2016考研英语阅读的学习，很多时候是通过考生平时一点一滴练习积累起来的。为此，文都网校特意在《经济学人》中节选了本段文章，希望对2016考研的同学们有所帮助，切记在阅读的同时也不要忘记思考呦。

　　【原文】Travis Kalanick, Uber’s hard-nosed chief executive, seems to relish taking on regulators and rivals. Mr Kalanick’s brashness has helped Uber become the most valuable American company of its generation. If it succeeds in raising a further $1.5 billion from investors, as reports indicate, its implied valuation will soar to a staggering $50 billion. Uber’s value has grown faster than those of Facebook and Twitter in their early years.

　　【参考译文】特拉维斯·卡兰尼克是优步的强硬派总裁，他似乎喜欢挑战监管者和竞争对手。卡兰尼克狂放不羁的性格使优步成为美国新生代公司中市值最高的公司。据报道，如果优步能向投资者再融资15亿美元，它的总资产将达到500亿美元。优步比脸谱网和推特网早年的增长速度更快。

　　【原文】Uber now operates in 311 cities in 58 countries, providing more than 1m rides each day. Consumers like Uber because they are cheaper than conventional taxis, clean and reliable. Uber’s freelance drivers (who typically pay it around 20% of their fares) enjoy flexible working hours and are spared the formalities of qualifying as a conventional cabbie.

　　【参考译文】目前，优步已经在58个国家311个城市里运营，每天提供超过100万次的叫车服务。消费者们之所以喜欢优步和与它类似的打车软件是因为它们比传统出租车更便宜，而且干净可靠。优步兼职司机(他们一般将车费的20%的作为佣金上缴优步)，他们享有弹性工作时间，不需要复杂的手续和资质认证就可以出任出租车司机。

　　【原文】But Uber should also be admired by strategists in other industries. It is a case study in how to construct a “platform”, a Silicon Valley buzzword for a digital service on top of which other businesses can be built. As it arrives in a city, it launches a vigorous recruiting programme for drivers, offering them incentives to sign up. Its fares are “dynamic”- they undercut conventional taxis most of the time, but go up when it rains, or when there is some other reason why demand for rides is high.

　　【参考译文】但是其他行业的战略制定者也对优步赞不绝口。在如何建立“平台”方面，优步是一个很好的案例。在硅谷，“平台”一词指的是通过建立一套数字服务体系，创建多元化的服务。优步每到达一个城市，都会大力推广司机招募计划，提供丰厚的激励措施吸引车主们注册使用。优步的车费是动态的——大多数时候他们的收费比传统出租车便宜，但当遇到下雨或其他原因导致用车需求增多的时候，价格会随之上涨。

　　优步，以其先进的管理运营模式，获得了打车行业的霸主地位。公司就可以用相同的软件，相同的电脑系统和相同的司机为顾客提供一系列其他的服务。the company can use the same app, the same computer systems and the same drivers to offer those customers a range of other services.优步志在提供便利的交通“像流水一样可靠的交通网络，无论何地，无论何人”。而且可能发展为“无论何物”：优步已经开始尝试本地快递服务(the delivery business)，力图打造物流行业的“优步”。