Resources can be said to be scarce in both an absolute and a relative sense: the surface of the earth is finite, imposing absolute scarcity; but the scarcity that concerns economists is the relative scarcity of resources in different uses. Materials used for one purpose cannot at the same time be used for other purposes; if the quantity of an input is limited, the increased use of it in one manufacturing process must cause it to become less available for other uses.
The cost of a product in terms of money may not measure its true cost to society. The true cost of, say, the construction of a supersonic jet is the value of the schools and refrigerators that will never be built as a result. Every act of production uses up some of society’s available resources; it means the foregoing of an opportunity to produce something else. In deciding how to use resources most effectively to satisfy the wants of the community, this opportunity cost must be taken into account. In a market economy the price of a goods and the quantity supplied depends on the cost of making it, and the cost, ultimately, is the cost of not making other goods. The market mechanism enforces this relationship. The cost of, say, a pair of shoes is the price of the leather, the fuel, and other elements used up in producing them. But the price of these inputs, in turn, depends on what they can produce elsewhere—if the leather can be used to produce handbags that are valued highly by consumers, the price of leather will be bid up correspondingly.
1. According to the passage, what are the opportunity costs of an item?
2. What is the relationship between production and resources?
3. What determines the price of a goods in a market economy?
4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
5. What are economists concerned about with regard to resources?
问题1选项
A.The price of the material, labor and other elements consumed in manufacturing it.
B.The amount of time and money spent in producing it.
C.The value of all the resources used in its production.
D.The value of what could have been produced instead.
问题2选项
A.Production reduces the amount of available resources.
B.Production has nothing to do with resources.
C.Production increases as resources increase.
D.Production is stimulated by available resources.
问题3选项
A.The cost of all elements involved in production.
B.The quantity of materials supplied.
C.The efficiency of the manufacturing process.
D.The cost of labor.
问题4选项
A.The cost of a product reflects its usefulness in society.
B.The cost of a product depends on its quality.
C.The price of a product reflects its usefulness in society.
D.The price of a product reflects its opportunity costs.
问题5选项
A.How to tap natural resources.
B.How to cope with absolute scarcity of resources.
C.How to use available resources appropriately.
D.How to convert absolute scarcity of resources into relative one.
第1题:D
第2题:A
第3题:A
第4题:D
第5题:C
1.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】细节事实题。题干意思是“根据文章，一个商品的机会成本是什么？”。根据第二段中的The true cost of, say, the construction of a supersonic jet is the value of the schools and refrigerators that will never be built as a result. Every act of production uses up some of society's available resources; it means the foregoing of an opportunity to produce something else. In deciding how to use resources most effectively to satisfy the wants of the community, this opportunity cost must be taken into account.（比如说，建造一架超音速飞机的真正成本是因此造成学校和冰箱永远不会被建立。每一种生产行为都会消耗一些社会可用资源；它意味着放弃一个生产其他东西的机会。在决定如何最有效地利用资源以满足社会需求时，必须考虑到这种机会成本。）可知，机会成本是指一种生产行为导致了另外一种生产的机会的丧失，即生产一种产品的机会成本可能是生产其他产品的价值，D项“本可以生产的东西的价值”正确；A项“生产过程中所消耗的材料、劳动力和其他要素的价格”、B项“生产它所花费的时间和金钱”和C项“生产过程中使用的所有资源的价值”都是包括在“生产一种产品是生产其他产品的价值”内。因此，该题选择D项正确。
2.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“生产与资源的关系是什么？”。根据第一段Resources can be said to be scarce in both an absolute and a relative sense: the surface of the earth is finite, imposing absolute scarcity…Materials used for one purpose cannot at the same time be used for other purposes; if the quantity of an input is limited, the increased use of it in one manufacturing process must cause it to become less available for other uses.（无论在绝对意义上还是相对意义上，资源都可以说是稀缺的：地球表面是有限的，这是绝对稀缺……为一种目的使用的材料不得同时为其他目的使用；如果一种投入的数量是有限的，那么它在一个生产过程中的增加使用必然会导致它在其他方面的可用性更少。）可以推知，如果资源投入的数量有限，生产过程中的增加使用会减少可用资源的数量，A项“生产减少了可用资源的数量”正确；由此也可知B项“生产与资源无关”和C项“生产随着资源的增加而增加”错误；D项“生产是由可用资源刺激的”不能推断出来。因此，该题选择A项正确。
3.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】细节事实题。题干意思是“在市场经济中，什么决定了一件商品的价格？”。根据第二段中的In a market economy the price of a goods and the quantity supplied depends on the cost of making it, and the cost, ultimately, is the cost of not making other goods.（在市场经济中，一种商品的价格和供给量取决于生产该商品的成本，而成本最终是不生产其他商品的成本。）可知，A项“生产中涉及的所有要素的成本”正确；由此也可知B项“提供材料的数量”和C项“生产过程的效率”错误；D项“劳动力成本”是包括在成本之内的，除了劳动力成本还有其他要素的成本。因此，该题选择A项正确。
4.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“根据文章，下列哪个陈述是正确的？”。由第二段中的In a market economy the price of a goods and the quantity supplied depends on the cost of making it, and the cost, ultimately, is the cost of not making other goods. The market mechanism enforces this relationship. The cost of, say, a pair of shoes is the price of the leather, the fuel, and other elements used up in producing them. But the price of these inputs, in turn, depends on what they can produce elsewhere…（在市场经济中，一种商品的价格和供给量取决于生产该商品的成本，而成本最终是不生产其他商品的成本。比方说，一双鞋的成本就是皮革、燃料和生产过程中所消耗的其他元素的价格。但反过来，这些原料的价格取决于它们在其他地方能生产什么……）可知，产品的价格取决于生产中涉及的所有要素的成本，反过来，投入的材料的价格由能够生产的其他产品决定， 即机会成本，所以可以推断，产品的价格反映了机会成本， D项“产品的价格反映了它的机会成本”正确；由此也可知C项“产品的价格反映了它在社会中的实用性”错误；A项“产品成本反映了它在社会中的实用性”表述不正确，产品的成本有很多要素，其中的原料要素成本才是反映它在社会中的实用性；B项“产品的成本取决于它的质量”错误，产品的成本包括很多要素，而其中的原料成本取决于能够生产的其他产品是什么。因此，该题选择D项正确。
5.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“在资源方面，经济学家关心什么？”。第一段讲了资源的相对稀缺性：Resources can be said to be scarce in both an absolute and a relative sense: the surface of the earth is finite, imposing absolute scarcity; but the scarcity that concerns economists is the relative scarcity of resources in different uses. Materials used for one purpose cannot at the same time be used for other purposes; if the quantity of an input is limited, the increased use of it in one manufacturing process must cause it to become less available for other uses.（无论在绝对意义上还是相对意义上，资源都可以说是稀缺的：地球表面是有限的，这是绝对稀缺；但是，经济学家关注的稀缺性是不同用途资源的相对稀缺性。为一种目的使用的材料不得同时为其他目的使用；如果一种投入的数量是有限的，那么它在一个生产过程中的增加使用必然会导致它在其他方面的可用性更少。）然后第二段主要阐述产品的机会成本，综合推理可知，在资源方面，经济学家关心的是如何利用现有的资源，C项“如何合理利用现有资源”正确；A项“如何开发自然资源”文中没有提及；B项“如何应对资源的绝对稀缺”不正确，在第一段就提到了经济学家关注的是相对稀缺性；D项“如何将资源的绝对稀缺转化为相对稀缺”与文意不符。因此，该题选择C项正确。
