首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Not long ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mail slot. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I
Not long ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mail slot. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I
admin
2013-05-11
82
问题
Not long ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mail slot. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I was relatively certain, did not live with us. The envelope wasn’t sealed, so I opened it. The inside of the card was blank. Ed, my husband, explained that the card was both from and to the newspaper deliveryman. His name was apparently Raoul, and Raoul wanted a holiday tip. We were meant to put a check inside the card and then drop the envelope in the mail. When your services are rendered at 4 a.m., you can’t simply hang around, like a hotel bellboy expecting a tip. You have to be direct.
So I wrote a nice holiday greeting to this man who, in my imagination, fires The New York Times from his bike aimed at our front door, causing more noise with mere newsprint than most people manage with sophisticated black market fireworks.
With a start, I realized that perhaps the reason for the 4 a.m. wake-up noise was not ordinary rudeness but carefully executed spite: I had not tipped Raoul in Christmases past. I honestly hadn’t realized I was supposed to. This was the first time he’d used the card tactic. So I got out my checkbook. Somewhere along the line, holiday tipping went from an optional thank-you for a year of services to a Mafia-style protection racket(收取保护费的黑社会组织).
Several days later, I was bringing our garbage bins back from the curb when I noticed an envelope taped to one of the lids. The outside of the envelope said MICKEY. It had to be another tip request, this time from our garbage collector. Unlike Raoul, Mickey hadn’t enclosed his own Christmas card from me. In a way, I appreciated the directness. "I know you don’t care how merry my Christmas is, and that’s fine", the gesture said. "I want $30, or I’ll ’forget’ to empty your garbage bin some hot summer day".
I put a check in the envelope and taped it back to the bin. The next morning, Ed noticed that the envelope was gone, though the trash hadn’t yet been picked up: "Someone stole Mickey’s tip!" Ed was quite certain. He made me call the bank and cancel the check.
But Ed had been wrong. Two weeks later, Mickey left a letter from the bank on our steps. The letter informed Mickey that the check, which he had tried to cash, had been cancelled. The following Tuesday morning, when Ed saw a truck outside, he ran out with his wallet. "Are you Mickey?"
The man looked at him with scorn. "Mickey is the garbageman. I am the recycling". Not only had Ed insulted this man by hinting that he was a garbageman, but he had obviously neglected to tip him. Ed ran back inside for more funds. Then he noticed that the driver of the truck had been watching the whole transaction. He peeled off another twenty and looked around, waving bills in the air. "Anyone else"?
Had we consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute, this embarrassing breach of etiquette(礼节) could have been avoided. Under "trash/recycling collectors" in the institute’s Holiday Tipping Guidelines, it says: "$10 to $30 each". You may or may not wish to know that your pet groomer, hairdresser, mailman and UPS guy all expect a holiday tip.
选项
A、he forgot to write a few words on it
B、he wanted the couple to send it back
C、he used it to ask for a Christmas tip
D、he was afraid of asking for a tip in person
答案
C
解析
细节题。依据第一段第三、四、五行。拉奥想要一份假期小费。A)忘写字了;B)要他们寄回;D)害怕当面要小费。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/bGQK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
WhichofthefollowingstatementsisINCORRECT?Wecaninferfromthepassagethatthehigherthelinesareseen,the______the
Howmenfirstlearnedtoinventwordsisunknown;【B1】,theoriginoflanguageisamystery.Allwereallyknowisthatmen,un
WhowontheWorldCup1998footballgame?WhathappenedattheUnitedNations?Howdidthecriticslikemenewplay?【C1】______an
Thingswentwellforherduringherearlylifebutinhermiddleageher______seemedtochange.
IamsobusythatIonlygohometovisitmyfolksonceinabluemoonTheitalicizedphrasemeans______.
FoodwasteinSeattleisfinallymadeintoakindof
Lightningbugscanblinkthemselvesbecauseofachemicalsubstance
Nancywassurprisedthattheyhave______.Theyseemedtobeahappycouple.
SciencewriterTomStandagedrawsaptparallelsbetweenthetelegraphandthegemoflate20thcenturytechnology,theInternet.
随机试题
下列属于经济法主体组合的是【】
生物多样性是指()
在临床上应用的非甾体抗炎药可分为
真武汤的组成药物中含有( )。
中国甲公司与法国乙公司签订了一项贸易合同,合同中有一个条款约定在瑞典斯德哥尔摩商会仲裁院仲裁解决双方的合同纠纷,在合同履行过程中,双方发生争议。法国乙公司申请仲裁,3个月后瑞典斯德哥尔摩商会仲裁院作出裁决,法国乙公司持该裁决到中国法院申请执行。已知中法均为
土地估价的替代原则具有广泛的适用性,在()中价格及相关参数求取中可以应用。
企业为外购存货发生的下列各项支出中,不应计入存货成本的是()。
下面是某求助者MMPI一2的测验结果:关于该项测验,下列说法正确的包括()。
射箭∶靶心
A.selflessB.builtC.complexD.butE.executeF.sustainedG.cheatedH.issuesI.advantagesJ.scholarlyK.tighte
最新回复
(
0
)