1 . The sharing economy is a trend that has been growing in recent years. This economy is based on sharing resources, such as cars, homes, and even clothing, rather than owning them outright. Some popular examples of the sharing economy include Uber, Airbnb, and Lyft.

The sharing economy has several potential benefits. For one, it can help reduce waste and increase sustainability(可持续性), as resources are being used more efficiently. Additionally, it can help provide more affordable options for consumers, as well as create new sources of income for people who may not have had access to traditional job opportunities.

However, there are also potential drawbacks to the sharing economy. Many of the workers in the sharing economy are considered independent contractors, which means they are not entitled to the same benefits and protections as traditional employees. Additionally, there have been concerns about safety and insurance coverage for both the workers and consumers using these services.

1. What is the sharing economy?

A．An economy based on owning resources outright.

B．An economy based on sharing resources.

C．An economy based on consuming more resources.

D．An economy based on throwing away resources.

2. What are some potential benefits of the sharing economy?

A．It can create more waste and reduce sustainability.

B．It can create more expensive options for consumers.

C．It can provide affordable options for consumers and create new sources of income.

D．It can reduce job opportunities.

3. What are some popular examples of the sharing economy?

A．Private car ownership, traditional hotels, and taxis.

B．Public transportation, traditional hotels, and taxis.

C．Uber, Airbnb, and Lyft.

D．Uber, private car ownership, and public transportation.

4. What is one potential benefit of the sharing economy for people who may not have had access to traditional job opportunities?

A．It can create more traditional job opportunities.

B．It can eliminate traditional job opportunities.

C．It can provide new sources of income.

D．It can reduce job opportunities.

4 . Four stories to inspire you

Flipkart: Flipkart is a well-known e-commerce service provider that delivers the ordered product right from the shop to your doorstep. At first, Flipkart was a book market, but as it kept growing, it now sells almost everything. Its name currently comes in the top 5 global billion-dollar startups (初创公司) with a net cost of $11 billion according to the reports by The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones VentureSource.

RedBus: RedBus was launched in 2016, and in just five years, the company has grown rapidly. The company works to improve the booking of road transport and hotels via the online platform (平台). Its success is a result of an idea that three businessmen, Charan, Phanindra and Sudhakar came up with when Phanindra couldn’t go back home for a festival without a bus ticket.

Zomato: The company was launched in 2008, and in just 13 years, it has become one of the most known and globally liked food delivery and restaurant rating platforms. It currently covers 331, 200 restaurants in 19 countries. Many don’t know it was originally started as Foodiebay.com. The idea was so good that it was well received within two years of its launch in India and went on to obtain global recognition in another two years.

HestaBit: The company was a tech startup back in 2012 but it has now become one of the leading website development firms. The three founders, Dipanshu Upadhyay, Harshvardhan Lakhera and Prashant Gautam, started the company back in their college days with a little uncertainty and some big dreams. However, since they moved ahead in time, they not only expanded their business across the USA, the UK and India, but gained recognition from famous organizations like Bill.

1. Which startup was inspired by an unpleasant incident?

A．Flipkart.	B．RedBus.
C．Zomato.	D．HestaBit.

2. When was Zomato accepted by people around the world?

A．In 2008.	B．In 2010.
C．In 2012.	D．In 2021.

3. What do we know about HestaBit?

A．It was set up in India in 2012.

B．It was founded to help college students at first.

C．It started with a dream in some young minds.

D．Its founders were classmates at university.