【導讀】我們繼續來了解「零工經濟」。這種新型僱傭關係有其好處，例如工作時間靈活、能增加收入，也有其存在的問題，例如缺乏保障性、缺乏交流空間。今天的精讀文段選自經濟學人2020年02月08日。一起讀外刊-學英語-看世界。
讀報刊學英語：零工經濟
How modern workers are at the mercy of ratings
現代勞動者如何受評分的擺布
【語言點】
mercy表示「仁慈、寬恕」
at the mercy of sb/sth: not able to stop sb/sth harming you because they have power or control over you 任…處置；對…無能為力；任由…擺布
e.g. I'm not going to put myself at the mercy ofthe bank. 我不想任由銀行擺布。
e.g. We were at the mercy of the weather. 我們受制於天氣。
e.g. 中國始終堅持國家不分大小、強弱、貧富一律平等，反對弱肉強食的叢林法則。China stands for the equality of all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, and opposes the law of the jungle that leaves the weak at the mercy of the strong.
e.g. 我們不能允許世界重新回到「叢林法則」，不能接受弱肉強食的零和博弈。We must never allow the law of the jungle to rule the world, nor should we accept the zero-sum game that puts the weak at the mercy ofthe strong.
rating：A rating of something is a score or measurement of how good or popular it is. (針對受歡迎度和優劣性的) 評分
e.g. In the information age, data are used to decide what sort of access people have to services. Uber ratingsdetermine who gets a taxi; Airbnb reviews decide what sort of property you can stay in; dating-app algorithms choose your potential life partners. Firms use location data and payment history to sell you products. Your online searches may establish the price you pay for things. Those with a good Zhima credit score, administered by an Alibaba subsidiary, enjoy discounts and waived deposits. Those without receive few offers.
在資訊時代，數據被用來決定人們可以獲得什麼層級的服務。優步的評分決定誰能打到計程車；愛彼迎的評論決定了你可以租到什麼樣的房屋；婚介 app 的算法為你選擇潛在的生活伴侶。公司利用位置數據和支付記錄向你銷售產品。你的在線搜索記錄可能會決定你購買商品的價格。那些芝麻信用分（由阿里巴巴的子公司管理）較高的人可以享受折扣和押金減免，反之則鮮有享受優惠。
原文
gig economy 01.mp3
00:26來自外刊譯言
Ratings are at the heart of the gig economy, where workers are connected with employers and customers via the internet. Just as TripAdvisor ratings allow holidaymakers to assess hotels, Uber drivers get a score out of five. The same goes for ratings on services like TaskRabbit (for odd jobs) and Etsy (for arts-and-crafts sellers).
【語言點】
at the heart of位於…的中心
e.g. Together with algorithms, mathematics is at the heart ofthe development of artificial intelligence and technological disruption. 數學與算法，是人工智慧發展和技術變革的核心。
holidaymaker：a person who is visiting a place on holiday/vacation 度假者，可以使用同義詞vacationer替換
e.g. As our lives become ever more hectic and fast-paced, holidaymakersare choosing cruising as a wonderful alternative to stressful airport travel, multiple hotel bookings and the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what you’re getting.
Uber drivers get a score out of five：優步司機也按五分制被打分；留意一下這裡「按多少分制打分」或者「滿分5分打分」是怎麼表達的？再看看以下的句子，找出表達：
e.g. In the 2016 episode 「Nosedive,」 people are constantly rated by friends, colleagues and even passers-by on the street. People whose score drops too low on the 5-point scaleare barred from renting nice cars, rebooking flights and even entering the building in which they work.在2016年的《聲譽驟降》（Nosedive）那集中，人們不斷地被朋友、同事，甚至街上的路人評分。評分採用5分制，得分過低的人被禁止租好車、改籤機票，甚至被禁止進入自己工作的大樓。
odd jobs零工、零活兒
e.g. I worked forty hour weeks doing odd jobslike answering the phone or picking up lunch and dry cleaning.我每個星期工作40個小時，幹的都是雜活，比如接電話、取午餐或是取乾洗好的衣服。
arts and crafts手工藝
【官方譯文】
零工經濟的勞動者通過網際網路與僱主和顧客建立聯繫，而評分是零工經濟的核心。正如度假者可以通過貓途鷹（TripAdvisor）的評分來評價酒店，優步司機也按五分制被打分。零工平臺TaskRabbit和手工藝品交易平臺Etsy等服務平臺上的評分也是一樣的操作方式。
原文
Such systems are understandable in parts of the economy where output is difficult to measure precisely. But they can be arbitrary. People might give an Uber driver a poor rating because they are in a bad mood or because they encountered unexpected traffic disruption (the drivers themselves also rate customers, which is meant to discourage abuse).
【語言點】
discourage阻攔；阻止；勸阻
e.g. a campaign to discouragesmoking among teenagers 勸阻青少年吸菸的運動
e.g. Today, 6 April 2020, the world of sport is going through an unprecedented experience on account of the coronavirus pandemic, which has upended our daily lives. In many parts of the world, for more than 2.5 billion people, outdoor physical activities – from running to tennis, from football to cricket – have been discouragedor even forbidden.今天，2020年4月6日，體育運動世界正在經歷一個前所未有的歷史時期：新型冠狀病毒全球大流行，已經完全改變了我們的日常生活。對於世界許多地區總計超過25億人口而言，戶外體育活動，無論是跑步還是網球，是足球比賽還是板球比賽，都不再受提倡甚至直接遭禁。
【官方譯文】
在一些難以精確衡量產出的經濟領域，使用這樣的體系是可以理解的。但評分可能會主觀隨意。乘客也許會因為心情不好或者意外的交通堵塞給優步司機差評（司機也會給乘客評分，為的是防止濫用打分機制）。
原文
The result can be increased insecurity for gig-economy workers. Their income is uncertain when they are at the mercy of the assessment system. Even a tiny fall in their rating—of, say, 0.6—can harm their job prospects. A detailed study of 65 gig-economy workers found that they relished their independence but it came with a host of personal, social and economic anxieties.
【語言點】
say：to suggest or give sth as an example or a possibility 比方說；假設
e.g. Let's take any writer, say(= for example) Dickens... 我們隨便舉一個作家為例，比如說狄更斯
job prospects工作前景，就業前景
relish：to get great pleasure from sth; to want very much to do or have sth 享受；從…獲得樂趣；渴望；喜歡
作名詞表示「great enjoyment or pleasure 享受；樂趣」
e.g. Hard study gave him a relishfor play, and play again gave him a relish for hard study; 刻苦學習讓他享受玩耍的樂趣，而玩耍也是努力學習的調劑。
【官方譯文】
其結果可能是加重了零工經濟勞動者的不安全感。由於受制於評價體系，他們的收入變得不確定。即使評分稍微下降——比如0.6——也可能損害他們的工作前景。一份對65名零工經濟勞動者的詳細調研發現，雖然他們十分享受自己工作的獨立性，但伴隨而來的是各種個人、社交和財務上的焦慮。
以上。
更 多 閱 讀
讀報刊學英語：外刊譯言精讀筆記00-09期集合
雙語表達：投我以木桃，報之以瓊瑤
讀報刊學英語：危機之下，擁抱逆境
讀外刊：阿里巴巴和一千零一個不眠之夜
雙語表達積累：「甩鍋」「背鍋」大合集
讀報刊學英語：今天你上班「摸魚」了嗎-精讀筆記00