雅思词汇课文（26）· The Sharing Economy 共享经济
经济与科技主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。
🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）
📖 课文 Text
The Sharing Economy
In 2008, an unemployed designer named Brian Chesky rented air mattresses on his apartment floor to make rent. His startup, Airbnb, is now valued at over 80 billion dollars and operates in 220 countries. The idea — that spare space, skills and assets could be monetised through a digital platform — became known as the sharing economy.
Uber transformed taxi travel the same way. Upwork and Fiverr connected freelancers with clients. Turo let people rent each other's cars. TaskRabbit outsourced household chores. Within a decade, the sharing economy grew from a novelty into a global industry worth hundreds of billions.
The appeal is obvious. Owners earn extra income from underused assets. Customers gain cheaper, more convenient alternatives to traditional services. Platforms take a commission without owning any cars, houses or tools. Critics, however, point to the downsides. Taxi medallions, once worth a million dollars in New York, lost most of their value. Apartment rents in cities such as Barcelona and Lisbon rose as landlords converted long-term rentals into tourist accommodation. Workers on these platforms are classified as independent contractors, denying them minimum wage, sick leave and unemployment insurance.
Regulation has been slow to catch up. Some cities, including Amsterdam and Berlin, restrict short-term rentals. London requires Uber drivers to hold private-hire licences. The European Union's Platform Work Directive, adopted in 2024, forces platforms to reclassify many gig workers as employees.
The sharing economy is not going away. It offers genuine benefits: efficiency, flexibility and lower costs. But the question is whether its growth can be reconciled with workers' rights and affordable housing. The answer will determine whether it becomes a lasting model or a cautionary tale.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| share | /ʃeə/ | v. | 分享 | the sharing economy |
| mattress | /ˈmætrəs/ | n. | 床垫 | air mattresses |
| startup | /ˈstɑːtʌp/ | n. | 初创公司 | His startup |
| value | /ˈvæljuː/ | v. | 估值 | is now valued at |
| asset | /ˈæset/ | n. | 资产 | spare space, skills and assets |
| monetise | /ˈmʌnɪtaɪz/ | v. | 货币化 | monetised |
| platform | /ˈplætfɔːm/ | n. | 平台 | a digital platform |
| transform | /trænsˈfɔːm/ | v. | 改变 | transformed taxi travel |
| freelancer | /ˈfriːlɑːnsə/ | n. | 自由职业者 | freelancers |
| outsource | /ˈaʊtsɔːs/ | v. | 外包 | outsourced chores |
| novelty | /ˈnɒvəlti/ | n. | 新奇事物 | from a novelty |
| billion | /ˈbɪljən/ | num. | 十亿 | hundreds of billions |
| appeal | /əˈpiːl/ | n. | 吸引力 | The appeal is obvious |
| underused | /ˌʌndəˈjuːzd/ | adj. | 未充分利用的 | underused assets |
| commission | /kəˈmɪʃn/ | n. | 佣金 | takes a commission |
| downside | /ˈdaʊnsaɪd/ | n. | 不利之处 | the downsides |
| medallion | /məˈdæliən/ | n. | 执照、牌照 | Taxi medallions |
| landlord | /ˈlændlɔːd/ | n. | 房东 | landlords converted |
| accommodation | /əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃn/ | n. | 住宿 | tourist accommodation |
| classify | /ˈklæsɪfaɪ/ | v. | 归类 | are classified as |
| contractor | /kənˈtræktə/ | n. | 承包商 | independent contractors |
| minimum wage | /ˈmɪnɪməm weɪdʒ/ | n. | 最低工资 | minimum wage |
| regulation | /ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃn/ | n. | 监管 | Regulation |
| restrict | /rɪˈstrɪkt/ | v. | 限制 | restrict short-term rentals |
| directive | /dəˈrektɪv/ | n. | 指令 | Platform Work directive |
| reclassify | /ˌriːˈklæsɪfaɪ/ | v. | 重新分类 | reclassify workers |
| reconcile | /ˈrekənsaɪl/ | v. | 调和、使一致 | reconciled with |
| affordable | /əˈfɔːdəbl/ | adj. | 负担得起的 | affordable housing |
| cautionary | /ˈkɔːʃənri/ | adj. | 警示的 | a cautionary tale |
| lasting | /ˈlɑːstɪŋ/ | adj. | 持久的 | a lasting model |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. Airbnb was founded by...
- A. Travis Kalanick
- B. Brian Chesky
- C. Jeff Bezos
- D. Elon Musk
2. A taxi medallion in New York was once worth...
- A. $10,000
- B. $100,000
- C. over $1 million
- D. nothing
3. Gig workers are currently classified as...
- A. full-time employees
- B. independent contractors
- C. government workers
- D. unemployed
4. The EU's Platform Work Directive...
- A. bans Uber
- B. forces platforms to reclassify many workers as employees
- C. increases platform commissions
- D. abolishes minimum wage
5. The writer concludes that the sharing economy...
- A. should be banned
- B. offers benefits but needs regulation to reconcile with workers' rights
- C. is already perfect
- D. will disappear soon
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| asset / monetise / platform / outsource / commission / downside / restrict / reconcile |
- Good health is your most valuable ______.
- The app aims to ______ user data through targeted advertising.
- The company built an e-commerce ______ connecting buyers and sellers.
- Many firms ______ their IT support to reduce costs.
- The agent earns a 10% ______ on every sale.
- One major ______ of the plan is its high cost.
- The new law will restrict smoking in all restaurants.
- It is hard to ______ his statement with his previous actions.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- B 2. C 3. B 4. B 5. B
Vocabulary
- asset 2. monetise 3. platform 4. outsource 5. commission 6. downside 7. restrict 8. reconcile
No comments yet.