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Lily: Good afternoon, guys. Am I interrupting something?

Kyle: Jerry and I were just debating the American custom of tipping.

Jerry: Yeah, he's in favor and I'm opposed.

L: It's not just the custom in America....I'm from Canada and tipping is also common there. I'm not too fond of tipping, either. So Jerry, tell me why you're opposed.

J: I just don't like the inconvenience. I like to look at the menu and if the price of a meal is $10.45, I know that that's what I have to pay....$10.45. Back in China, I never have to think about whether someone deserves a tip or not.

Kyle和Jerry正在讨论美国给小费的习惯。tipping is spelled t-i-p-p-i-n-g, tipping 是给小费的意思。美国和加拿大都讲究给小费，Kyle is in favor of it. Kyle 赞成这种做法，但是Jerry is opposed to it. Jerry觉得这种习俗不好。他说，中国不用给小费，看菜单消费价格一目了然，根本不用考虑服务员的服务如何，是否 deserve a tip 应该给小费。

K: I can understand how tipping might not be convenient, especially for visitors to America. The one thing that I dislike about tipping in the U.S. is how sometimes the restaurant staff forget that tips are supposed to be a reward for quality service.

L: Yeah, that's a problem in Canada as well. Tipping has become such a part of the culture that everyone just expects one....even if they don't offer good service.

J: But quality service is supposed to be a part of the job! A restaurant hires staff to be a waiter or waitress and that means service is part of the job! The restaurant is paying you....your salary is your tip!

Kyle和Lily都觉得，给小费本应该是 a reward for quality service, 是对优质服务的奖励，可如今，餐馆服务员好象觉得拿小费是理所当然的，不管服务质量的好与坏。Jerry反驳说，餐馆雇服务员就是为了服务顾客，工资就是他们的报酬，为什么还要给小费呢?Kyle解释说：

K: But in the United States, restaurant staff depend on tips because American law allows many restaurant owners to pay workers less than minimum wage.

J: Why is that?

K: Because they're expected to get tips. Tips might make up as much as 30% or 40% of an employee's income.

L: That's true....many servers in restaurants depend on tips for a big part of their income.

J: I would rather they paid the workers more. I'd even be OK with adding a 10% service charge to the price of the meal. I just refer things to be upfront.

Kyle说，正是因为有小费，所以美国法律允许餐馆老板给服务员的报酬低于最低工资水平 the minimum wage. 服务员收取的小费占了他们收入了很大一部分，有30%到40%之多。Jerry说，他宁可餐馆多付点钱给服务员，哪怕在饭菜价钱上增加10%的服务费 service charge 也在所不惜，他就是希望价钱能一目了然，upfront is spelled u-p-f-r-o-n-t, upfront, upfront在这里是直截了当的意思。