Sharing economy began as a means to profit from idle assets(闲置资产). But sharing assets has been around for thousands of years. The difference lies in the development of the Internet. It has proven to be the most effective tool in bringing people with means and people with needs together at an unprecedented rate.
People, who were not necessarily entrepreneurs, would rent out their cars or houses that are not in use to others who are looking for alternatives to traditional transportation and accommodation businesses. This peer-to-peer(点对点的) concept was simple, but its inventiveness quickly transformed their respective industries. They even transformed views regarding ownership—since using their services significantly reduces the need for owning cars or houses.
Today, the sharing economy has developed into something involving numerous dealings over the Internet. Some of the leading e-commerce websites like Amazon, Ebay, and Alibaba have now become platforms shared by small businesses to display their products. Even the delivery of sold goods is being outsourced to different businesses. Although not as apparent as ride or home-sharing, these online shopping malls are also success stories of the sharing economy.
The gig economy(零工经济) has closely been related to the sharing economy since the beginning. The former is defined by its system of filling temporary positions in organizations with independent contractors. It can even be said that the gig economy is a huge and essential part, but a part nevertheless, of the sharing economy. If the sharing economy is changing the concept of ownership, the gig economy is changing the concept of employment. Companies now widely share talents and skills in the form of outsourced help. Although this is not entirely a new occurrence, digitalization has been an enormous help.
1. What can we conclude from paragraph 1?| A．Sharing economy separates people. |
| B．People make profits by selling their idle assets. |
| C．The Internet improves the efficiency of sharing. |
| D．Assets sharing is a new product of the Internet. |
| A．Rise of house prices. | B．Decrease of car sales. |
| C．Fast delivery of goods. | D．Success of new websites. |
| A．It features flexible staffing. | B．It appears before sharing economy. |
| C．It refers to hiring permanent workers. | D．It narrows the concepts of employment. |
| A．Future of Sharing Economy. | B．Appearance of Gig Economy. |
| C．Development of Sharing Economy. | D．Gig Economy and Sharing Economy. |
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【推荐1】The MOOCs (massive open online courses) reached its peak of popularity in 2012. Now while people who drop out outnumber those who sign up for online courses and MOOCs are still the early days, there’s no denying there’s still value in their existence. Courses does not give our figures on its paying learners. Udacity says it has 13,000 people doing its degrees. Whatever the number are, the reinvented MOOCs matter because they are solving two problems they share with every provider of later-life education.
The first of these is the cost of learning, not just in money but also in time. Formal education rests on the idea of qualifications that take a set period to complete. Students in their early 20s can more easily afford a lengthy time commitment because they are less likely to have other responsibilities. However, people in later life, when they manage part-time of distance learning, find balancing learning, working and family life can cause great pressures.
Moreover, the world of work increasingly demands a quick response from the education system to provide people with the desired qualifications. To take one example from Burning Class, in 2014 alone 65,000 American job-vacancy（职位空缺）ads asked for a cyber-security certificate. Since only 50,000 people in America hole such a certificate and it takes five years of experience to earns one, that requirement will be hard to meet. Lets demanding professions also put up huge harriers to entry. If you want to become a licensed cosmetologist（美容师）in New Hampshire, you will need to have gained 1,500 hours of training.
In response, the MOOCs have tried to make their content as digestible and flexible as possible. Degrees are broken onto modules; modules into courses; courses into short periods. The MOOCs test for the most suitable length to ensure people complete the course; six minutes is thought to be the sweet spot for online video and four weeks for a course.
1. What can we infer about the MOOCs?| A．They came into being in 2012. |
| B．They offer more course to choose from. |
| C．They are still immature but promising. |
| D．They help solve problems cause by jobs markets. |
| A．Time management. | B．Education cost. |
| C．Job hunting. | D．Distance learning. |
| A．Getting certificates can be quicker by learning online. |
| B．Young students can't afford formal education. |
| C．Online learning will guarantee one a good job. |
| D．Entering less demanding jobs is easier. |
| A．Education and Work | B．Qualifications and Requirements |
| C．The Return of the MOOCs | D．The Development of the MOOCs |
【推荐2】Sound may offer a creative way to take the ocean's temperature. Climate change is steadily warming the seas, which have absorbed about 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. This warming contributes to sea—level rise, endangers species and influences weather patterns.
But tracking the warming is tricky. Ship—based observations capture only snapshots in time over a tiny portion of the water. Satellite observations cannot enter very deep below the surface. The most detailed picture of ocean heat comes from Argo, which can drop down to around 6,500 feet. But there are only about 4,000 such floats, and they cannot sample deeper parts of the oceans.
In Science, researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences compared the travel speeds of sounds produced by undersea earthquakes to detect ocean warming over wider areas. Because sound travels faster in warmer water, differences in speed can reveal changing temperatures.
Inspired by those early efforts to measure ocean heat with sound, Caltech researcher Wenbo Wu thought to monitor low—frequency sound waves sent out by earthquakes below the seafloor. “I know these earthquakes are very powerful sources,” Wu says, “So why not try to use the earthquakes?”
