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
2022-11-10
23
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.
Ed’s encounter with the recycling team shows that________.
选项
A、Ed was desperate to correct his mistake
B、Ed only wanted to give money to Raoul
C、Ed was unwilling to tip the truck driver
D、Ed no longer wanted to give them money
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/H8kK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、Youcanreadbooksoffascreen.B、Youneedn’tpayforelectronicbooks.C、Itsavesyoumuchspaceforbooks.D、Nobodyknowsw
A.approachingB.distinguishC.patternsD.collectE.graspF.managedG.identicalH.rememberedI.exceedingJ.suggeste
A.approachingB.distinguishC.patternsD.collectE.graspF.managedG.identicalH.rememberedI.exceedingJ.suggeste
Theserviceoperates48librariesthroughoutthecountry,while18______librariesspeciallyservethecountryside.
Journalistshave______aplottokilltheAmericanpresident.
Thedestructionofthemosquehas______angerthroughouttheMuslimworld.
A.sothatB.wiseC.barelyD.exerciseE.groupF.describingG.thoughtH.probablyI.capabilitiesJ.assistanceK.
Writeanoteofabout50-60wordsbasedonthefollowingsituation:Yourfriend,Jane,hasfailedintheNationalEnglishSp
Shewentthroughthedocumentsagaincarefullyforfearthatshe_______somemistakes.
He’svery_____havinghisbreakfastatexactly8o’clock.
随机试题
A.AMPB.ADPC.ATPD.GDPE.GTP果糖双磷酸酶-1的别构抑制剂是
下列禁用2%碳酸氢钠洗胃的是
一外阴阴道假丝酵母菌病患者咨询内裤消毒的处理方法,下列合适的是
患者女,21岁,在校大学生。因急性腹痛就诊,诊断为异位妊娠破裂出血,拟急诊手术。患者在了解病情后签字同意手术治疗,体现了伦理学的
钢拱架宜选用钢筋、型钢、钢轨等制成,采用钢筋加工而成格栅的主筋直径不宜小于()。
毋庸赘言,将经济发展纳入计划,有利于维护社会主义公有制,有利于防止经济发展失去平衡,有利于避免周期性的经济危机和由此导致的浪费,但是完美的经济运行体制.要靠完美的人来保证它的完美。对于中国这样一个有十一亿人口的大国来说,这些制订并执行经济计划的完美的人必须
商业银行的负债业务是形成资金来源的业务。()
在2007年全国股份制商业银行行长联席会议上,中国光大银行行长郭友表示:“国内银行主要依赖存贷款传统业务不同,中间业务是国际银行的最大利润来源之一,大力发展中间业务已成为国内银行提高综合竞争力的必然要求,为此中国银行业应改变目前的传统客户结构,并加速金融创
已知f"(x)<0,f(0)=0,试证:对任意的两正数x1和x2,恒有f(x1+x2)<f(x1)+f(x2)成立.
Forinstance,wheninanewsituation,anintelligentpersonthinksaboutthesitua-tion,notabouthimselforwhatmighthappen
最新回复
(
0
)