The sharing economy, represented by companies like Airbnb or Uber, is the latest fashion craze. But many supporters have overlooked the reality that this new business model is largely based on escaping regulations and breaking the law.
Airbnb is an Internet-based service that allows people to rent out spare rooms to strangers for short stays. Uber is an Internet taxi service that allows thousands of people to answer ride requests with their own cars. There are hundreds of other such services.
The good thing about the sharing economy is that it promotes the use of underused resources. Millions of people have houses or apartments with empty rooms, and Airbnb allows them to profit from these rooms while allowing guests a place to stay at prices that are often far less than those charged by hotels. Uber offers prices that are competitive with standard taxi prices and their drivers are often much quicker and more trustworthy.
But the downside of the sharing economy has gotten much less attention. Most cities and states both tax and regulate hotels, and the tourists who stay in hotels are usually an important source of tax income. But many of Airbnb’s customers are not paying the taxes required under the law.
Airbnb can also raise issues of safety for its customers and trouble for hosts’ neighbors. Hotels are regularly inspected to ensure that they are not fire traps and that they don’t form other risks for visitors. Airbnb hosts face no such inspections.
Since Airbnb is allowing people to escape taxes and regulations, the company is simply promoting thefts. Others in the economy will lose by bearing an additional tax burden or being forced to live next to an apartment unit with a never-ending series of noisy visitors.
The same story may apply with Uber. Uber is currently in disputes over whether its cars meet the safety and insurance requirements imposed on standard taxis. Also, if Uber and related services flood the market, they could harm all taxi drivers’ ability to earn a minimum wage.
This downside of the sharing needs to be taken seriously, but that doesn’t mean the current tax and regulatory structure is perfect.
1.What is the positive thing about the sharing economy?
A. It is a global trend.
B. It is beyond regulations.
C. It draws on spare resources.
D. It brings in modest profits.
2.What is the problem with Airbnb customers according to the passage?
A. They are not regularly inspected.
B. They are likely to commit thefts.
C. They are allowed not to pay taxes.
D. They can be noisy to hosts’ neighbours.
3.What is the argument over Uber according to the passage?
A. Whether it guarantees customers’ safety.
B. Whether it provides reliable services.
C. Whether it lowers customers’ expenses.
D. Whether it can compete with standard taxis.
4.What will be talked about in the following paragraphs?
A. Existing regulations and laws.
B. Necessary improvements of current laws.
C. Further development of Airbnb and Uber.
D. More downsides of Airbnb and Uber.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题
The sharing economy, represented by companies like Airbnb or Uber, is the latest fashion craze. But many supporters have overlooked the reality that this new business model is largely based on escaping regulations and breaking the law.
Airbnb is an Internet-based service that allows people to rent out spare rooms to strangers for short stays. Uber is an Internet taxi service that allows thousands of people to answer ride requests with their own cars. There are hundreds of other such services.
The good thing about the sharing economy is that it promotes the use of underused resources. Millions of people have houses or apartments with empty rooms, and Airbnb allows them to profit from these rooms while allowing guests a place to stay at prices that are often far less than those charged by hotels. Uber offers prices that are competitive with standard taxi prices and their drivers are often much quicker and more trustworthy.
But the downside of the sharing economy has gotten much less attention. Most cities and states both tax and regulate hotels, and the tourists who stay in hotels are usually an important source of tax income. But many of Airbnb’s customers are not paying the taxes required under the law.
Airbnb can also raise issues of safety for its customers and trouble for hosts’ neighbors. Hotels are regularly inspected to ensure that they are not fire traps and that they don’t form other risks for visitors. Airbnb hosts face no such inspections.
Since Airbnb is allowing people to escape taxes and regulations, the company is simply promoting thefts. Others in the economy will lose by bearing an additional tax burden or being forced to live next to an apartment unit with a never-ending series of noisy visitors.
The same story may apply with Uber. Uber is currently in disputes over whether its cars meet the safety and insurance requirements imposed on standard taxis. Also, if Uber and related services flood the market, they could harm all taxi drivers’ ability to earn a minimum wage.
This downside of the sharing needs to be taken seriously, but that doesn’t mean the current tax and regulatory structure is perfect.
1.What is the positive thing about the sharing economy?
A. It is a global trend.
B. It is beyond regulations.
C. It draws on spare resources.
D. It brings in modest profits.
2.What is the problem with Airbnb customers according to the passage?
A. They are not regularly inspected.
B. They are likely to commit thefts.
C. They are allowed not to pay taxes.
D. They can be noisy to hosts’ neighbours.
3.What is the argument over Uber according to the passage?
A. Whether it guarantees customers’ safety.
B. Whether it provides reliable services.
C. Whether it lowers customers’ expenses.
D. Whether it can compete with standard taxis.
4.What will be talked about in the following paragraphs?
