首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Rise of the Sharing Economy A)Last night 40,000 people rented accommodation from a service that offers 250,000 rooms in 30,0
The Rise of the Sharing Economy A)Last night 40,000 people rented accommodation from a service that offers 250,000 rooms in 30,0
admin
2015-01-31
45
问题
The Rise of the Sharing Economy
A)Last night 40,000 people rented accommodation from a service that offers 250,000 rooms in 30,000 cities in 192 countries. They chose their rooms and paid for everything online. But their beds were provided by private individuals, rather than a hotel chain. Hosts and guests were matched up by Airbnb, a firm based in San Francisco. Since its launch in 2008 more than 4 million people have used it—2.5 million of them in 2012 alone. It is the most prominent example of a huge new "sharing economy", in which people rent beds, cars, boats and other assets directly from each other, coordinated via the internet.
B)You might think this is no different from running a bed-and-breakfast. Owning a time share or participating in a car pool. But technology has reduced transaction costs, making sharing assets cheaper and easier than ever—and therefore possible on a much larger scale. The big change is the availability of more data about people and things, which allows physical assets to be divided and consumed as services. Before the internet, renting a surfboard, a power tool or a parking space from someone else was feasible, but was usually more trouble than it was worth. Now websites such as Airbnb, Relay Rides and Snap Goods match up owners and renters; smart phones with GPS let people see where the nearest rentable car is parked; social networks provide a way to check up on people and build trust; and online payment systems handle the billing.
What’s mine is yours, for a fee
C)Just as peer-to-peer businesses like eBay allow anyone to become a retailer, sharing sites let individuals act as an ad hoc(临时的)taxi service, car-hire firm or boutique hotel(精品酒店)as and when it suits them. Just go online or download an app. The model works for items that are expensive to buy and are widely owned by people who do not make full use of them. Bedrooms and cars are the most obvious examples, but you can also rent camping spaces in Sweden, fields in Australia and washing machines in France. As advocates of the sharing economy like to put it, access trumps(胜过)ownership.
D)Rachel Botsman, the author of a book on the subject, says the consumer peer-to-peer rental market alone is worth $26 billion. Broader definitions of the sharing economy include peer-to-peer lending or putting a solar panel on your roof and selling power hack to the grid(电网). And it is not just individuals: the web makes it easier for companies to rent out spare offices and idle machines, too. But the core of the sharing economy is people renting things from each other.
E)Such "collaborative(合作的)consumption" is a good thing for several reasons. Owners make money from underused assets. Airbnb says hosts in San Francisco who rent out their homes do so for an average of 58 nights a year, making $ 9,300. Car owners who rent their vehicles to others using Relay Rides make an average of $250 a month; some make more than $1,000. Renters, meanwhile, pay less than they would if they bought the item themselves, or turned to a traditional provider such as a hotel or car-hire firm. And there are environmental benefits, too: renting a car when you need it, rather than owning one, means fewer cars are required and fewer resources must be devoted to making them.
F)For sociable souls, meeting new people by staying in their homes is part of the charm. Curmudgeons(脾气倔的人)who imagine that every renter is a murderer can still stay at conventional hotels. For others, the web fosters trust. As well as the background checks carried out by platform owners, online reviews and ratings are usually posted by both parties to each transaction, which makes it easy to spot bad drivers, bathrobe-thieves and surfboard-wreckers. By using Facebook and other social networks, participants can check each other out and identify friends(or friends of friends)in common. An Airbnb user had her apartment trashed in 2011. But the remarkable thing is how well the system usually works.
Peering into the future
G)The sharing economy is a little like online shopping, which started in America 15 years ago. At first, people were worried about security. But having made a successful purchase from, say, Amazon, they felt safe buying elsewhere. Similarly, using Airbnb or a car-hire service for the first time encourages people to try other offerings. Next, consider eBay. Having started out as a peer-to-peer marketplace, it is now dominated by professional "power sellers"(many of whom started out as ordinary eBay users). The same may happen with the sharing economy, which also provides new opportunities for enterprise; Some people have bought cars solely to rent them out, for example.
H)Existing rental businesses are getting involved too. Avis, a car-hire firm, has a share in a sharing rival. So do GM and Daimler, two carmakers. In future, companies may develop hybrid(混合的)models, listing excess capacity(whether vehicles, equipment or office. space)on peer-to-peer rental sites. In the past, new ways of doing things online have not displaced the old ways entirely. But they have often changed them. Just as internet shopping forced Wal-mart and Tesco to adapt, so online sharing will shake up transport, tourism, equipment-hire and more.
