雅思词汇课文（7）· The Gig Economy 零工经济的兴起

工作主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思工作类核心词。

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🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）

📖 课文 Text

The Gig Economy

A growing number of workers no longer hold a single "job for life". Instead, they move from one short-term task — or "gig" — to the next: delivering food, driving for a ride-share app, designing websites on contract, or tutoring online. This flexible way of working, known as the gig economy, has grown rapidly over the past decade, and it is reshaping what people expect from employment.

For workers, the appeal is obvious. The gig economy offers freedom: you choose your hours, decline tasks you don't want, and work from wherever you like. For parents, students and retirees, this flexibility can make work possible at all. For employers, too, the model is attractive: they can hire labour precisely when they need it, without the cost of permanent contracts, office space or benefits.

Yet this freedom comes at a price. Gig workers are classified as self-employed, which means they are not entitled to sick pay, holiday leave, or the minimum wage. In many countries, they also receive no pension contributions, no insurance against injury, and little job security. When illness strikes or demand falls, they have no safety net. As one driver put it, "I'm my own boss — and my own creditor, my own accountant, and my own unemployment service."

The debate is now shifting from whether the gig economy should exist to how it should be regulated. Several European countries have ruled that ride-share drivers should be treated as employees, entitled to basic protections. Others are experimenting with a middle ground: portable benefits that follow workers from one gig to the next.

The bigger question is what kind of labour market society wants. Complete flexibility may suit some, but a workforce with no security, no training and no long-term loyalty is unlikely to produce the skilled, stable employees that a sophisticated economy needs. The gig economy is here to stay, but it should not be the only model on offer.

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📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions

Word	音标	词性	中文	课文例句
gig	/ɡɪɡ/	n.	临时工作、零工	one short-term "gig"
flexible	/ˈfleksəbl/	adj.	灵活的	this flexible way of working
employment	/ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/	n.	就业、工作	expectations from employment
appeal	/əˈpiːl/	n.	吸引力	the appeal is obvious
attractive	/əˈtræktɪv/	adj.	有吸引力的	the model is attractive
permanent	/ˈpɜːmənənt/	adj.	永久的、长期的	permanent contracts
benefit	/ˈbenɪfɪt/	n.	福利、好处	office space or benefits
self-employed	/ˌself ɪmˈplɔɪd/	adj.	自雇的	classified as self-employed
entitle	/ɪnˈtaɪtl/	v.	使有权享有	not entitled to sick pay
security	/sɪˈkjʊərəti/	n.	保障、安全	little job security
pension	/ˈpenʃn/	n.	养老金	no pension contributions
insurance	/ɪnˈʃʊərəns/	n.	保险	no insurance against injury
creditor	/ˈkredɪtə/	n.	债权人	my own creditor
regulate	/ˈreɡjuleɪt/	v.	监管	how it should be regulated
entitled	/ɪnˈtaɪtld/	adj.	有资格的	entitled to basic protections
portable	/ˈpɔːtəbl/	adj.	可携带的、可转移的	portable benefits
labour market	/ˈleɪbə ˈmɑːkɪt/	n.	劳动力市场	what kind of labour market
loyalty	/ˈlɔɪəlti/	n.	忠诚	no long-term loyalty
sophisticated	/səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/	adj.	复杂的、成熟的	a sophisticated economy
shift	/ʃɪft/	v.	转变	the debate is shifting
demand	/dɪˈmɑːnd/	n.	需求	when demand falls
sick pay	/ˈsɪk peɪ/	n.	病假工资	sick pay
holiday leave	/ˈhɒlədi liːv/	n.	休假	holiday leave
minimum wage	/ˌmɪnɪməm ˈweɪdʒ/	n.	最低工资	the minimum wage
contract	/ˈkɒntrækt/	n.	合同	on contract
employer	/ɪmˈplɔɪə/	n.	雇主	for employers, too
employee	/ɪmˈplɔɪiː/	n.	雇员	skilled, stable employees
safety net	/ˈseɪfti net/	n.	安全保障	no safety net
sophisticated	/səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/	adj.	复杂精密的	sophisticated economy
exist	/ɪɡˈzɪst/	v.	存在	whether the gig economy should exist

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🧠 课文理解 Comprehension

1. According to Paragraph 1, the "gig economy" refers to...

• A. full-time permanent jobs
• B. short-term, task-based work
• C. traditional factory work
• D. unpaid volunteer work

2. Why is the gig economy attractive to employers?

• A. it requires office space
• B. it allows them to hire only when needed, without permanent costs
• C. employees are more loyal
• D. it guarantees high quality

3. What is the main disadvantage for gig workers?

• A. they earn too much money
• B. they lack employment protections such as sick pay and pensions
• C. they work too few hours
• D. they cannot choose their own hours

4. What have some European countries done?

• A. banned the gig economy
• B. required ride-share drivers to be treated as employees
• C. made all workers self-employed
• D. reduced the minimum wage

5. The writer's overall view is that...

• A. the gig economy should be banned
• B. it is perfect for everyone
• C. it is here to stay but needs regulation and protections
• D. it will disappear within years

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✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.

| attractive / contract / employment / entitle / loyal / pension / security / self-employed |

1. After leaving the company, she became a ______ designer working from home.
2. The job offers good pay and a generous ______ plan.
3. Students are ______ to a discount on public transport.
4. The salary was ______ but the work was repetitive.
5. Many workers value job ______ over higher pay.
6. He signed a one-year ______ with the football club.
7. A long-service award recognises employees who have been ______ to the company for 20 years.
8. The new policy aims to increase ______ among young graduates.

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✅ 答案 Answers

Comprehension

1. B（"short-term task... delivering food, driving..."）
2. B（"hire labour precisely when they need it, without the cost of permanent contracts"）
3. B（"no sick pay, holiday leave, pension, insurance, little job security"）
4. B（"ride-share drivers should be treated as employees"）
5. C（"here to stay, but should not be the only model"）

Vocabulary

1. self-employed　2. pension　3. entitled　4. attractive　5. security　6. contract　7. loyal　8. employment