17. Section 5: Reading
Reading 2 : Tipping in America. Read the passage below and answer the questions.
In America, tipping can be confusing. Who should you tip? How much should you tip? Where should you tip? One of the most common places people tip is at restaurants. People generally tip between 15% - 20% of the bill. For example, if the check total is $40, people give the waiter or waitress around $6-8. The amount you should tip also changes depending on what city you are in. For example, if you are in a bigger city like New York you would tip more than if you were, say, in Omaha, Nebraska.
People don’t only tip at restaurants, they also tip at other places that are a part of the service industry. For example, it is very common for people tip at a car wash, hair salon, hotel, or massage parlor. Usually these tips are not as much as the ones you would give at a restaurant. For example, most people would tip around $3 - $5 dollars at a car wash or 10% of the cost of a hair-cut.
All of this tipping seems like a lot of money to people visiting from other countries where tipping isn’t normal, but in the United States it is a normal part of everyday life.
17. How much do people usually tip at a restaurant in the United States?
