雅思阅读材料盘点：小富充大亨愈加容易

　　No longer do you need a net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars to have one. With 700 jets, NetJets is now the fifth-largest airline by number of planes, after Southwest Airlines, and it has access to thousands of private airports. Its main innovation was to apply the principle of fractional ownership, or time-sharing, to the ultimate executive tool. Customers buy a share in a jet which entitles them to, say, 200 hours of travel a year.

　　如今，你并不需要身家数亿美元才能坐拥私人飞机。备有700架喷气式飞机的NetJets现已成为排在西南航空公司之后的第五大航空公司(按飞机数量计算)，可抵达数以千计的私人机场。该公司的主要创新是把所有权共享或分时共享的原则应用在私人飞机这一“高管终极交通工具”上。客户购买私人飞机的部分所有权进而获得一定使用权，比如，每年200小时的飞行时数。

　　NetJets is skilled at providing its rich clients with an entrée into the cultural world of the super-rich, with hard-to-get tickets to events such as Art Basel, a series of art fairs, and to private dinners with celebrities. The company is also finding ways to bring down the cost: one of its latest ideas is the private-jet equivalent of London Underground’s electronic ticket, the Oyster card. Rather than buying a share in a jet you can buy a pre-paid card that entitles you to a certain number of flying hours a year, with 25 hours’ worth of flights adding up to about €155,000 ($163,435).

　　NetJets善于把一般富人领入超级富豪的文化世界，让其跻身巴塞尔艺术展(Art Basel)的系列展会这类一票难求的盛事以及名流的私人晚宴。该公司也正在想办法降低成本：最新的一个创意是推出类似伦敦地铁电子票“牡蛎卡”的私人飞机搭乘卡。你不必拥有私人飞机的部分所有权，只需购买一张预付卡，每年便可享用一定飞行时数，25小时的飞行约花费155,000欧元(163,435美元)。

　　The sharing economy was hardly inspired by the needs of the rich. But in some ways it suits them perfectly. The whole idea depends on people having spare assets that they are willing to rent out to total strangers. Who has more idle assets than the super-rich? And who loves extra income more than people who have spent their lives accumulating money? On the other side of the market, bustling plutocrats are an ever-present source of demand for temporary accommodation and bursts of luxury. The system can even have a strange public-relations benefit. A wealthy boss who makes use of NetJets won’t need to explain to his shareholders why he bought a jet, even as he treats the one he flies on as though it were his own.

　　分享经济并非由富人的需求所催生，但在某些方面，这一经济模式却完全贴合其需求。这一模式的整体理念是基于人们拥有空闲资产且愿意出租给陌生人。谁能比超级富豪拥有更多闲置资产?谁又会比这些终生金钱挂帅的人更爱额外收入?在市场的另一边，在商界忙碌的小富豪们对临时租用住所和时不时的豪奢生活总有需求。分享经济甚至能带来一种奇特的公关效益。豪阔的老板们可以通过NetJets享用如同自有私人飞机的服务，而无须向股东解释为何斥资购买私人飞机。

　　Uber, a ride-hailing firm, and Airbnb, an accommodation-sharing service, are prominent in the luxury market as well as the mass market. Uber offers yacht trips in Dubai (UberYacht) and helicopter commutes in São Paulo (UberCopter). Airbnb does a booming trade in luxury apartments in London, Hong Kong and the Caribbean. There are providers in almost every cranny of the luxury landscape. GetMyBoat, a San Francisco-based company, gives customers access to motorboats, luxury houseboats, yachts and jet skis in 7,100 places around the world. Stratajet sells tickets on empty legs on private jets for the price of a business-class ticket or even less. Staller, which describes itself as the “Airbnb for horses”, helps horse-owners rent stalls near equestrian competitions. A home-sharing club called ThirdHome.com allows people with just a couple of homes to live as if they have a dozen.

　　网约车公司优步及住宿分享服务公司Airbnb除了在大众市场大行其道，在奢侈品市场的服务也很突出。优步在迪拜提供游艇旅行服务(优步游艇)，在圣保罗推出直升机接送服务(优步直升机)。Airbnb在伦敦、香港、加勒比海的豪华公寓业务兴旺。富豪生活的方方面面几乎都有公司在提供服务。总部位于旧金山的GetMyBoat在全球7,100个地方向顾客出租摩托艇、豪华船屋、游艇及水上摩托。Stratajet以等同甚至低于商务舱的票价出售私人飞机的空驶航段机票。Staller自称是“服务马匹的Airbnb”，帮助马主在马术竞赛场地附近租借马厩。名为“ThirdHome.com”的房屋共享俱乐部让仅拥有三两套房子的人们像是十多套房子的主人那样到处旅行居住。