Question

    If we look around us at the things we have purchased at some point in our lives, we would no doubt notice that not everything we own is being put to good use: the thick woolen coat which we thought looked trendy despite the fact that we live in a tropical country. the smartphone that got put away when we bought ourselves the newest model, or even the guest room in our house that somehow got turned into a storeroom.

Those underutilized(未充分使用的) items may seem useless to some, but could be of value to others. With the occurrence of the Internet, online communities have figured out a way to generate profit from the sharing of those underused property, Using websites and social media groups that facilitate the buying and selling of second-hand goods it is now easier than ever for peer-to-peer sharing activities to take place. And this is known as the sharing economy.

These popular online platforms are providing a chance for people to make a quick fortune. To give an example, busy parents previously might not have bothered with setting up a stall at the local market to sell their children’s old equipment, but with online marketplaces, parents are now able to sell on those hardly worn baby clothes that their children have outgrown so as to put some cash back into their pockets.

Businesses have also caught on to the profitability of the sharing economy and are seeking to gain from making use of those underutilized resources. Companies like Airbnb act as a middleman for people to cash in on their unused rooms and houses and let them out as profitable accommodation. Another example is Uber, which encourages people to use their own personal cars as taxis to make some extra cash in their free time.

This move towards a sharing economy is not without criticisms. Unlike businesses, unregulated individuals do not have to follow certain regulations and this can lead to poorer and inconsistent quality of goods and services and a higher risk of fraud. Nevertheless, in the consumerist society we live in today, the increased opportunities to sell on our unwanted and underused goods can lead to a lesser impact on our environment.

1.Why can people now sell things more easily?

A. People nowadays buy more things.

B. Businesses want to buy the things they don t use.

C. There are now more market stalls.

D. There are now online platforms to do business.

2.Which of these is something that we might underutilize?

A. Thick coat in a cold country.

B. Clothes our babies don' t or can't wear any more.

C. The latest smartphone.

D. The storeroom in our house.

3.It might be a problem for unregulated individuals to sell to others because _____.

A. what they sell might be of a lower quality.

B. they have to follow certain regulations.

C. they don't have a business license.

D. they like to criticize their buyers.

4.What might be a good title for this article?

A. The consumerist society B. Parents who need money

C. The rise of the sharing economy D. Why we buy things we don't need

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇新闻报道。随着网络和社交平台的发展，共享经济随之出现并得到了发展，这使得售卖东西更容易，个人可以将未充分使用的物品利用网络平台进行销售，很多企业也抓住了共享经济的盈利机会，并试图从利用这些未充分利用的资源中获利。但是共享经济有弊有利。

1.细节理解题。由第二段“Using websites and social media groups that facilitate the buying and selling of second-hand goods it is now easier than ever for peer-to-peer sharing activities to take place”可知，利用网站和社交媒体来促进二手商品的买卖，现在比以往任何时候都更容易开展点对点的分享活动。所以通过在线平台做生意，使得售卖东西变得更容易。故D选项正确。

2.细节理解题。由第三段“ but with online marketplaces, parents are now able to sell on those hardly worn baby clothes that their children have outgrown so as to put some cash back into their pockets.”可知，但是有了在线市场，父母们现在可以把孩子们穿不了的婴儿衣服卖出去，这样就可以赚回一些钱。既然孩子穿不了的婴儿衣服能在网络上销售，就说明衣服还未被充分的使用。所以B选项“我们的孩子不穿或不能再穿的衣服”可能没有被充分利用。故B选项正确。

3.细节理解题。由最后一段“ Unlike businesses,unregulated individuals do not have to follow certain regulations and this can lead to poorer and inconsistent quality of goods and services and a higher risk of fraud.”可知，与企业不同，不受管制的个人不必遵守某些条例，这可能导致所出售的商品的服务的质量较差和不一致，以及更高的欺诈风险。所以对于不受监管的个人来说，向他人推销商品可能会产生相关的问题，因为他们卖的东西的质量可能比较差。故A选项正确。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，随着网络和社交平台的发展，共享经济随之出现并得到了发展，这使得售卖东西更容易，个人可以将未充分使用的物品利用网络平台进行销售，很多企业也抓住了共享经济的盈利机会，并试图从利用这些未充分利用的资源中获利。但是共享经济有弊有利。所以短文主要是围绕着“共享经济的兴起”而展开的。故短文最佳的标题为“共享经济的兴起”。符合句意。故C选项正确。故C选项正确。