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  3. Gulliver has a friend who recently gave up his job to study for "The Knowledge" , the notoriously difficult programme that Londo

Gulliver has a friend who recently gave up his job to study for "The Knowledge" , the notoriously difficult programme that Londo

admin2016-09-09  20
问题     Gulliver has a friend who recently gave up his job to study for "The Knowledge" , the notoriously difficult programme that London’s black-taxi drivers must pass through before getting a license. Would-be cabbies must first gain an encyclopedic(百科全书式的)knowledge of the capital’s central district—some 25,000 streets and approximately 20,000 landmarks—and be able to recite the best way of navigating between them. Studying for The Knowledge typically takes from two to four years.
    The sacrifice used to be worth it. Although driving a taxi for a living is undoubtedly hard work, cabbies earn a decent wage, choose their own hours and usually manage to spend a few weeks a year at their holiday villas in Spain. Alas, for Gulliver’s friend, it is no longer a job with prospects. Leaving aside that learning routes by rote in an era of satellite navigation is a waste of everyone’s time, the reason that cabbies put themselves through such a tough selection process is so they can earn the privilege of picking up passengers off the street, which only they are legally allowed to do.
    Uber is making this privilege increasingly irrelevant. The firm uses a smartphone platform to bring passengers and drivers together. It is on its way to cornering the world taxi market—although, like many cabbies, it is taking a circuitous(迂回的)route. Several American cities, including Portland, have ordered the firm to suspend operations, while whole countries, such as Germany, have outlawed it.
    Still, these are mere bumps in the road. The latest report by Certify, which tracks business-expense claims, found that for the first time the majority of "ground transportation receipts" were for rides in Uber cars. In the second quarter of 2015, 55% of such business expenses emanated(起源)from that single company, compared with 43% on all other taxi services. According to Certify, whose respondents are overwhelmingly American, the cities in which businessmen are most likely to use an Uber car are San Francisco(79%), followed by Dallas(60%)and Los Angeles(54%). It is easy to see why. Uber is cheap, reliable and easy to use. You know which driver is coming for you and the driver knows you. There is no need to play a game of hailing leapfrog(交替前进)with competitors along busy streets, in the hope of finding a taxi with a light on.
    On a recent trip to New York, Gulliver’s young daughter was desperate to take a ride in a yellow taxi because she had seen them on posters. So we took a ride as a tourist attraction. When it came to pulling our suitcases back to JFK, though, it was much more convenient to call an Uber car. Gulliver worries for his friend’s choice of new career. How long will it be before he becomes little more than a curiosity for those wanting to experience ye olde England?
According to the author, which of the following statements about Uber is true?
选项 A、It has a privilege to use smartphone platform.
B、It provides illegal service in American cities.
C、It may be completely suspended in the near future.
D、It has met some obstacle in its fast booming.
答案D
解析 事实细节题。该句指出，在优步不断抢占世界出租车市场的同时，它也在经历着一段较为曲折的发展路线，作者在随后的一句中列举了在美国和德国优步发展遇到的一些阻力与麻烦，这与D)“它在快速发展中遇到一些阻碍”陈述一致，故D)为正确答案。A)“它有使用智能手机平台的特权”，该段第二句虽然指出优步使用智能手机平台，但是并没有说它在这方面拥有特权，故排除；B)“它在美国城市提供非法服务”，该段最后一句提到一些美国城市要求优步暂停服务，但并没有说它是非法的，故排除；C)“它在不远的将来可能会被完全停止”，这一点在文中并未提及，并且在第四段中作者显然对优步的发展仍然持乐观的态度，故可排除。
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