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PASSAGE 24
The National Park Service
America's national parks are like old friends. You may not see them for years at a time, but just knowing they're out there makes you feel better. Hearing the names of these famous old friends -Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon -revives memories of visits past and promotes dreams of those still to come.
From Acadia to Zion, 369 national parks are part of a continually evolving system. Ancient fossil beds, Revolutionary War battlefields, magnificent mountain ranges, and monuments to heroic men and women who molded this country are all a part of our National Park System (NPS). The care and preservation for future generations of these special places is entrusted to the National Park Service. Uniformed Rangers, the most visible representatives of the Service, not only offer park visitors a friendly wave, a helpful answer, or a thought-provoking history lesson, but also are skilled rescuers, firefighters, and dedicated resource protection professionals. The National Park Service ranks also include architects, historians, archaeologists, biologists, and a host of other experts who preserve and protect everything from George Washington's teeth to Thomas Edison's wax recording.
Modern society has brought the National Park Service both massive challenges and enormous opportunities. Satellite and computer technologies are expanding the educational possibilities of a national park beyond its physical boundaries. Cities struggling to revive their urban cores are turning to the Park Service for expert assistance to preserve their cultural heritage, thirsty for recreational outlets are also working with the NPS to turn abandoned railroad tracks into bike and hiking trails, as well as giving unused federal property new life as recreation centers.
To help meet these challenges and take advantage of these opportunities, the National Park Service had formed partnerships - some dating back 100 years, some only months old - with other agencies, state and local governments, corporations, American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives, Park Friends groups, cooperating associations, private organizations, community groups and individuals who share the National Park ethic.
National Park Week 1996 is a celebration of these partnerships.
1. Why are America's national parks like old friends?
A) Because they are always out there.
B) Because they are very old.
C) Because they make people feel better.
D) Because they are very famous.
2. Which of the following statements is true about uniformed rangers?
A) They take tourists to national parks.
B) They always act as tourist guides.
C) They help set up new national parks.
D) They protect the National Park System.
3. The National Park Service does all the following EXCEPT
A) offering help to visitors
B) molding the Nation.
C) keeping people better informed of the National Park System.
D) helping preserve the cultural heritage.
4. What is this passage about?
A) It is about the American National Parks.
B) It is about the National Park Service.
C) It is about the National Park Service partnerships.
D) It is about the care and preservation of the National Parks in America.
5. What will the paragraph following this passage most probably discuss?
A) The pocket parks in America,
B) The preparations made for the celebration of National Park Week 1996.
C) The work that has been done by the partners.
D) The preservation of national resources in America.
KEYS: ADBBC PASSAGE 25
Tipping
In any countries there is a fixed charge for personal services. A certain percentage may be added to the hill at a hotel or restaurant "for the service". In other places the customer may be expected to give a tip, or a small amount of money, as a sign of appreciation whenever services are performed. In the United States there is no consistent practice in regard to tipping. The custom is more common in a large city than in a small town. A native American may often be in doubt about when and how much to tip when he is in a city that is strange to him. In general, however, a tip is expected by the porter who carries your baggage, by taxi drivers (except, perhaps, in small town), and by those who serve you in hotels and restaurants.
When you pick up your incoming luggage at an airport, you may tip the man who takes it to the taxi or airport bus. He usually expects 35cents a bag for his service. In come cities the taxi that take you to your hotel may have one meter that shows the cost of the trip and another that shows a fixed charge, usually about 20 cents, for "extra". In some cities the taxi driver may expect a tip in addition to the "extra", especially if he carries your suitcase. If no "extra" is charged, a tip is usually given. Hotels generally do not make a service charge, though there are places where one is added. It is customary, however, to give something to the porter who carries your suitcases and shows you to your room. In case of doubt, 35 cents for each bag he carries is satisfactory. In a restaurant you generally leave about 15 percent of the bill in small change on that table as a tip for the person who has serves you. A service charge is generally not included except in some of the larger, more expensive places. If the order is small - a cup of coffee at a lunch counter, or something of the sort - a tip is not usually expected.
1. According to the passage, the practice of giving tips
A) is consistent throughout the world.
B) varies from place to place in the USA.
C) is consistent in large towns in the USA.
D) is consistent in small towns in the USA.
2. According to the passage, the following are the people one may tip EXCEPT
A) porters.
B) taxi drivers.
C) waiters.
D) cleaners.
3. According to the passage, which of the following is INCORRECT?
A) "Extra" is a fixed charge in some cities.
B) "Extra" is similar to a tip in some cases.
C) If the "extra" is paid, one doesn't tip and more.
D) Some hotels require people to pay a service charge.
4. According to the passage, the amount of money for a tip
A) is the same across restaurants and hotels.
B) depends on how much one pays for his meal.
C) generally varies according to the size of one's bag in hotel.
D) is usually small for a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.
5. From the passage we learn that
A) Americans sometimes are not sure how to tip.
B) people in large towns know more about tipping.
C) one has to tip no matter how big or small the order is.
D) people sometimes don't tip when they are not satisfied.
KEYS: BDCBA | 
