2015年英语六级阅读材料：为何Uber模式不是各行业都适用

　　The success of Uber has inspired hundreds of startups to callthemselves the “Uber of X, Y, or Z.” There are now apps toorder groceries, to have you car washed, to get legal counsel, and much more. Uber is part of abroad category of on-demand mobile services. Thanks to smartphones and cloud computing, it’seasier than ever to connect people who need a job done with people looking to take on someextra work and monetize their spare time.

　　Entrepreneurs and investors are excited by the massive opportunity potential, while others worrythat the Uberification of our economy will turn every good full-time job into a flex-time gig.However, amidst all the fear and exuberance, it’s important to realize that the on-demand servicemodel won’t work for every industry.

　　Several underlying factors made the taxi industry ripe for disruption by on-demand marketplaces:It’s a commoditized service with a high-purchase frequency that is truly time-sensitive. While theseingredients certainly aren’t unique to hiring a ride, they do not cut across all industries andverticals. Consequently, finding an untapped market and saying you’re going to build the “Uberfor X” is hardly a surefire route to success.

　　Underlying Commoditized Services

　　When it comes to hiring a ride, most of us are happy as long as a driver brings us from Point A toPoint B in a clean car without getting lost. This makes us pretty flexible in terms of who delivers theservice. Yet the more complex the service, the harder it becomes for consumers to accept theidea that somebody at random will show up each time. We develop preferences for who cuts ourhair, babysits our children, performs home repair, and gives out legal/medical advice.

　　To overcome the trust-barrier, marketplaces can leverage user reviews and Facebook profiles.For example, through Facebook Connect, Airbnb has managed to make people feel safe andsecure when opening up their home or staying in a stranger’s place. Other strategies are to certifythe service provider pool, tie into existing review sites/peer testimonials, and offer money-backguarantees.

　　Sites do exist for non-commoditized services today. But they operate more like lead generationengines than actual marketplaces capable of facilitating the entire transaction with the couple-of-taps simplicity of Uber.

　　Marketplaces for complex transactions will need to productize their services, with boxed offeringsthat pre-define the scope, pricing, duration, and deliverables of a service. By removing choice andcustomization from the process, it’s more realistic for customers to arrange a complex service on amobile app.

　　High-purchase frequency

　　The best marketplaces have high-purchase frequency and regular usage. For city dwellers andfrequent travelers, taxis are used on a daily, or at least weekly, basis. On top of this, Uber alsoenjoys significant spill-over effects as travelers move from one location to another.

　　With high-frequency use cases, customers fall into the habit of using the same service as long asthey’re satisfied. It’s easy then for a startup to become the “homescreen app” for that particularuse case. In contrast, it’s much harder to retain customer mindshare with lower-purchasefrequencies. For example, if customers need a yard cleanup a few times a year, they’re more likelyto begin the research process over again each time.

　　True on-demand use case

　　Many of the services that fall into the on-demand mobile services category aren’t actually “on-demand.” In most cases you don’t need a cleaning service or house painter to show up withinminutes, or even the same day. But taxis are a different story.

　　A true on-demand marketplace requires sufficient liquidity on the supply side. Without enoughavailable drivers in a car service marketplace, customers will be left waiting on the curb. Thiscreates a large barrier to enter the market, since a new competitor needs to launch with hundredsof providers, not just a handful.

　　By contrast when services can be delivered with more flexible timing, it’s easier for competitors toenter a vertical or new location and there’s less of a “winner takes all” dynamic. As such, we canexpect just one or two major players for a true on-demand service, while less time-sensitivemarkets will be crowded with smaller companies.

　　Final thoughts

　　This is not to say that Uber will be the last multi-billion dollar marketplace unicorn. I have no doubtthat some savvy companies will figure out how to move more complex transactions online,shaking up more industries in the process. However, entrepreneurs and investors need to bethoughtful when evaluating the underlying factors of a marketplace and vertical, as the “Uber ofX” won’t necessarily work as well as the original.

　　counsel: n.协商，讨论; 建议; 策略;

　　surefire: adj.一定成功的，不会失败的; 万全

　　leverage: v.举债经营; 借贷收购

　　从分值的划分可以看出，在复习过程中的重点是听力与阅读。建议大家在复习听力时，找一些历年的真题来练习，通过不断的练习使自己熟悉语速与和把读音与单词对上号反应出句子的含义，其中要注意提前阅读选项、加减运算、人物地点时间以及复合听写时前后联系、来不及先记词头等。英语听力的提高是需要不断的练习，建议大家可以每天听1个小时(尤其是考前1个月)，还可以看一些英语与中文双字幕的外国影片，让自己处于英语环境中，有助于听力的提高。

　　除了听力，阅读理解也是复习的重点。阅读理解现在分为选词填空、长篇阅读(信息匹配)以及仔细阅读。这个部分考查的是阅读量与单词的积累，在复习时要注意不要碰到生词就翻找字典，容易浪费时间，而且一个词在不同的句子中含义可能不同，建议大家通过上下文猜测词语的含义，在做阅读理解时猜词能力很重要。在做阅读理解时还要注意文章的类型，做到联系上下文，划出关键句以及对做题速度的控制，可以记下每次完成阅读理解所需的时间，有效控制速度。

　　写作与翻译两个部分占分不高，取得高分的难度较大。写作部分首先要注意读题，正确理解题目的含义，可以在写作时可以列下写作的大纲以确保不写偏，同时可以完成作文整体结构的划分。其次要注意语法的运用要规范正确并尽可能多用高级词汇(确保正确)，可以提高作文的整体水平，最后，可以通过背诵一些范文，句式结构来提高写作水平。

　　翻译部分难度较大，在平时练习时要注重对中国文化、历史、发展规划等领域词汇的积累，在翻译遇到困难时可以用自己的理解来翻译(注意正确)，可以翻译一些短文来锻炼自己的翻译能力。在翻译时注意不要采用中文的顺序逐字翻译，容易出错。在翻译过程中做到语法运用、单词拼写不出错，语句流畅，就能得高分。

　　英语六级的复习主要这四个部分，可以针对不同的占分值与自己的掌握程度来合理安排时间，做到心中有数，一定能够成功!