A Japanese restaurant has come under fire for offering customers the service of being slapped (打耳光) on their faces before having their meals served.

The Shachihoko-ya izakaya in Nagoya served its snacks with a hearty side of slaps. The strange service is said to have “saved” the restaurant. In the past, not many people came to the restaurant and it was going to close. The strange service made an increasing number of customers come to try the painful experience. In the beginning, the face slapping was done by just one member of the izakaya staff, upon request, but as more and more people came, it hired (雇用) more staff members. The service was popular with both Japanese men and women, as well as curious foreign tourists.

“The harder the staff slapped them, the more excited the customers became,” the Liberty Times Net report claimed. “Not only were the customers not angry, but they appeared to feel more relaxed after getting hit. They would even thank the staff member who slapped them.”

And, as you can see in the video, these slaps are no joke. Some of the staff members really put their heart into it, so to speak, and customers loved it. However, at some point, Shachihoko-ya decided to discontinue its main draw and pay attention to the standard izakaya services. Last month, it told people not to come by expecting to get slapped on the Internet.

It’s unclear when the restaurant stopped the service, but it still attracts a lot of attention.

1.Why did the restaurant offer the service of face slapping?

A To attract customers.

B To make a new dish popular.

C To get customers out.

D To prepare for closing.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段的“The strange service is said to have “saved” the restaurant.”和“The strange service made an increasing number of customers come to try the painful experience.”可知，该餐馆推出扇巴掌服务是为了吸引顾客。故选A。

2.Why did the restaurant hire more people?

A To do some cleaning.

B To help with cooking.

C To “slap” customers.

D To chat with customers.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第二段倒数第二句的“but as more and more people came, it hired more staff members.”可知，因扇耳光服务“供不应求”，该店不得不招聘更多的服务员来扇耳光。故选C。

3.How did the customers feel about the service?

A They didn’t think it polite.

B They thought it helped them relax.

C They asked the restaurant to stop it.

D They thought it boring.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第三段第二句的“but they appeared to feel more relaxed after getting hit.”可知，顾客们不仅没有生气，而且在被打后看起来更放松了，他们甚至会感谢打他们的工作人员。故选B。

4.What does the underlined word “discontinue” mean?

A Create.

B Protect.

C Doubt.

D Cancel.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据划线部分后面的“pay attention to the standard izakaya services”和“the restaurant stopped the service”可知，该餐厅停止了这项有争议的服务，专注于标准的餐厅服务，因此它决定取消其主要吸引顾客的服务。故选D。

5.What is the text?

A A news report.

B A poem.

C A notice.

D A play review.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。本文主要描述了日本餐厅推出奇葩“扇耳光”服务，顾客络绎不绝，并结合选项可知，本文属于新闻报道。故选A。