A
Suppose you don’t need your car today.And suppose,as it happens that a stranger in your area does need a car.Would you be willing to rent yours out?
Several car-sharing start-ups,including Getaround,RelayRides and JustShareIt, are eager to connect car owners with renters this way.The companies have different rules,but participating owners receive,generally speaking,about two-thirds of the rental earnings.RelayRides says an owner of a mid-size,late-model sedan who rents out a car for 10 hours a week could expect to clear about $3,000 a year.
Peer-to-peer car-sharing remains in the trial stage;it can be found in San Francisco and a few other places.It has a long way to go before it becomes the auto equivalent of Airbnb,the surprise success story for peer-to-peer sharing of space in apartments and houses.
Shelby Clark,founder of RelayRides,says potential investors in his company have been concerned that owners will be afraid to hand their car over to strangers.To address that,he points to Airbnb,saying,“Letting people sleep in your living room is much more of a disturbance into your personal space than letting someone use your car.”
All of these companies offer their own insurance coverage for their renters, which are supposed to put owners’ minds at ease.But only two states—California and Oregon—have passed laws to clarify that an owner will not suffer any consequences should a car-sharing renter have an accident.
“In all the other states,legal ambiguity remains,”Shelby Clark says.“If a renter should be involved in a serious accident in those states,the victim can be expected to go after every party possible,including the car’s owner.”
Also to remove the worries of car owners,the driving records of renters are checked for recent serious violations.
1.What does the underlined word“sedan”in Paragraph 2 probably refer to?
A.A kind of car. B.An owner of a car.
C.A renting company. D.A car-sharing renter.
2.Which of the following is TRUE of Airbnb?
A.It cares little about personal privacy.
B.It deals with house-sharing successfully.
C.It is a very popular car-sharing company.
D.Its ideas are being tried out in some states.
3.If a car-sharing renter should have an accident in California,the car’s owner .
A.has to take legal responsibility
B.will not suffer the consequence
C.is not covered by health insurance
D.must pay the insurance for the renter
语篇解读:本文是说明文,介绍了美国兴起的一个共同使用小汽车的新兴行业。
答案及剖析:
1.A 词义猜测题。根据画线词前面的“an owner of a mid-size,late-model”及画线词后面的“who rents out a car”可推知,这里指的是“一种中型、新型的小汽车”,故选 A。
2.B 细节理解题。根据文章第三段中的“before it becomes the auto equivalent of Airbnb,the surprise success story for peer-to-peer sharing of space in apartments and houses”可知,Airbnb是一家成功进行房屋共享的公司,故选B。
3.B 细节理解题。根据文章第五段中的“But only two states — California and Oregon — have passed laws to clarify that an owner will not suffer any consequences should a car-sharing renter have an accident.”可知,在California和Oregon两个州,如果租用者出了事故,车主是不会受到任何影响的,故选B。
