It is not hard to find evidence of the success of the “sharing economy”, in which people rent beds, cars and other underused assets directly from each other, or via the internet. One pointer is the large amount of demand and supply. Airbnb claims that 11m people have used its website to find a place to stay. Lyft, a company that matches people needing rides and drivers wanting a few dollars, has spread from San Francisco to 30-odd American cities. Another sign is the frothy values (泡沫价值) placed on sharing-economy companies: Airbnb is estimated to be worth $10 billion, more than hotel chains such as Hyatt and Wyndham, and Lyft recently raised $250m from venture capitalists. But perhaps the most flattering—and least welcome—indicator of the sharing economy’s rise is the energy being devoted by governments, courts and competitors to preventing it.
The main battlegrounds are the taxi and room-rental businesses. A court in Brussels has told Uber, another San Francisco ride-sharing and taxi-services startup, to stop operating in the city. Other cities have banned their services outright, or tried other ways of putting spokes in their wheels. Meanwhile the Hotel Association of New York has been lobbying for (游说) stricter enforcement of a rule that bans absent owners from letting their apartments for less than 30 days, which makes most of Airbnb’s listings there illegal.
The newcomers’ opponents, whether competitors, officials or worried citizens, complain that the likes of Airbnb and Lyft dodge (躲避) the rules and taxes that apply to conventional businesses. Regulations exist to keep hotel rooms clean and fire alarms in working order, to stop residential areas being filled with unlicensed hotels, and to see that drivers are insured, checked for criminality and tested on their knowledge of the streets. Cowboys such as Airbnb, Lyft and Uber, their critics claim, are a danger to an unsuspecting public.
The objectors have half a point. Taxes must be paid: a property-owner who rents a room should declare the income, just as a hotel should. Safety is also a concern: people want some assurance that once they bed down for the night or get into a stranger’s car they will not be attacked or robbed. Zoning (划分区域) and planning are also an issue: peace-loving citizens may well object if the house next door becomes a hotel.
Sharing-economy firms are trying to mitigate (缓和) these problems. They have tightened insurance cover for their drivers and have offered to collect hotel taxes. They have an interest in their participants’ good behavior: as hosts, guests, drivers and passengers all rate each other online, their need to protect their reputation helps to maintain standards and keep people honest. But if consumers want to go for the cheaper, less-regulated service, they should be allowed to do so.
The truth is that most of the rules that the sharing economy is breaking have little to do with protecting the public. The opposition to Lyft and Uber is coming not from customers but from taxi companies, which understand that GPS makes detailed knowledge of the streets redundant (多余的) and fear cheaper competition.
This all argues for adaptation, not prohibition. An unlikely pioneer is San Francisco. Lyft and Uber got going in the city partly because taxis were hard to find, but the authorities have tolerated them. San Francisco bans rentals of less than 30 days, but is considering allowing people to let their residence, provided they live there most of the time, register with the city and pay its 14% hotel tax.
1.According to Paragraph 1, the success of the “sharing economy” is indicated by the fact that __________.
A. many people are trading their underused assets freely via the internet
B. growth in online rental demand has exceeded supply in many regions
C. its total capital value has surpassed that of conventional business
D. sharing economy companies are suffering from a number of attacks
2.Opponents complain that the taxi and room-rental businesses _________.
A. frequently make anti-competitive market behavior
B. are often involved in illegal business practices
C. are lacking in necessary rules and regulations
D. have caused a lot of accidents and crimes
3.By “have a half point” in Paragraph 4, the author probably means the objectors “__________.”
A. fail to indentify the safety problems existing among sharing economy firms
B. have overstated the dangers brought about by sharing-economy firms to the public
C. fail to realize the need of zoning and planning in sharing economy
D. have overestimated the impact of sharing economy firms on the traditional counterparts
4.The author believes that the current opposition to sharing economy mainly reflects_________.
A. the mission of protecting the public B. the complaints from service consumers
C. the fear among conventional businesses D. the dissatisfaction among service providers
5.What is the author’s attitude toward the practice of San Francisco authorities?
A. Indifferent. B. Skeptical. C. Disapproving. D. Positive.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
It is not hard to find evidence of the success of the “sharing economy”, in which people rent beds, cars and other underused assets directly from each other, or via the internet. One pointer is the large amount of demand and supply. Airbnb claims that 11m people have used its website to find a place to stay. Lyft, a company that matches people needing rides and drivers wanting a few dollars, has spread from San Francisco to 30-odd American cities. Another sign is the frothy values (泡沫价值) placed on sharing-economy companies: Airbnb is estimated to be worth $10 billion, more than hotel chains such as Hyatt and Wyndham, and Lyft recently raised $250m from venture capitalists. But perhaps the most flattering—and least welcome—indicator of the sharing economy’s rise is the energy being devoted by governments, courts and competitors to preventing it.
