VOA慢速英语2014 Need a Ride? Share a Bike

 

AS IT IS 2014-11-13 Need a Ride? Share a Bike

People can rent many different things today: cars, apartments, party dresses -- even surf boards to ride the waves. People handle these rentals² between and among themselves.  They do not need to involve any company.  This system is called the sharing economy.

It adds up to $26 billion in business each year. It is easy to do because of the Internet, online payments³, and social media.

One group, RelayRides, helps owners earn money from their cars.

Anas Kasawat made more than $1,000 this month.

"I’ve always thought about, why can’t I rent my own car, and it was difficult to find the right insurance, and no one would do it. So RelayRides was the perfect choice in the end.”

Still, people worry about security⁴ and safety.  For example, an international ride-sharing service called "Uber" has had some criticism⁵ involving accidents and theft.

Car owners and renters both feel safer when they learn about RelayRides’ million-dollar insurance policy. The company also offers many kinds of vehicles that other companies don’t have. 

RelayRides CEO Andre Haddad says RelayRides is 35 percent less expensive than traditional rental¹ companies in major cities. And he also says that is not the only reason that people like it.

"I think a lot of people are sensitive to their footprint. Their societal footprint, their environmental footprint, and, when you think about all the cars that are out there that could be better utilized⁶ and we’ll have less need for more cars, that also is a big motivation for a lot of our users⁷ in listing out their cars on RelayRides.”

Daryn Swanson rents out his bicycles on "Spinlister." He says he cares about making connections with other people in his community.

"I just like the idea of sharing my things. I have three or four bikes and I don’t use them all at the same time, so I thought it was a good way to meet some people and share what I have.”

For Spinlister’s Andrew Batey, this kind of rental helps people who like the same things to meet.

“I really see that everywhere. We’re in 66 countries now. I could go to Bangladesh and feel the same way in meeting someone who loves biking as much as I do." 

One time, Swanson’s bicycle was not returned on time. He was happy with Spinlister’s response.

“They were so good about it, they gave me a credit⁸, and they were very helpful, like immediate⁹ responses. Part of that might be the size; they’re still pretty small, I believe, and you get a lot more personal attention with that.”

An independent opinion study ordered by Spinlister reports that only 4 percent of Americans are using the sharing services.

"That’s not a critical mass at all. I think that at the end of the day that companies that will be here in 10 years in the sharing economy space are going to be the companies that focus on (center on) customer service and making sure that everyone on both sides is as happy as possible.”

For now, it is easy for people to share their bicycles and cars in New York. They do not have to spend very much money.  But in the future, the services may become more costly¹⁰ and more difficult to use.

Words in this Story

insurance - n. an agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money equal to the value of something (such as a car) if it is damaged, lost, or stolen

footprint – n. the ecological¹¹ footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's environment

economy – n. the system by which money, industry and trade are organized

1 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

2 rentals   

n.租费，租金额( rental的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In some large hotels, the income derived from this source actually exceeds income from room rentals. 有些大旅馆中，这方面的盈利实际上要超过出租客房的盈利。 来自辞典例句
• Clerk: Well, Canadian Gifts is on the lower level. It's across from Prime Time Video Rentals. 噢，礼品店在楼下，在黄金时刻录像出租屋的对面。 来自口语例句

3 payments   

n.支付，付款，缴纳，报酬( payment的名词复数 )；付出的[要付出的]款项；报答，报偿

参考例句：

• Welfare payments cease as soon as an individual starts a job. 一旦就业，即停发福利救济。
• The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children. 这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。

4 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

5 criticism   

n.批评，批判，指责；评论，评论文章

参考例句：

• Some youth today do not allow any criticism at all.现在有些年轻人根本指责不得。
• It is wrong to turn a deaf ear to other's criticism.对别人的批评充耳不闻是错误的。

6 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

8 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.