2013年12月英语四级阅读真题及答案(卷二)

Section B

Directions： In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2.

The rise of the sharing economy

Last night 40 000 people rented accommodation from a service that offers 250 000 rooms in 30 000 cities in 192 countries. They chose their rooms and paid for everything online. But their beds were provided by private individuals, rather than a hotel chain. Hosts and guests were matched up by Airbnb, a firm based in San Francisco. Since its launch in 2008 more than 4 million people have used it—-2.5 million of them in 2012 alone. It is the most prominent example of a huge new "sharing economy", in which people rent beds, cars, boats and other assets directly from each other, co-ordinate via the internet.

A) You might think this is no different from running a bed-and-breakfast (家庭旅店),owning a timeshare (分时度假房）or participating in a car pool. But technology has reduced transaction costs, making sharing assets cheaper and easier than ever —and therefore possible on a much larger scale. The big change is the availability of more data about people and things, which allows physical assets to be divided and consumed as services. Before the internet, renting a surfboard, a power tool or a parking space from someone else was feasible, but was usually more trouble than it was worth. Now websites such as Airbnb, RelayRides and SnapGoods match up owners and renters； smartphones with GPS let people see where the nearest rentable car is parked; social networks provide a way to check up on people and build trust; and online payment systems handle the billing.

What's mine is yours, for a fee

B) Just as peer-to-peer businesses like eBay allow anyone to become a retailer, sharing sites let individuals act as an ad hoc (临时的）taxi service, car-hire firm or boutique hotel (精品酒店〉as and when it suits them. Just go online or download an app. The model works for items that are expensive to buy and are widely owned by people who do not make full use of them. Bedrooms and cars are the most obvious examples, but you can also rent camping spaces in Sweden, fields in Australia and washing machines in France. As advocates of the sharing economy like to put it, access trumps （胜过）ownership.

C) Rachel Botsman, the author of a book on the subject, says the consumer peer-to-peer rental market alone is worth $ 26 billion. Broader definitions of the sharing economy include peer-to-peer lending or putting a solar panel on your roof and selling power back to the grid (电网）.And it is not just individuals; the web makes it easier for companies to rent out spare offices and idle machines, too. But the core of the sharing economy is people renting things from each other.

D) Such "collaborative (合作的）consumption" is a good thing for several reasons. Owners make money from underused assets. Airbnb says hosts in San Francisco who rent out their homes do so for an average of 58 nights a year, making $ 9 300. Car owners who rent their vehicles to others using RelayRides make an average of $ 250 a month； some make more than $ 1 000. Renters, meanwhile, pay less than they would if they bought the item themselves, or turned to a traditional provider such as a hotel or car-hire firm. And there are environmental benefits, too: renting a car when you need it, rather than owning one, means fewer cars are required and fewer resources must be devoted to making them.

E) For sociable souls, meeting new people by staying in their homes is part of the charm. Curmudgeons (低脾气的人）who imagine that every renter is a murderer can still stay at conventional hotels. For others, the web fosters trust. As well as the background checks carried out by platform owners, online reviews and ratings are usually posted by both parties to each transaction, which makes it easy to spot bad drivers, bathrobe-thieves and surfboard-wreckers. By using Facebook and other social networks, participants can check each other out and identify friends (or friends of friends) in common. An Airbnb user had her apartment trashed in 2011. But the remarkable thing is how well the system usually works.

Peering into the future

F) The shying economy is a little like online shopping, which started in America 15 years ago. At first, people were worried about security. But having made a successful purchase from, say, Amazon, they felt safe buying elsewhere. Similarly, using Airbnb or a car-hire service for the first time encourages people to try other offerings. Next, consider eBay. Having started out as a peer-to-peer marketplace, it is now dominated by professional “power sellers" (many of whom started out as ordinary eBay users). The same may happen with the sharing economy, which also provides new opportunities for enterprise. Some people have bought cars solely to rent them out, for example.

G) Existing rental businesses are getting involved too. Avis, a car-hire firm, has a share in a sharing rival. So do GM and Daimler, two carmakers, in future, companies may develop hybrid （混合的）models, listing excess capacity (whether vehicles，equipment or office space) on peer-to-peer rental sites. In the past, new ways of doing things online have not displaced the old ways entirely. But they have often changed them. Just as internet shopping forced Wal-mart and Tesco to adapt, so online sharing will shake up transport, tourism, equipment-hire and more.

