单选题 Is the customer always right? The answer, it seems, depends on which country you are in. Shopping is very much a part of a country's culture, and attitudes to shopping and consumers vary from country to country just as much as climate or taste in food. From the air-conditioned American shopping centers to the street market of African towns, the way we shop shows the way we see ourselves and our relationships with other people.
Business competition in Europe has given consumers increased power. This has meant falling prices, plenty of special offers and a re-examination of what customer service really means. People often point to America as an example of excellent customer service. In restaurants in the south of the USA, for example, waiters compliment you on your clothes, ask about your day, compliment you on the wisdom of your order and then return every ten minutes to refill your glass and make sure that everything is to your satisfaction.
Anyone who has waited 30 minutes to be served in a restaurant might well dream of such attention, but do Europeans really want US style service? As a friend of mine once told me, "By the end of the evening I had spent as much time talking to the waiter as to my wife. " It is a question of expectations. Different nationalities expect different types of service.
A Chinese-American friend loves telling people about how her Chinese mother shops for clothes: "First of all she waits until they are on sale, then she bargains until she gets an even better price and then she finds some small fault with the product and demands a further reduction. She never buys anything at the regular price. " Could you imagine trying such tricks in a department store in your country?
Attitudes to service are, of course, affected by employers' attitudes to their workers. As American sales and service personnel are heavily reliant on commission and tips, they have more motives to provide more service. But is this fair? Do we think it is fair to ask shop assistants to work late evenings, Sundays and 12 hour shifts? It might not be a case of "Is the customer always right?" but a case of "How much service is it fair to expect?/

单选题 The way people shop ______.
A. reflects the developmental stage of a country
B. carries social and cultural values
C. determines the way they socialize
D. reveals their social status
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题。文中第一段既提到了购物是什么，也提到了购物方式是什么。购物方式显示了我们如何看待自己，以及和他人的社会关系。A选项是展示了国家的发展阶段。B选项是带有社会和文化价值。C选项是决定了社会化方式。D选项是显示了社会地位。
单选题 The word "compliment" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. evaluate B. criticize C. praise D. laugh at
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】词汇题。文中第二段提到美国对客人的服务非常好。根据上下文，compliment是“夸奖，恭维话”的意思；evaluate意为“估计，估价，评价”；criticize意为“批评”；praise意为“赞扬”；laugh at意为“嘲笑”。故选C。
单选题 The remarks of the author's friend in Paragraph 3 indicate that Europeans ______.
A. think highly of the American service
B. do not appreciate the American service
C. find it impossible to accept the American service
D. will gradually accept the American service
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】推理题。文中第三段引语意为“直到那晚结束我和侍者说话的时间和与我妻子说话的时间差不多一样多。”题目问作者朋友的话表明欧洲人对美国式服务的态度是什么。A选项是高度评价美国式服务。B选项是不欣赏美国式服务。C选项是发现他们自己没办法接受美国式服务。D选项是会渐渐接受美国式服务。作者朋友说的话很明显地表明了欧洲人并不欣赏美国式服务，所以B选项是正确答案。
单选题 Why does the author use the Chinese mother's shopping experience as an example?
A. To warn shop assistants of tough customers.
B. To teach people how to get better service as customers.
C. To criticize some improper shopping behavior.
D. To show how different people's expectations of service are.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】例证题。问的是作者用中国母亲购物经验作为例子得出什么结论，解题线索在例子的上一句。这是期望值的问题，不同国家的人期望不同类型的服务。A选项是要店员警惕那些棘手的顾客。B选项是教顾客如何获得更好的服务。C选项是批评一些不恰当的购物行为。D选项是显示不同国家的人期望不同类型的服务。所以D选项是正确答案。
单选题 According to the last paragraph, the service quality of American service personnel may depend on ______.
A. the customers' attitude towards them
B. their working experience
C. the length of their working hours
D. the amount of commission and tips
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题。文中最后一段第二句意为“由于美国的销售和服务人员很大程度上依赖小费和佣金，所以他们有更多的动机以提供更多的服务。”A选项是顾客的态度。B选项是工作经验。C选项是工作时长。D选项是佣金和小费的数额。所以D选项是正确答案。