Resources can be said to be scarce in both an absolute and relative sense; the surface of the Earth is finite, imposing absolute scarcity; but the scarcity that concerns economists is the relative scarcity of resources for different uses. Materials used for one purpose can not 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 ultimately be taken into account. In a market economy the price of a good and the quantity supplied depend on the cost of making it, and that 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 labor, the fuel, and other elements used in producing them. However, 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 prices of leather would be correspondingly higher.

Built in seventeenth century, the ruined temple is tucked ______ in the pine-covered mountains. in away off on

In order to prevent stress from being set up in the metal, expansion joints are fitted which ______the stress by allowing the pipe to expand or contract freely. reclaim reconcile rectify relieve

______the calculation is right, scientists can never be sure that they have included all variables and modeled them accurately. Even if As far as If only So long as

Please sweep up all the glass______before anyone steps on them. chunks chips frames bulks

For some time now, world leaders______out the necessity for agreement on arms reduction. had been pointing have been pointing were pointing pointed

This book is about the future of technology. In it we will examine some of the many recent developments in a few key fields and try, in a limited way, to predict where they will take us in the next fifteen years or【46】______. If that sounds like a modest goal, it’s not. Technology is the【47】______(dominate) force of our time and probably of all time to come. It appears in more varieties than we can count. It changes so rapidly【48】______no scientist or engineer can keep up with his own field, much less with technology in general. It permeates and shapes our lives【49】______every turn. We ive in technology【50】a fish live in the sea, and we have only a little better chance of【51】______ (forecast) the details of its future changes. Yet the task is well【52】w______undertaking. Whatever hints we can glean (一点点搜集) about the future win help us prepare for the changes to come. Modest forecasts, evidence of trends, a few concrete developments to be expected all are better than no warning at all. And【53】th______technology has made the present much less stable than the past, and surely will make the future more disturbed still, there is good reason to hope that our lives,【54】______sum and on average, will be better as a result. In an age of uncomfortable【55】chal______, this is reassurance (保证) we all can use.

Today men are facing new expectations and new choices about their commitments to society, family and work. No longer certain what goals they should pursue, much less how they should pursue them, many men have found themselves in a no-man’s land, searching for new meanings and definitions of maturity. In interviews I conducted with 138 men from diverse social and economic background, 36 percent defined their family and work commitments in terms of primary breadwin-ning, and 30 percent chose to eschew parenthood or to avoid involvement with children they had brought into the world. However, about 33 percent had moved toward more rather than less family involvement over the course of their lives. These men develop an outlook on parenthood that included caretaking as well as economic support. They represent a growing group of fathers, most of whom are married to work-committed women and have an egalitarian approach toward marriage and family commitments, who are changing diapers, pushing strollers, cuddling their children, and generally sharing in the pleasures and burdens of child rearing. Such men, whom I call “involved fathers”, are demonstrating a capacity, a willingness, and an enthusiasm for parenting not seen in their fathers’ and grandfathers’ generations. An involved father, however, is not necessarily an equal father. Though men’s domestic participation has increased in recent years, his involvement has not kept in pace with women’s rapidly rising commitment to paid employment. A persistent “housework gap”has left most women with more work and less leisure time than their male counterparts. According to some estimates, when the time spent performing paid work, housework, and child care is added together, men work an average of 88 fewer hours a year than do women. It may be tempting to focus on the fact that, even among men who support equality, their involvement as fathers remains a far distance from what most women want and most children need. Yet it is also important to acknowledge how far and how fast many men have moved toward a pattern that not long ago virtually all men considered anathema. One recent survey found that 73 percent of a group of randomly selected fathers agreed strongly that “their families are the most important facet of their lives”; 87 percent agreed that “dad is as vital as mom in raising kids“. The challenge is to create the social and cultural arrangements that would enable men to uphold these beliefs more easily.

原来男人明白要走成一条直线，最有效的方法是不要看着脚，要把眼睛注视着前方的目标。(not to…but to)

过分多疑的心理，因素很是复杂，决非单纯神经过敏可以解释。(be explained by)

生命不是一种哲学，不是一个问题，而是一个奥秘。(neither…nor…but…)

Children who stay away from school do______for different reasons. them that it theirs

Living in the western part of the country has its problems, ______obtaining fresh water is not the least. with which for which of which which

______before we depart the day after tomorrow, we should have a wonderful dinner party. Had they arrived Would they arrive Were they arriving Were they to arrive

Tourist; How much is that ring, please? Vendor; Only $200, sir. Tourist: _____ How about $ 100? Vendor; I can let you have it for $ 180. All right. I’ 11 take it. That’s very expensive. How splendid it is! I’d like very much to have it.