I)The main worry is regulatory uncertainty. Will room-renters be subject to hotel taxes, for example? In Amsterdam officials are using Airbnb listings to track down
unlicensed hotels. In some American cities, peer-to-peer taxi services have been banned after lobbying by traditional taxi firms. The danger is that although some rules need to be updated to protect consumers from harm, existing rental businesses will try to destroy competition. People who rent out rooms should pay tax, of course, but they should not be regulated like a Ritz-Carlton hotel. The lighter rules that typically govern bed-and-breakfasts are more than adequate.
J)The sharing economy is the latest example of the internet’s value to consumers. This emerging model is now big and disruptive(颠覆性的)enough for regulators and companies to have woken up to it. That is a sign of its immense potential. It is time to start caring about sharing.
Sharing appeals to the sociable in that they can meet new people.
选项
答案
F
解析
题干:共享吸引那些爱交际的人,因为他们可以遇到很多新朋友。题干关键词为sociable和meet new people。文中F段第一句提到,对于爱社交的人,待在家里就可以交新朋友是部分的魅力所在。与题干意思吻合,故选F。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/G0q7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
EarlierthisyearImetwithagroupofwomeninMatela,asmallfarmingvillageinTanzania,andwediscussedsomethingthat’s
ABriefHistoryofOnlineShoppingA)WhenAmazon.comopenedforbusiness15yearsago,itwasnothingmorethanafewpeoplepac
Americanshavelongpridedthemselvesasbeingpartofanoptimisticsociety.ButanewresearchdescribesAmericansaspessimis
A、Toguaranteethestudents’safetyontheroads.B、Tohelptheparentssavemoney.C、Tosavetimefortheparentsandstudents.
A、Canceltheclass.B、Teachtheclass.C、Handoutexampapers.D、Collectstudents’homework.C女士说Ashley想让人帮她把期中考试的试卷发回去,男士说可以帮她,
A、Herpresentationwasreallysuccessful.B、Shewilldoapresentationinthemeeting.C、Shespoketomanypeoplewithoutbeing
A、Meethimatthecafeteria.B、Gotothecafeteriawithouthim.C、Bringhimsomethingfromthecafeteria.D、Waitforawhileunt
WhyMinorityStudentsDon’tGraduatefromCollegeA)BarryMills,thepresidentofBowdoinCollege,wasjustifiablyproudofBowd
A、Womenfriends.B、Menneighbors.C、Husbandsandwives.D、Brothersandsisters.A细节推断题。研究表明,孤独感在朋友之间传播最快,邻居其次,在夫妻之间和兄弟姐妹之间比较弱;与男
Acidrain,whichisaformofairpollution,currentlybecomesasubjectofgreatdebatebecauseofwidespreadenvironmentaldam
随机试题
我国目前所采用的校长任用制度主要是()
宋江与林冲自从梁山一别后,多年没有联系,一日,居住于乙市的宋江偶然想起林冲曾经欠其5000元还没有还。遂找到林冲的住所地甲市,发现林冲早在2年前已经离开甲市,并且家人也不知道他现在何方。宋江遂提起诉讼,要求林冲还钱。对此,下列说法正确的是:
(2005)合理配置预应力钢筋,下述主要作用哪些叙述正确?Ⅰ.可提高构件的抗裂度;Ⅱ.可提高构件的极限承载能力;Ⅲ.可减小截面受压区高度,增加构件的转动能力;Ⅳ.可适当减小构件截面的高度
投资者在从事证券交易之前,必须向证券登记结算公司提交有关开户资料,开立证券账户后,才可以从事证券交易。( )
甲公司与乙公司分别签订了两份合同:一是以货换货合同,甲公司的货物价值200万元,乙公司的货物价值150万元,乙公司另支付补价50万元;二是采购合同,甲公司购买乙公司50万元货物,但因故未能兑现。甲公司应缴纳印花税()元。
从四个选项选择最适合的一个填入问号处,使之呈现一定的规律性。
根据违法行为所违反的法律的性质,可以把法律责任分为民事法律责任、刑事法律责任、行政法律责任、违宪责任和国家赔偿责任()
美国的一位动物学家在黑猩猩的笼子前放了一面大镜子,观察他们的反应。它们能够从镜子中认出自己,经常久久地对着镜子寻找自己身上平时看不到的部位。作为黑猩猩近亲的大猩猩却不具备这种能力。由此可以推出()。
北京的秋天冷暖宜人,是出游休闲的大好时节。只是在春、夏、秋、冬四季中,秋季最短,平均只有52天,有的年份甚至短到只有27天。所以,到了利用好天气抓紧出游的时候了。
A、Itwillgoup.B、Itwillcomedown.C、Itwillgoupanddown.D、Itwillstaythesame.A①由选项可知,本题问It在未来的发展趋势。It在此处指代的是thepric
最新回复
(
0
)