A. Existing regulations and laws.
B. Necessary improvements of current laws.
C. Further development of Airbnb and Uber.
D. More downsides of Airbnb and Uber.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“One blue represents the economy growing. The other blue is the blue sky. That means we have to ______ development and environmental protection,” Wang Zhongbing said.
A. balance B. benefit
C. admire D. wipe
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The sharing economy has grown in recent years to include everything from apartment sharing to car sharing to community tool sharing.
Since 2009, a new form of the sharing economy has been emerging in neighborhoods throughout the US and around the world—Little Free Libraries. The libraries are boxes put in neighborhoods from which local people can take out and put in books. Little Free Libraries come in all shapes and sizes. Some libraries also have themes, focusing on books for children, adults or tour guides.
In 2009, Tod Bol built the first Little Free Library in the Mississippi River town of Hudson, Wisconsin, to honor his mother, who loved reading. When he saw the people of his community gathering around it, exchanging conversation as well as books, he knew he wanted to take his simple idea further.
“We have a natural sense of wanting to be connected, but there are so many things that push us apart, " Bol told The Atlantic.
Since then, his idea has become a movement, spreading from state to state and country to country. According to Littlefreelibrary.org, there are now 18,000 of the little boxes around the world, found in each of the 50 US states and 70 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
The Internet has helped to spread Little Free Libraries. But an Atlantic article said that they are something different in a world of e-reader downloads.The little wooden boxes are refreshingly physical and human. When you open the door of the box, chance and your neighbors tastes determine what you'll find. You might find a graphic novel, a cookbook or a tour guidebook.
For many people, this sense of discovery is Little Free Libraries’ main appeal. "A girl walking home from school might pick up a graphic novel that gets her excited about reading; a man on his way to the bus stop might find a book of poetry that changes his view on life,” said The Atlantic article. "Every book is a potential source of inspiration.”
1.What can we know about Little Free Libraries?
A. When you take a book, you need to put another back.
B. Some libraries have specific themes.
C. The books in it have to be the same size.
D. Most of the books are donated by local libraries.
2.Why did Tod Bol want to build more Little Free Libraries?
A. He wanted to honor his mother.
B. He wanted to build up a sense of community.
C. He longed to promote his idea worldwide.
D. He was inspired by the sharing economy.
3.Little Free Libraries appeal to many people mainly because_____.
A. the books are more about humans
B. they can satisfy various tastes
C. they provide chances to make surprising discoveries
D. the books are free to take out and put in
4.The purpose of writing this passage is to .
A. tell us about a new form of the sharing economy
B. encourage us to read more books
C. introduce a famous library to us
D. give advice on how to build libraries
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The time is not far away ________ the news will be made known ________ will represent our company to attend the coming medical conference to be held in Beijing.
A. until;who B. when; who
C. before; which D. when; whenever
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
1.1. The country is (统治) by elected representatives of the people.
2.The most distinguishing (特征;特点) of the Korean food is spiciness.
3.My view on the project is o to yours. That’s to say, I don’t agree with you at all.
4.Shanghai is a city of China, s on the River Huangpu.
5.As the birthplace of Chinese c , Xi’an is a city with a long history and abundant cultural relics.
6.The actress is fifty now while she still has a good ___________ (身材).
7.It is unbelievable that there are still many people in rural areas living below ____________(贫困) line.
8.From his p (位置), he had a good view of the park.
9.The tourism in our city has many _______________(相似之处) to that in his city.
高一英语完成句子困难题查看答案及解析
The representatives were discussing the 12th five-year plan that they would like to see _______ the next year.
A. to carry out B. to be carried out
C. being carried out D. carried out
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When bicycle-sharing company oBike pulled out of Singapore abruptly last year, it left the city with unattended bicycles everywhere. Myanmar businessman Mike Than Tun Win saw the perfect opportunity to turn trash (垃圾) into treasure. “What if these bicycles could be distributed to poor students in villages so they can cycle to school?” he thought.
Mr Than, 33, grew up in Mandalay, where he used to walk to school as a student. While traveling through rural (乡村的) areas in Myanmar over the last few years he saw things had not changed. Long lines of children in rural villages continue to walk 30 minutes to an hour just to get to school. “I thought if we could just reduce the time they take, they could spend more time studying, gain more knowledge and increase their chances of getting out of poverty (贫困),” he said.
With that, he started a movement called Lesswalk with the intention of buying bicycles from bike-sharing firms oBike and ofo-which have stopped operations in Singapore — and shipping them to Yangon. He would renew the bicycles before distributing them to teenagers and families living in rural villages in Myanmar, beginning with villages in Mandalay and Sagaing areas.
