105外 英文閱讀與寫作 閱測 (1)

Waiters often work hard to provide their customers with good service and an enjoyable experience. In many countries, their customers thank them with a gratuity, known as a “tip.” Tips are a gift of money, over and above payment due for service. Tips are usually given directly to the waiter in the form of cash. However, in some cases, where payment is made by credit card, the tip is added to the cost of the service and deducted from the customer's credit card, with the waiter receiving his customer's tips from the employer later. 

Tipping for a good service is not uniform and can vary from country to country or city to city. In fact, most countries around the world do not have a culture of tipping for service. The amount of tips can also vary depending on locations, types of service, or its quality. In most Asian and European countries, tipping is not a common practice and often causes confusion for travelers either accustomed or unaccustomed to tipping. In America and Canada, for instance, waiters usually receive 15 % to 20 % of the cost of the meal, but this may vary depending on how the customers felt about the service they had received. For bars and cafés, where the service occurs at the point of purchase, tips are much smaller－ usually the change from the payment made－ and are often repeated with each new drink purchase. This explains why many bartenders in North America can earn a good living by simply serving drinks at the bar top or counter. 

In countries where people tip, tipping encourages good service and enables waiters to afford a living from an industry that is notorious for paying low wages and providing few benefits. Culturally, the debate about tipping for service is long-standing. The arguments in favor of tipping and those against it often take place at the dinner table in restaurants prior to payment of the meal, with those against the custom arguing that the waiters are just doing the jobs they are being paid for. One thing is certain: through experience, most waiters are able to identify the “big tippers” from the “cheapskates,” and determine the level of service quality they want to provide; for customers, this can make all the difference to their dining experience. 

中譯

侍者常工作得很辛苦, 以提供客人優質服務暨愉悅的消費經驗. 大部分國家會用賞金為謝禮, 即是我們熟知的小費. 小費是用錢代表的禮物, 超過服務應付款項的部分. 小費常以現金形式直接給侍應. 然而, 某些情況, 付款是用信用卡支付時, 小費就會加在服務費上, 由消費者信用卡扣款, 侍者隨後會從老闆收到客人的小費. 

針對優質服務所付的小費並沒有一致性, 各國各地不一. 事實上, 大多國家沒有給小費的文化. 小費數量也隨地點, 服務型態, 或品質變動. 多數亞洲與歐洲國家, 給小費不是常見行為, 因此常給習慣或不習慣給小費的旅客帶來疑惑. 在美加, 舉例說, 侍應收到約餐點費15%-20%的小費, 不過這是依顧客對服務的感受而變動. 酒吧與咖啡館, 當購買當下就提供服務了, 小費所以就少得多 – 通常是找回的零錢 + 且常因購買新飲料而重複給. 這解釋了為什麼許多北美的酒吧服務生單靠在吧檯倒飲料就很好賺.

一些有小費文化的國家, 給小費能鼓勵好的服務, 使侍者在這以低薪低福利為惡名的行業裏擔負起家計. 文化上, 關於給小費的爭論長久存在. 支持給以及反對的爭論通常在餐桌上付帳單之前展開. 反對這個禮俗的人認為, 服務生只是在做相對於他們薪水應做的工作. 有件事是確定的: 由經驗看, 大部分服務生分辨得出給小費大方的顧客, 以及小氣鬼. 藉此決定所欲提供的服務水準. 對顧客而言, 用餐經驗可能因此大不相同

重點字詞

gratuity (n) 賞金

deduct (v) 減除

uniform (v) 不變的

confusion (n) 疑惑

be accustomed to + n.: 習慣於…..

change (n) 找零

repeated (a) 反覆的

afford (v) 負擔得起

notorious (a) 惡名昭彰的

long-standing (a) 存在已久的

argument (n) 爭論

in favor of + n. 偏好…..

take place 發生

prior to + n. 在….之前

custom (n) 禮俗

through (prep) 藉由.....cheapskate (n) 小氣鬼

試題

(C) 1. According to the passage, what does a tip involve? (根據文章, 小費是指?)

　　(A) A monetary gift that is paid to the customer. 

　　(B) Meals provided at discounted prices.

　　(C) Additional payment beyond what is actually due. (加於實際應付款上額外付的款項)
　　*due (n) 應付的

　　(D) The annual bonus provided to staff by employers.

(B) 2. Why does tipping always cause confusion for travelers? (何以給小費常讓遊客困惑?)

　　(A) Bartenders are unreasonably getting too rich.

　　(B) It shows tremendous variation from place to place. (小費習慣各地大大不同)

　　*tremendous (a) 巨大的

　　*variation (n) 變化

　　(C) Customer service nowadays usually tends to be poor.

　　(D) Too much drinking happens in bars and cafés.

(B) 3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true? (根據文章下列哪項為非?)

　　(A) Payment can sometimes be made by credit card.

　　(B) Without tipping, wages in the service industry are satisfactory. (沒了小費, 服務業薪資還是讓員工很滿意)

　　*satisfactory (a) 令人滿意的

 　　(C) In some places, it is possible to earn a good living by bartending.

 　　(D) In many countries, tipping can ensure good service.

(C) 4. In what kind of magazine would you probably read this passage? (你可能是在哪種雜誌讀到這篇文章?)

　　(A) Fashion magazine. 
　　(B) Art magazine. 
　　(C) Travel magazine. (旅遊雜誌) 
　　(D) Health magazine.

(C) 5. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the word “cheapskates” in paragraph 3? (下列哪項意思與第3段的cheapskates最接近?)

　　(A) bartenders 
　　(B) employers
　　(C) penny-pinchers (小氣鬼)
　　*penny-pincher (n) 小氣鬼
　　(D) bankers