The main battlegrounds are the taxi and room-rental businesses. A court in Brussels has told Uber, another San Francisco ride-sharing and taxi-services startup, to stop operating in the city. Other cities have banned their services outright, or tried other ways of putting spokes in their wheels. Meanwhile the Hotel Association of New York has been lobbying for (游说) stricter enforcement of a rule that bans absent owners from letting their apartments for less than 30 days, which makes most of Airbnb’s listings there illegal.
The newcomers’ opponents, whether competitors, officials or worried citizens, complain that the likes of Airbnb and Lyft dodge (躲避) the rules and taxes that apply to conventional businesses. Regulations exist to keep hotel rooms clean and fire alarms in working order, to stop residential areas being filled with unlicensed hotels, and to see that drivers are insured, checked for criminality and tested on their knowledge of the streets. Cowboys such as Airbnb, Lyft and Uber, their critics claim, are a danger to an unsuspecting public.
The objectors have half a point. Taxes must be paid: a property-owner who rents a room should declare the income, just as a hotel should. Safety is also a concern: people want some assurance that once they bed down for the night or get into a stranger’s car they will not be attacked or robbed. Zoning (划分区域) and planning are also an issue: peace-loving citizens may well object if the house next door becomes a hotel.
Sharing-economy firms are trying to mitigate (缓和) these problems. They have tightened insurance cover for their drivers and have offered to collect hotel taxes. They have an interest in their participants’ good behavior: as hosts, guests, drivers and passengers all rate each other online, their need to protect their reputation helps to maintain standards and keep people honest. But if consumers want to go for the cheaper, less-regulated service, they should be allowed to do so.
The truth is that most of the rules that the sharing economy is breaking have little to do with protecting the public. The opposition to Lyft and Uber is coming not from customers but from taxi companies, which understand that GPS makes detailed knowledge of the streets redundant (多余的) and fear cheaper competition.
This all argues for adaptation, not prohibition. An unlikely pioneer is San Francisco. Lyft and Uber got going in the city partly because taxis were hard to find, but the authorities have tolerated them. San Francisco bans rentals of less than 30 days, but is considering allowing people to let their residence, provided they live there most of the time, register with the city and pay its 14% hotel tax.
1.According to Paragraph 1, the success of the “sharing economy” is indicated by the fact that __________.
A. many people are trading their underused assets freely via the internet
B. growth in online rental demand has exceeded supply in many regions
C. its total capital value has surpassed that of conventional business
D. sharing economy companies are suffering from a number of attacks
2.Opponents complain that the taxi and room-rental businesses _________.
A. frequently make anti-competitive market behavior
B. are often involved in illegal business practices
C. are lacking in necessary rules and regulations
D. have caused a lot of accidents and crimes
3.By “have a half point” in Paragraph 4, the author probably means the objectors “__________.”
A. fail to indentify the safety problems existing among sharing economy firms
B. have overstated the dangers brought about by sharing-economy firms to the public
C. fail to realize the need of zoning and planning in sharing economy
D. have overestimated the impact of sharing economy firms on the traditional counterparts
4.The author believes that the current opposition to sharing economy mainly reflects_________.
A. the mission of protecting the public B. the complaints from service consumers
C. the fear among conventional businesses D. the dissatisfaction among service providers
5.What is the author’s attitude toward the practice of San Francisco authorities?
A. Indifferent. B. Skeptical. C. Disapproving. D. Positive.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Working hard is not a _______ of great success, but it is among the essential requirements.
A. mark B. guarantee C. key D. signal
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Working hard is not a __________ of great success, but it is among the essential requirements.
A. sign B. signal
C. guarantee D. mark
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
_____from the top of the mountain, the citizens find ____ the city is not _____it used to be.
A. Seen, that, what B. See, what, that C. To see, what, that D. Seeing, that, what
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
John's success has nothing to do with good luck. It is years of hard work ________ has made him what he is today.
A. why B. when C. which D. that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
John's success has nothing to do with good luck. It is years of hard work ________ has made him what he is today.
A. why B. when C. which D. that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
John's success has nothing to do with good luck. It is years of hard work ________ has made him what he is today.
A. why B. when C. which D. that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
124. The key to the success of any film is finding a capable and qualified artistic director, _____ I always hope to be.
| A．who | B．that | C．what | D．Which |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Though ____ the dangers of smoking to their health, smokers still find it hard to give up smoking.
A．aware B．aware of C．are aware of D．be aware of
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Success is not final, and failure is not deadly. It is the courage to continue ______ counts in life.
A. that B. which
C. where D. when
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析