H) The main worry is regulatory uncertainty. Will room-renters be subject to hotel taxes, for example? In Amsterdam officials are using Airbnb listings to track down unlicensed hotels. In some American cities, peer-to-peer taxi services have been banned after lobbying by traditional taxi firms. The danger is that although some rules need to be updated to protect consumers from harm, existing rental businesses will try to destroy competition. People who rent out rooms should pay tax, of course, but they should not be regulated like a Ritz-Carlton hotel. The lighter rules that typically govern bed-and- breakfasts are more than adequate.

I) The sharing economy is the latest example of the internet's value to consumers. This emerging model is now big and disruptive (颠覆性的）enough for regulators and companies to have woken up to it. That is a sign of its immense potential. It is time to start caring about sharing.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

46. Sharing items such as cars does good to the environment.

47. Airbnb's success clearly illustrates the emergence of a huge sharing economy.

48. The major concern about the sharing economy is how the government regulates it.

49. The most frequently shared items are those expensive to buy but not fully used.

50. The sharing economy has a promising future.

51. Online sharing will change the way business is done in transportation, travel, rentals, etc.

52. Airbnb is a website that enables owners and renters to complete transactions online.

53. The sharing economy is likely to go the way of online shopping.

54. One advantage of sharing is that owners earn money from renting out items not made full use of.

55. Sharing appeals to the sociable in that they can meet new people.

Section B

共享经济的崛起

A) (52)昨天晚上,4万人通过一项服务租到了房子。该服务提供了 25万间房屋,覆盖192个国家的 3万个城市。他们在网上挑选房屋并在线支付一切费用。但是,他们的房子不是连锁酒店而是由个人提供的。(47)撮合房客与房主的是一家总部设在旧金山的公司一一Airbnb,自2008年开展业务 以来,该公司已经为400多万人提供过服务,仅2012年就服务过250万人。该公司是很受欢迎的新型 "共享经济"最成功的范例。通过网络协调,人们互相之间可以直接租赁房屋、汽车、船以及其他资产。

B) 你或许认为共享经济同经营家庭旅店、拥有分时度假房或者拼车没什么区别。但是,技术降低了交 易成本,使同别人共享资产变得比以前更加划算和容易一一因此,这种交易规模也可能更大。共享 经济的重大改变在于它能够让你获得更多的有关对方和租赁物的信息,从而允许把实体资产进行分 配并作为服务供人们消费。在互联网出现之前,从他人处租赁冲浪板、电动工具或是停车场是可行 的,但同租金相比,租赁行为本身往往更麻烦。如今,像Airbnb、RelayRides和SnapGoods这类网站 把交易双方撮合在一起;带有GPS定位功能的智能手机能让人们看到最近的可供租赁的汽车停在 什么位置;社交网络提供了一种核对人们信息并且能让交易各方建立信任的方式；网络支付系统来 处理订单。

我的就是你的,但得付费

C) 如同eBay的对等商务允许任何人成为一名零售商一样,共享网站可以让个人根据自己的情况,从 事临时出租车服务、开设租车公司或是精品酒店的业务。所有这一切只要上网或是下载一款应用程序即可。(49)这种模式适用于那些价格昂责而已经拥有它的人却无法物尽其用的物品。最明显的 例子就是房子和汽车。除此之外,你还可以租赁瑞典的露宿营地、澳大利亚的农场以及法国的洗衣 机。共享经济推广者的口头禅就是:共享胜过拥有。

D) 对此写过一本专著的Rachel Botsman说,仅消费者的对等租赁市场就价值260亿美元。广义上的 共享经济还包括对等放贷或在你的房顶上安装一块太阳能电池板,然后把生产出来的电力卖给电网 公司。当然,共享经济并不仅限于个人。网络让公司更轻易地将多余的办公室和闲置的机器租赁出 去。但是,共享经济的核心是互相租赁东西的个人。