Over the last three months, the businessman has bought 10,000 bicycles in Singapore and Malaysia. He paid for 5,000 of the bicycles out of his own pocket, with other sponsors paying for the rest.
Mr Than plans to modify (修改) the bicycles so that they can better suit the needs of the children in villages, most of the time they ride around with their little brothers and sisters. I’m planning to add an extra seat at the back so that they can go to school together,” he said. He also plans to remove the digital locks and give each a new one that works better in villages.
Including the cost of shipping, modification and distribution, Mr Than thinks each bicycle might cost him around US $35 to US $40. “I might have to spend more money, but it is better that these bicycles are going to help some people rather than going to waste,” he said.
1.What's the author’s main purpose of writing the first two paragraphs?
A.To show Myanmar’ s hard rural life.
B.To explain how to turn trash into treasure.
C.To call on more people to follow Mr Than.
D.To state the background of starting Lesswalk.
2.How does Mr Than plan to adapt the bicycles?
A.By painting them in a colorful way.
B.By adding a bright light to each of them.
C.By adding two extra seats to each of them.
D.By changing the digital locks into new ones.
3.What can we infer from Mr Than’s words in the last paragraph?
A.He has a high opinion of himself.
B.He feels regret about what he has done.
C.He is a man with strong social responsibility.
D.He has decided to keep on working with oBike.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.More unattended bicycles are attracting big attention
B.Bicycle-sharing companies are forced to leave Singapore
C.Rural villages in Myanmar are sponsored out of poverty
D.Businessman donates recycled bicycles to poor students
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
.
Chinese is spoken by more people than any other language in the world. The Chinese economy is the fastest growing economy in the world. China is developing so quickly that it may be the dominant economic power in the not so distant (遥远的) future.
Today, more and more people are seeing the benefits (好处) of learning the most widely spoken language in the world. Learning Chinese is not only fun and greatly satisfying, but also can create valuable opportunities for students and working professionals in today’s changing world. We offer Chinese language learners a chance to study one-on-one with experienced native Chinese teachers through the Internet, no matter what country they live in.
eChineseLearning provides Chinese language learners an effective (有效的) platform to help them reach their Chinese learning goals in an efficient (效率高的) manner. Our duty is to provide the best Chinese language education service worldwide at an affordable price. We always focus on (集中于) the needs of our customers. And offer them the best language learning experience.
Our management team is made up of members with rich experience in Chinese language instruction from world-famous universities such as Stanford University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Beijing Language and Culture University, all working together to create the best possible product and language learning experience.
60.The underlined word “dominant” in the first paragraph probably means “_________”.
A.most interesting B.most important
C.most useful D.most popular
61.eChineseLearning is probably_________.
A.an online Chinese language school B.an online Chinese language newspaper
C.an online Chinese advertising company D.an online Chinese trading company
62.All the management members of eChineseLearning are from_________.
A.Chinese universities B.American universities
C.world-famous universities D.world-famous companies
63.This passage mainly tells us_________.
A.how to learn Chinese from eChineseLearning
B.why we need to learn Chinese
C.the Chinese economy is growing fastest
D.eChineseLearning can provide good Chinese language training
高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion.
And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades.
Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films.
As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet.
“Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to Disneyland is ridiculous right now,” she said. “For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun.”
A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as “Jonas Brothers” sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets.
The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies.
1.Which of the following is not a reason for the improvement of the movie industry?
A. A growing number of people are going to the cinema.
B. People are richer with the development of economy.
C. More comedies are made than serious films.
D. People have to pay more to watch a movie.
2.Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because ________.
A. she tried to escape reality B. she was a crazy movie fan
C. she was fond of Disneyland D. she wanted to please her kids
3.According to the text, which of the following number is not used to describe the shooting up of the movie industry?
A.17.5% B. $1.7 billion C. $60 D. $25 million
4.The passage is developed mainly by ________.
A. presenting the effect and analyzing the causes
B. following the order of time
C. describing problems and drawing a conclusion
D. making comparison of ideas
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
单词拼写
1.The remote desert area is____ (可到达的)only by helicopter.
2.When the market economy is introduced, many factories will not ____ (生存).
3.She was too ____ (疲惫不堪的) and sad to talk about the tragedy.
4.The trouble began when Allan gave an____ (采访)to the Chicago Tribune last month.
5.Everyone has a right to be treated with____ (尊重).
6.Blood is only expelled(喷出) from the heart when it ____ (收缩).
7.The____ (平均) price of goods rose by just 2.2%.
8.Over the years I've come to the____ (结论) that she's a very great musician.
9.As you____ (接近) the town, you'll see the college on the left.
10.This book gives ____ (说明)for making a wide range of skin and hand creams.
高一英语单词拼写中等难度题查看答案及解析