第1817期阅读理解附答案

　　I have had just about enough of being treatedlike a second-class citizen, simply because I happento be th at put-upon member of societya customer.The more I go into shops and hotels, banks andpost offices, railway stations, airports and the like,the more Im convinced that things are being runsolely to suit the firm, the system, or the union.There seems to be a harmful new motto forso-called service organizationsStaff Before Service.

　　How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office orthe supermarket because there werent enough staff on duty to man all the service grilles of checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible torecruit cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claimthat enshrouding all their cash registers at any one time would increase overheads. And thePost Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied at times whendemand is low.

　　Its the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them,dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is curtailed. As for us guests, we just have to put upwith it. Theres also the nonsense of so many so friendly hotel night porters having beendismissed in the interests of efficiency and replaced by coin guzzling machines.Not to mention the coldness of the tea-making kit in your room: a kettle with an assortment ofteabags, plastic milk cartons and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? Idont, especially when I am paying for service.

　　1. The writer feels that nowadays a customer is_______.

　　A. one who is well served

　　B. unworthy of proper consideration

　　C. classified by society as inferior

　　D. the victim of modern service

　　2. In the writers opinion, the quality of service is changing because_______.

　　A. the customers demands have changed

　　B. the organizations receive more consideration than the customers

　　C. the customers needs have increased

　　D. the staff are less considerate than their employers

　　3. According to the writer, long queues at counters are caused by ____.

　　A. difficulties in recruiting staff

　　B. inadequate staffing arrangements

　　C. staff being made lazy

　　D. lack of co-operation between the staff

　　4. Service organizations claim that keeping the checkout counters manned would result in

　　A. a rise in the price for providing services

　　B. demands by cashiers for more money

　　C. insignificant benefits for the customers

　　D. the need to purchase expensive equipment

　　5. The disappearance of old-style hotel porters can be attributed to the fact that______.

　　A. few people are willing to do this type of work

　　B. machines are more reliable than human beings

　　C. the personal touch is less appreciated nowadays

　　D. automation has provided cheaper alternatives

　　答案：DBBAD