Resources can be said to be scarce in both an absolute and relative sense; the surface of the Earth is finite, imposing absolute scarcity; but the scarcity that concerns economists is the relative scarcity of resources for different uses. Materials used for one purpose can not 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 ultimately be taken into account. In a market economy the price of a good and the quantity supplied depend on the cost of making it, and that 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 labor, the fuel, and other elements used in producing them. However, 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 prices of leather would be correspondingly higher.

This Wednesday, Gordon Brown will replace Tony Blair as the new head of Britain’s Labor Party. This long-serving chancellor is a man of substance. However, even after more than a decade of scrutiny, his name remains a mystery and is not fully understood. Brown was born in Glasgow, Scotland in February 1951 and entered university at 16. After graduating with a history degree from Edinburgh University, he went on to earn a PhD. Brown’s destiny, though, was politics. He joined Blair in entering the Parliament in 1983. They even shared offices, where they became friends—with a slight bit of competitiveness. When the Labor leader John Smith died unexpectedly in May 1994, many believed Brown was the most likely to succeed him. But Blair emerged from the sidelines. But, Brown has many achievements, including giving independence to the Bank of England. His commitments to child poverty and helping Africa have impressed many. In 2000, Brown wed public relations executive Sara Macaulay after a four-year courtship. Many people close to him say his wife has softened him. In January 2002, their 10-day-old daughter died after birth. At her funeral Brown declared that Jennifer had transformed his and Sarah’s lives twice. “Once by entering our lives, then by leaving. “He later told an interviewer that he could not listen to music for a year afterwards because of his sorrow. The couple’s second son, James Fraser, was born in 2006 and diagnosed with muscular and respiratory problems. But Brown has said he is optimistic about his son’s future. On the BBC Radio 4 Today program, Brown described himself as a “family man who has two young children”, who had changed as a result of his family experiences. But the straightforward personal details on his treasury website biography give the impression of a man totally committed to politics. This week, Blair gave Brown his long-sought public approval as the successor. “He’s got what it takes, ”Blair said, “He’s an extraordinary talent... perhaps the most successful chancellor in our history. “ But Blair’s conviction somehow sounded less than full, as if all those years of competition had drained something from their relationship. With Blair so unpopular over Iraq, Brown may benefit from the distance between them. However, opposition parties have been already begun hammering the “Blair-Brown government”in recent months. Brown is sometimes described as a silent prince caught up in the longest gloomy period in history. But Brown has said he believes people have been tired of “personality politics“. Questions;

In recent years, Chinese fancy knots have become very popular.【76】 They are hand-made ornaments noted for their patterns and bright colors. They are also symbols of happiness and good luck. Chinese fancy knots closely related to the everyday life of the Chinese people and express their aspirations for a better life. “In primitive times, people kept records and accounts by tying knots. Later, they need knots as symbols of good luck to decorate their clothes. Some knots were designed to embellish (修饰) us and jade pendants. They were regarded as signs of happiness and good luck. “said Mr. Duan, professor of Chinese from Peking University. 【77】These beautiful Chinese fancy knots, of a simple or a complicated structure, are made of a single piece of string by tying, drawing, twining, and weaving. The instruments used include crochet hooks, tweezers, scissors, and lighters. The materials needed are strings of various colors, gum, and small decorations made of porcelain or jade. “In feudal China, it was unbecoming for women to show themselves in public. So they devoted most of their time to needlework at home. Making fancy knots was part of their work and they were very skilled at it.【78】Chinese fancy knots are symmetrical and well balanced. The patterns on both sides are identical. You can make an endless chain of knots on a single piece of string. This symbolizes that life on earth will continue and multiply forever, ”said Mrs. Xiong, knitting expert. 【79】Chinese fancy knots are named after their shapes or in accordance with what they suggest. They are symbols of prosperity, happiness, wealth, and longevity.【80】As they are believed to be able to remove evil spirits and bring luck, people often carry them and hang them in their homes. Chinese fancy knots are widely used to decorate clothes, sitting rooms, and cups, plates and chop sticks on dinner tables.

What number should replace the question mark? [*]

If it were two hours later, it would be half as long until midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it now?

Yesterday you lost your student identification card. Write to the Director of Student Services explaining the situation, stating the inconveniences it will bring you and requesting a new card as soon as possible. You should write no fewer than 100 words. You do NOT need to write your own address. Write your letter on the Answer Sheet

What does this passage mainly discuss?

According to the passage, what are the opportunity costs of a product?

According to the passage, what is the relationship between production and resources?

What determines the price of a goods in a market economy?

Which of the following examples BEST reflects a cost to society as defined in the passage?