E) 此类"协作消费"之所以是一件好事有以下几个原因。(54)所有者可以从利用率不足的物品中赚取费用。Airbnb称,旧金山市的那些平均每年将房屋出租58天的房主,每年能有9 300美元的收入。 那些使用RelayRides的服务将自家汽车租赁给别人的车主每月平均收入为250美元,有些甚至超 过了 1 000美元。与此同时,同自己购买或是从旅馆和租车公司等传统的租赁商那里承租相比,承 租人的费用也降低了不少。(46)共享经济还有益于环保。在需要时租车而不是买车,这意味着汽车 的需求量减少,那么用于制造汽车所需求的资源也必定会越来越少。

F) (55)对善于交际的人来说,待在自己的家里就可以结交新朋友是共享经济的一个魅力所在。把每个 房屋出租者当作谋杀犯的性格個强的人仍能住在传统的旅馆里。对于其他人来说,网络可以增进信 任。由于软件平台的管理方对交易方的背景进行核实,交易方通常都要对每笔交易进行在线打分和 评级,这使得人们容易识别出懒惰的司机、偷浴衣的小偷以及把冲浪板弄坏的人。通过使用 Facebook和其他社交网络,参与者可以相互进行身份验证,鉴别出谁是朋友(或者朋友的朋友）。一 位Airbnb用户的公寓在2011年被破坏了。但是,值得注意的是,这个系统通常运转良好。

关注共享经济的未来

G) (53)共享经济有点像15年前始于美国的网上购物。开始的时候,人们对它的安全性有所担心。但 是,在经历了一次成功购物后，比如说在亚马逊网站，人们对在其他网站进行购物就感到放心了。同 样,有了第一次使用Airbnb或者某项租车服务的经验就会鼓励人们去尝试其他服务。其次,看一看 eBay。开始的时候,eBay只是一个对等市场,而如今的eBay已被专业的"强力卖家"所主导(其中许 多人创业时只是eBay的普通卖家）。(53)同样的情况也可能发生在共享经济上,这也能给企业提供新的机遇。比如说,有些人之所以买车就是为了把车租出去赚钱。

H) 现有的租赁企业也正在涉足这一行业。租车公司Avis入股了其共享经济对手,通用汽车和戴姆勒 这两个汽车制造商也这样做。未来,公司可能发展成溜合模式,只要是用不着或者是难以物尽其用 的商品(不管是交通工具、各种装备还是办公空间)都可以放到对等租赁网站上。过去,在线交易的 新方式没有完全取代传统模式。但前者经常改变后者。就像在线购物迫使沃尔玛和乐购做出调整那样，(51)网络共享将改变交通、旅游、装备出租和更多的行业。

I) (48)人们主要的担心在于监管的不确定性。例如:房屋出租者也要缴纳旅馆税吗？在荷兰，阿姆斯特丹的官员正在利用Airbnb的列表来追踪没有菅业执照的旅馆。在美国的一些城市，由于传统的 出租车公司的游说,一些城市已经取消了对等租车服务。共享经济面临的危险在于,尽管有些法规 需要更新才能保护消费者免受伤害,现有租赁企业会尽其所能破坏竞争。把房子租给别人的房屋出 租者当然应该纳税,但是当局不能把这些人当作丽思卡尔顿酒店一样来监管。通常用来监管连锁家 庭旅店的那些相对较轻的监管措施更适用。

J)共享经济是互联网对于消费者的价值的最新例证。(50)对于监管者和传统企业来说,这种新兴的模 式的冲击力之大足以令他们惊醒。这是其巨大潜力的一个信号。是时候开始重视共享经济了。

答案详解

46. 【定位】由cars和environment定位到E)段最后—句。

E) 【精析】细节辨认题。定位段详细阐释了共享经济 "协作消费"的三大优势:一是物尽其用并可以赚 取费用;二是承租费用降低;三是有益于环境。在 谈到第三大优势时,作者以租赁汽车为例来说明 租赁能够减少汽车的需求量,制造汽车的资源需 求也会相应降低,从而有利于环保。由此可知,共 享汽车有益于环保。题干是对第三大优势的概括,故答案为E)。

