. But at local restaurants, there's no need to add a tip. At five-star hotels, one or two ringgit will satisfy a porter. At lower-end buildings don't feel you have to tip Like Bangkok, many taxis are now metered so you can just round up to the nearest ringgit. Seoul Tipping is not part of Korean culture, although it has become a matter of course in international hotels where a 10% service charge is often added.If you're at a Korean barbecue joint , there's no need to add anything extra.But a nice... If you stay at a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, how much will you pay the porter at least? A) 10% of service charge B) Three ringgit C) Half a ringgit D) One ringgit
D
(Question)
Climate change is making it harder than usual for scientists to figure out what the future will bring and what impact weather changes will have on society and the economy. An upsurge of severe weather events has already destroyed homes, businesses and lives. Some fairly simple changes may reduce the toll. In a laboratory test, a house built with conventional techniques is falling apart in hurricane-force winds. The survivor has stronger shingles, thicker roof boards, and metal straps holding floors together. Wind tunnel tests were done by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. It says stronger construction costs a little more, but holds up much better to extreme weather. The growing number of unusually strong storms, like Typhoon Haiyan, has convinced the Chairman of the U. S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, Tom Carper, that extreme weather is the "new _ )." "Extreme weather events have increased in frequency over the past 50 years and are expected to become even more common, more intense, and more costly," said Carper. Hurricane Sandy hit beachfront businesses along the U.S. East Coast, including Carper's home state. Insurance companies had to pay out huge claims. To limit such losses, the insurance industry can raise premiums for businesses in vulnerable locations and offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques. Managing risks is the job of insurance brokers like Kevin Connelly of the Graham Company, who spoke to VOA via Skype. "We are either going to price your insurance at a huge markup, or we are not going to write (sell it) it at all, which is just as bad obviously," said Connelly. Drought is another suspected consequence of climate change, and dry ground means more wildfires in California. Current mathematical models of climate change do a poor job of predicting the economic impact of drought and other weather events, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Robert Pindyck, who spoke via Skype. "I think all we... What won't insurance companies do to limit such losses? A) pay out huge claims B) raise premiums for businesses in vulnerable locations C) offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques. D) price insurance at a huge markup
(Answer)
A
Over the years, Americans have become used to salt. Most people have no idea how much salt they consume --on average, about 9 to 12 gram per person per day, according to the American Heart Association. That's twice the amount recommended by the government. A new study last week showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart. The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes , four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. Researchers also found that the benefits would be greatest for African Americans and women. As a group, African Americans tend to have higher blood pressure than the general population, and "many studies suggest that they may be more sensitive to salt," says Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. Her analysis found that a reduction of 3 gram of salt per day would reduce heart attacks 8% on average; among African Americans, that rate would drop 10%. A similar result was found in women, whose stroke risk dropped 8% with a 3-g reduction in salt intake; in men, the risk fell 5%. They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt. However, other scientists say such a campaign is an experiment with the health of millions of people. Michael Alderman, a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure. But he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt means fewer heart attacks or strokes. "Salt has other biological effects. Calling for reductions in the national diet could have good effects, as well as harmful results. There is not enough evidence either way." What can we learn from the passage? A) Most Americans take more salt than advised. B) African women eat more salt than Americans. C) One's origin determines how much salt he can eat. D) Good health is only on the basis of having less salt.
A