He and his team tested the idea near Indonesia's island of Nias, where the Indo—Australian Plate is bumping under the Sunda Plate. The researchers gathered sound data from 4, 272 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or greater from 2004 to 2016, and they compared sound wave speeds from quakes that originated in the same spot over the years. By modeling the differences, often just fractions（片段）of a second, they found that the ocean near Nias was warming by about 0.08 degree Fahrenheit per decade—more than the 0.047 degree F suggested by Argo's data. Less than one degree F does not sound large, but it takes considerable heat to warm the entire eastern Indian Ocean.
Meanwhile Princeton University geophysicist Frederik Simons and his colleagues are exploring an alternative technique, employing dozens of underwater microphones called hydrophones to catch more earthquake sounds. He notes that finding out the foats' precise locations will be challenging, however. Overcoming such challenges would fill in important gaps, Wu says, “We really need different methods of gathering the data as much as possible.”
1. What do people do to take ocean's temperature?| A．Ships sail across all the oceans to take photos. |
| B．Satellites are used to provide data on ocean heat. |
| C．Argo enters the deepest seas for detailed pictures. |
| D．The numbers of floats hit a record high. |
| A．Because its speed varies with the temperature of water. |
| B．Because it accompanies earthquakes below the seafloor. |
| C．Because it is approved by Chinese and US researchers. |
| D．Because its value has been proved by previous efforts. |
| A．They use hydrophones as floats. | B．They exchange their data with Argo. |
| C．They meet the same trouble at work. | D．They employ new research methods. |
【推荐3】Researchers at MIT and in China developed a simple, solar-powered water desalination (脱盐) system. They have made a breakthrough in getting fresh drinking water from sea water by using sunlight.
As the research paper published in Energy & Environmental Science explains, equipment applied in this system includes several layers of flat evaporators (蒸发器) that turn water sources into fresh water through solar energy, as well as condensers (冷凝器) that cool the gas into the liquid. The authors of the paper are MIT students Lenan Zhang and Lin Zhao, Professor Evelyn Wang, and nine other researchers at MIT and at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.
How the system uses each of the multiple stages to remove salt from the water is critical to its efficiency. The heat released per stage will be used by the next stage. In this way, the team’s device can convert the energy of sunlight into the energy of water evaporation with an efficiency of 385 percent.
The device can be considered as a multilayer solar still. The heat is absorbed by its flat panels and then transferred to make water evaporate. The vapor then cools down and turns into liquid water on the next panel. As the water is collected, the released heat is transferred to the next layer.
The team’s 10-stage system produces pure water. Its quality is above the city drinking water standards. It also has the highest yield compared to other similar systems, at a rate of nearly six cubic decimeter per hour for every square meter of the solar collecting area. The system is distinguished from some others by the fact that there is no accumulated salt to be got rid of. Most materials of the demonstration unit don’t cost much and are easy to get.
Further experiments will be carried out on the device to optimize (优化) the choices of materials and test its durability under realistic conditions. Researchers will also work on the design of the device to make it more consumer-friendly. It is expected that the system could finally help developing regions that are short of electricity supplies but rich in sea water and sunlight handle water crises.
1. What contributes most to the high efficiency of the device?| A．The simplicity of the structure. | B．The use of multilayer equipment. |
| C．The choice of materials. | D．The recycling of released heat. |
| A．How the device works. | B．What makes the device. |
| C．What the device is for. | D．How solar energy is collected. |
| A．The low cost of the materials. | B．Its stable and high production level. |
| C．Its zero accumulation of salt. | D．The quality of water it produces. |
| A．To reduce its cost. | B．To check its performance in labs. |
| C．To make it environment-friendly. | D．To make it suitable for use by consumers. |
【推荐1】The famous French beauty company L’Oréal has promised that by 2030, 95 percent of its ingredients (原料) will come from renewable plant sources and be respectful of the environment. Asked what is driving the beauty industry to clean and green beauty, Laurent Gilbert, one of L’Oréal’s directors said, “Natural science has made progress in the past years so that we can change to natural ingredients.”
L’Oréal says it will draw on recent developments in Green Sciences to get the best that nature has to offer through technology. Up to now, 80 percent of the Group’s materials have been easily biodegradable ( 生物可降解的), 59 percent have been renewable, and 34 percent have been natural or of natural origin. And 29 percent of the ingredients used in their products were developed following the rules of Green Chemistry.
“We have already used active ingredients which are plant-based. The way we are getting and producing ingredients will change.” Gilbert added.
As part of their sustainability (可持续性) program, the brand had also promised to use less plastic. It said, “By 2030, 100 percent of the plastics used in L’Oréal’s products’ packaging will be from recycled sources. We have a strong policy to help reach that goal. Besides making it recyclable, we are trying to move to a new kind of packaging.”