47. 【定位】由题干中的Airbnb, huge和sharing economy定位到A)段最后三句。

A) 【精析】细节推断题。A)段以Airbnb为例，通过 列举数字来说明共享经济已初见成效。定位句中 的 4 million, 2.5 million 等数字表明,Airbnb 在 开展业务的短短几年的时间里,它的共享经济模式已经取得了巨大成功，随后类推这种经济模式 很受欢迎,有巨大潜力。题千是对定位句的推断 总结,故答案为A)。

48. 【定位】由题干中的major concern和regulates定 位到I)段第一句。

I)【精析】同义转述题。定位段主要讲述了人们对于 政府如何监管共享经济心存担优，并举例说明，如 阿姆斯特丹的官员正在利用Airbnb的列表来追 踪没有营业执照的旅馆,美国一些城市也因传统 出租车公司的游说取消了对等租车服务。这些例子都表明共享经济的发展受到传统势力的阻烧， 政府如何处理两者的关系成为共享经济能否发展 的重要因素。题干中的major concern和how the government regulates it 是对原文中 main worry和regulatory uncertainty的同义转述,故答案为I)。

49. 【定位】由题干中的expensive to buy和not fully used定位到C)段第三句。

C)【精析】同义转述题。C)段意在说明共享经济的 交易模式和交易物品。作者认为,共享经济模式尤其适用于那些价格昂贵而又无法物尽其用的物 品,房子和汽车就是明显的例子。题干中的most frequently shared items 和 not fully used 是对原 文中 The models works for items 和 do not make full use of them 的同义转述,expensive to buy 则 与原文直接对应，故答案为C)。

50. 【定位】由题干中的sharing economy和promising future定位到J)段第二、三句。

J)【精析】细节辨认题。J)段意在说明共享经济崛起的事实。这种正在崛起的模式冲击力之大足以令 监管者和传统企业清醒,这表明共享经济模式有巨大的潜力，前景广阔。题千中的promising future对应原文中的immense potential,故答案 为J)。

51. 【定位】由题干中的Online sharing和transportation, travel, rentals定位到H)段末句。

H)【精析】细节辨认题。定位段主要讲述了两方面内 容:一是传统租赁行业也涉足于共享经济;二是共 享经济模式影响了传统的经菅模式。在讲述第二 方面的内容时,作者做了一个推论:大前提是网络 共享改变了传统的经菅模式,小前提是网上购物 改变了沃尔妈和乐购的经营方式,结论是网络共享必定会改变一些行业传统的经营模式。题干中的 change 和 transportation, travel, rentals 是对原文中 shake up 和 transport, tourism, equipment- hire的同义转述,故答案为H)。

52. 【定位】由题〒中的Airbnb, website和online定 位到A)段第一至四句。

A) 【精析】细节归纳题。定位段以Airbnb为例说明 共享经济已初现端愧并列举数字佐证,数以万计 的房客和房主通过Airbnb网络平台联系在一起， 从挑选房屋到支付一切费用都是在线完成。简而言之,Airbnb是一个联系房主和房客的网络平台。 题干中的 complete transactions online 是原文中的 They chose their rooms and paid for everything online的同义转述,故答案为A)。

53. 【定位】由题干中的sharing economy和online shopping定位到G)段第一句。

G) 【精析】细节推断题。定位段开始指出共享经济有 点像网上购物,然后作者进一步说明两者的相似 之处:一是用户从担心到信任这种过程;二是这种 模式为商家提供机遇。作者由此推断,共享经济 同样也会经历类似的过程.故答案为G)。

54. 【定位】由题干中的earn money和items not made full use of定位到E)段第二句。

E) 【精析】同义转述题。定位处从出租者、承租者和 环保三个方面说明"协作消费"的优势。对于出租 者来说,他们可以物尽其用并有所收人,作者引用 了 Airbnb和'RelayRides两家网络平台的数据来 说明"协作消费"对出.租者的优势。题干中的 items not made full use of 是对原文中 underused assets的同义转述,故答案为E)。

55. 【定位】由题干中的the sociable和meet new people定位到F)段第一句。

F) 【精析】同义转述题。定位段提到两种人:一种人 喜欢社交，正因如此，共享经济深深地吸引了他 们;另一种人脾气個强,不信任他人,这种人不赞同共享经济。题干中的appeals to, the sociable 和 meet new people 是对原文中 charm, sociable souls, meeting new people的同义转述，故答案 为F)。