Question

“Helicopter parent” which means a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child may not sound pleasant, but most parents would prefer a vehicle to send children between school, football practice and piano lessons. Getting children where they need to go is a huge task, especially in homes where both parents work. Hailing rides (专车服务) like Uber have made life more convenient for adults. But drivers are not allowed to pick up kids who travel without an adult aside (although some drivers are against the rules).

Children represent a fresh-faced opportunity. Ride-hailing for kids could be a market worth at least $50 billion in America, hopes Ritu Narayan, the founder of Zum. The services are similar to Uber’s, except they allow parents to plan rides for their children ahead. Children are given a code word to make sure they find the right driver, and parents receive warnings about the ride and the car’s speed. These services promise more careful background checks, finger printing and training than other ride- hailing companies.

Annette Yolas, who works at AT&T, says that she spends around $200 a month on Hop Skip Drive, a service that operates in several markets in California, for her three kids to get to the school bus on time and to ballet practice. She says it has been a “life-saver” by allowing her to work longer hours.

But ride-hailing companies for kids may face several challenges. One is finding enough drivers. All users need rides during the same limited set of hours: before and after school, which makes it hard to offer drivers enough work. It can also be challenging to get parents’ support, who have taught children never to get in a stranger's car.

And while ride-sharing companies can drive adult passengers mad by cancelling or being late, such behavior can be a disaster to children. Huddle, an early competitor in the taxis-for-kids business, which shut down in 2016, had only two out of five stars on Yelp (点评网站) for that reason, and lots of negative reviews from parents. It had made money on rides mainly by raising prices even higher.

Shuddle’s failure has not discouraged Uber, which is expected soon to set up a programme for teenagers under 18. Parents may be happier to use services they are familiar with. But Uber’s entrance is likely to add to the struggle of child-ride-hailing businesses as they compete for customers and money.

1.What do “helicopter parents” usually do?

A.They drive a helicopter to send their children to school.

B.They pay no attention to the school life of their children.

C.They stay close to their children and ready to protect them.

D.They let their children solve the problems all by themselves.

2.What does the underlined phrase “a fresh-faced opportunity” refer to?

A.A new market. B.A new event. C.A new lesson. D.A new challenge.

3.What is the purpose of giving the example of Annete Yolas?

A.To encourage more drivers into the business.

B.To meet the needs of children attending courses.

C.To show the good points of the ride- hailing service.

D.To help more parents to avoid the ride-hailing service.

4.What may be the future of those small ride-hailing companies?

A.They may get better reviews. B.They may make much more money.

C.They may struggle to survive. D.They may easily attract more customers.

Answer 1