“All our promises are global. We have two research centers in India, one in Bengaluru and one in Mumbai. Those are really important to those goals. The Bengaluru one is being specialized in natural ingredients. It will give support to this change,” says the research center, which was set up in India in 1994.
To achieve these aims, L’Oréal has brought all of its resources in Green Sciences together, including recent progress in agricultural economics, together with new developments in biotechnology, Green Chemistry and modelling tools. The Group is also building strong relationships with universities, new companies and its own material suppliers.
1. What plays an important role in L’Oréal’s decision to change its ingredients?| A．The support from the local government. |
| B．The development of natural science. |
| C．The call for smart spending habits. |
| D．The research on target markets. |
| A．To bring convenience to customers. |
| B．To avoid damage to its products. |
| C．To cut the cost of packaging. |
| D．To reduce plastic use. |
| A．Develop new resources and join hands with different groups. |
| B．Limit the number of factories in developed countries. |
| C．Grow more plants and invite plenty of professionals. |
| D．Keep the traditional way of producing materials |
| A．L’Oréal’s achievements in business |
| B．L’Oréal’s challenge of increasing sales |
| C．L’Oréal’s plans for green and clean beauty |
| D．L’Oréal’s expectation of creating plant-based food |
【推荐2】A Singaporean company will feed airport food waste to mealworms before turning them into fish feed, aiming to cut the country's use of imported feed and offer a continuous alternative.
Blue Aqua International will partner with Dnata, an air and travel services provider, to change organic waste at Singapore's Changi Airport into insect protein for aquacultural use, according to a statement Tuesday.
The project looks to replace traditional fish and soybean meal as the main sources of protein for aquafeed. The insects will eat the food waste and change it into part of the body containing about 60 per cent protein. The dried baby worms will then be made into feed.
These mealworms can be a continuous solution to several problems. Using a small land and giving out less carbon, they turn food waste into feed and offer an alternative source of protein. Ynsect SAS, a small French business that keeps mealworms to feed fish and pets, attracted money from investors including Iron Man movie actor Robert Downey Jr. in a round of fund-raising last year.
The deal will give Singapore's farmers access to domestically produced animal feed, which is traditionally bought from abroad. The Southeast Asian nation imports more than 90 percent of its food and has set a goal to produce a third of its food locally by 2030. It also aims to achieve a general recycling rate of 70 per cent by then. Presently, less than 20 per cent of Singapore's food waste is recycled.
As part of the partnership, Dubai-based Dnata will add Blue Aqua to its list of suppliers to buy locally farmed seafood for its catering service.
1. What is the function of mealworms?| A．To cut the use of imported fish feed. | B．To eat food waste and make fish feed. |
| C．To domestically produce animal feed. | D．To replace traditional fish and soybean meal. |
| A．The producers of the feed. | B．The purpose of the project |
| C．The advantages of the project. | D．The composition of the feed. |
| A．It is a rich country. | B．It is short of self-produced food. |
| C．Its recycling rate is very high now. | D．Its farmers don't support the deal. |
| A．A new way to produce fish feed. | B．An introduction to a company. |
| C．A plan to reduce food waste. | D．A deal to protect farmers. |
【推荐3】“Ni Hao! I am your foreign friend. Just have a bite of our organic apples and place your orders here!” Erik Nilson, a Swedish traveler, greeted through TikTok livestreams (抖音直播) in a village of Jiangxi Province. His appearance online increased that day's sales greatly. After experiencing a special day of livestreaming, Erik said jokingly. “I wish I could change my job.”
This village is not alone. Nowadays, China's e commerce platforms like TikTok and Taobao have helped open up online markets for Chinese farmers' produce. This has made livestreaming sales a new way to remove poverty (贫穷), with mobile phones becoming “new farm tools”.
“How can you make the audience believe that your products are delicious just through the screen in front of you?” The government in Hainan Province invites experts to teach farmers some necessary skills ranging from short video editing (编辑) to livestreaming sales. “However, at first, only a few villagers wanted to have a try. We helped them get training in livestreaming, short video marketing, and other courses. It wasn't fancy, but simple, practical, and effective.”
“Everybody, please take a look. This is the best banana. Taste it.” said Pei Yanqin, 59, speaking with a strong local accent but communicating smoothly with audience through her livestreaming software. Just over a year ago, she was one of those villagers with the least interest to get training.
Today, the village has developed eight e-commerce livestreaming courtyards. Some presenters work alone, while others are husband and wife teams. In the next step, the government will train more farmer presenters and develop multi-variety online sales.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To describe a job interview. | B．To advertise the organic apples. |
| C．To tell about a trip to Sweden. | D．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| A．They were hopeful about it. | B．They took active part in it. |
| C．They were uninterested in it. | D．They thought it simple and practical. |
| A．Erik Nilson wants to look for a new job. |
| B．Livestreaming is the best way to remove poverty. |
| C．Pei Yanqin has no interest in livestreaming sales at all. |
| D．Government helps farmers become skilled in marketing online. |
| A．Business. | B．Education. | C．Science. | D．Advertisement. |
