(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
The Indian government recently called for all unregistered taxi services to halt operations. The order came after the reported rape of a woman by a driver for the company Uber in the capital New Delhi. Uber uses a mobile app to link drivers and people seeking a ride.
A statement from Uber said the company will "work with the government of India to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs."
The incident has brought attention to the issue of rules for mobile service businesses. The issue has grown more important with the expansion of what is called the "sharing economy."
Uber has been expanding quickly. The company says it operates in over 200 cities and over 50 countries around the world. Its fast growth has led financial experts to value the company in the billions of dollars. However, Uber's expansion has placed it in competition with existing taxi services and caused some cities and countries to ban the ride-sharing service.
Uber has faced or is facing bans in Germany, Spain, India and Thailand. Franch recently said it plans to block Uber services that use non professional drivers. In the U.S., opposition is widespread but uneven.
In Pennsylvania, for example, UberX, a low-cost ride-sharing service from Uber can operate anywhere except the state's largest city Philadelphia. There, Uber Black, a more expensive limousine service from Uber, and other taxi services legally operate with licenses from the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
The sharing economy permits individuals to rent things they own such as a car or an extra room to people anywhere using mobile apps. Even payment is through an app.
The issue is that these transactions are not supervised the way taxi services or hotels are. Critics say they can be unsafe. Philadelphia Parking Authority director Vince Fenerty calls the unregulated taxi services "hacks."
"They are basically running what's called a hack taxicab service. A totally unregulated service which brings into question the safety of the passenger, the credentials of the driver and the mechanical workings of the vehicle. They submit to nothing."
Uber says on its website that every ridesharing driver is investigated using a criminal background check. But in the reported case in India, the company is accused of not performing a check of the driver's criminal record.
Uber has been supporting changes in local laws to permit its service. The city of Chicago has approved rules for a mobile app to assist taxi services licensed by the city. New York is considering a similar measure.
And that's the Economics Report. I'm Mario Ritter.
词汇学习
1.halt v.（使）停止
He criticised the government for failing to halt economic decline.
他批评政府未能遏止经济下滑。
2.establish vt. 建立，创建
We're trying to establish linkages between these groups and financial institutions.
我们正努力在这些团体和金融机构之间建立联系。
3.absent adj. 缺少的，缺乏的
Absent a solution, people like Sue Godfrey will just keep on fighting.
假如得不到解决，像休·戈弗雷这样的人就会一直坚持斗争下去。
4.block vt. 阻止
For years the country has tried to block imports of various cheap foreign products...
多年来，这个国家一直竭力阻挠各种廉价外国产品的进口。
5.limousine n. 豪华轿车；大型豪华轿车
A limousine swept her along the busy freeway to the airport.
一辆豪华轿车载着她沿着拥挤的高速公路飞速驶向机场。
6.supervise vt.& vi. 监督；管理
The UN pledged to help supervise the clearance of mines.
联合国承诺协助监督扫雷工作。
7.approve vt. 批准
Her parents did not approve of her decision.
父母不赞成她的决定。
内容解析
1.The Indian government recently called for all unregistered taxi services to halt operations.
call for要求；号召
They angrily called for Robinson's resignation...
他们愤怒地要求鲁宾逊辞职。
2.They are basically running what's called a hack taxicab service. A totally unregulated service which brings into question the safety of the passenger...
bring into question引发质疑
参考翻译
美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是经济报道。
印度政府最近要求所有未注册的出租车服务机构停止运营。该命令是在首都新德里一位妇女被Uber公司一名司机强奸之后出台的。Uber公司利用移动应用程序将司机与寻求搭乘出租车的人联系起来。
Uber公司的一份声明称，该公司将“与印度政府合作进行明确的背景调查，而这一点正是目前他们的商业运输许可项目中缺少的。”
该事件引发了人们对移动业务服务规则的关注。随着所谓“分享经济”的扩张，这一问题变得越来越重要。
Uber公司正在快速发展。该公司表示，他们在全球50多个国家的200多个城市运营。该公司的快速发展使得金融专家为其估值数十亿美元。然而，Uber公司的扩张也使其陷入与现有出租车服务业的竞争，并造成一些国家和城市禁止这种拼车服务。
Uber公司在德国、西班牙、印度和泰国已经或正在面临禁令。法国最近表示计划禁止使用非专业司机的Uber服务。在美国，反对的声音也很普遍但并不均衡。
例如宾夕法尼亚州，Uber公司推出的低成本拼车服务UberX可以在该州最大城市费城之外的任何地方运营。而在费城，Uber公司推出的Uber Black这种更贵的豪华车服务，以及其它出租车服务享有费城停车管理局办法的许可证，可以合法运营。
分享经济允许个人把自己拥有的东西，比如汽车或多余的房间，出租给任何地方使用移动应用程序的人士。甚至支付也是通过应用程序完成的。
问题是这些交易不像出租车或宾馆那样受到应有的监督。批评者认为它们可能不安全。费城停车管理局局长Vince Fenerty称这种不受管制的出租车为黑车。
“他们基本是在经营所谓的黑出租车服务。这种完全不受管制的黑车导致乘客安全、司机资格和车辆车况都成问题。他们不服从于任何机构。”
Uber公司在它的官方网站上表示，每位拼车司机都通过了犯罪背景调查。但是在印度报道的这起案例中，该公司被指控未对该司机的犯罪记录进行调查。
Uber公司一直支持修改当地法律允许其运营。芝加哥市已经批准了一些规定，允许有许可证的出租车服务使用一些移动应用程序作为辅助。纽约市也在考虑类似措施。
以上就是本期经济报道的全部内容。我是Mario Ritter。
