Bài thực hành nghe Tiếng Anh nâng cao - Bài 19 - Thẩm Tâm Vy - Năm 2018 (Có âm thanh)

 Thẩm tâm Vy, 8th, 2018 PRACTISE LISTENING 19 ~ FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS 
PRACTISE LISTENING FOR ADVANCED LEARNERS - 19 
The Gig Economy 
LUANDA 
GOATS TO GO 
An Angolan app for delivering live animals to your door 
 African cities food-delivery apps. The continent are tasty markets for has 21 of the 
world’s 30 fastest-growing urban areas, where an expanding middle class boasts 
smartphones and spare cash. These cities also have hideous traffic, so it’s a chore to 
drive a car to a restaurant. But delivery scooters can slalom through jams. 
 These were the ingredients that made possible the rise of several food-delivery startups 
in Africa. Jumia Food delivers meals to urban dwellers in 11 countries. 
 In South Africa, Mr D Food competes with Uber Eats, an offshoot of the American 
ride-hailing app. Tupuca has been bringing meals to residents of Angola’s capital, 
Luanda, since 2016. 
 Like its peers, Tupuca began by connecting hungry users with restaurants. 
 Delivering prepared food still accounts for most of its revenue. The firm’s 140 drivers 
make 17,000 deliveries a month for consumers who spend an average of $40 per order. 
Since October, however, users of the Tupuca app have begun to see other options 
alongside pizzas, burgers and sushi. They can buy coal, petrol, fruit and vegetables. Or 
they can purchase live animals, such as chickens ($7 for a big clucker, $5 for a 
middling one), pigs ($124 and $103) or goats ($82 and $64). 
 To offer these animals, Tupuca has teamed up with Roque Online, a startup named 
after Mercado Roque Santeiro, a huge, open-air informal market in Luanda that was 
closed by the nanny state in 2011. Roque Online employs an army of runners who 
track down the best produce. They buy the goat, say, take it to a driver and, before too 
long, the animal is on its way to a party (where it will be slaughtered amid great jollity). 
Erickson Mvezi, Tupuca’s ceo, says the new feature is “breaking down barriers between 
informal and formal markets”. Luanda has a sizeable middle class, plus plenty of expats 
and a rich elite. But it also has millions of poor people living in slums wedged between 
skyscrapers. More than a third of households have at least one person living by informal 
vending. Through Tupuca and Roque Online they can sell to more people. In the West 
many people fret that the gig economy encourages insecure work. But in sub-Saharan 
Africa, where the informal economy is equivalent to more than a third of gdp, about 
twice that in rich countries, it may do the opposite. By opening bigger markets for 
vendors, technology may help them grow richer, one goat at a time. No kidding. 
[Source: The Economist, 8th, 2018, US Version] 
 Notes. 
 - Gig Economy: In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies tend towards 
hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. A gig economy undermines the 
traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and instead focus on a lifetime career. 
 - gig; (original meaning : = gánh hát rong) công ty, tổ hợp bán hàng rong 
 - ride-hailing app: phần mềm rao bán hàng bằng xe 
 - nanny state: quốc gia có nhiều luật cấm đoán, răn đe 
 - clucker: gà mái lớn đang đẻ trứng (<= to cluck : kêu cục-tác) 
 - expats (<= expatriate): người sống lưu vong 
 - wedged: được chèn vào giữa 
 - fret = be worried