Economics (经济学) is the study of how societies with limited resources decide what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce. What, how, and for whom to produce are problems all over the world because human needs are practically unlimited, but all societies have only limited quantities of resources that can be used to produce goods or services.

A knowledge of basic economics is important for understanding both the problems and opportunities that will face the world economy in the 21st century. As a student of economics, one will have the chance to discover how commerce(商业), government policies, and day-to-day decisions made by consumers affect his living standards. The study of economics can help him understand the influence of such events as the move to free markets in Poland and Russia, or of ups and downs in interest rate and the foreign exchange rate. Economics is influenced by developments in the many different areas of business, politics, science, nature, religion and history. And whether or not one is aware of it, economics is an important part of his life.

From a practical point of view, one's study of economics will help improve his decision-making skills. He learns a logical way to compare different courses of action. As he studies the concept (概念) of opportunity cost, for instance, he will discover that every choice he makes has both a benefit and a cost. Suppose someone decides to get a part-time job so he can earn enough money to buy a car. He will have the benefit of owning the car, but he will pay a cost in terms of the leisure hours he gives up for working so as to pay for the car and keep it in good condition. After weighing his choice in cost-benefit terms, he may decide he does not need a car any more.

68. According to the passage, economics is studied to______.

  A. get more resources for human beings

  B. put human needs under some control

  C. satisfy the unlimited human needs with the limited resources

  D. produce better goods and services for all human beings

69. Economics can help one make better decisions because he learns______.

A. how to weigh the cost and the benefit   B. all the practical economic theories

C. something useful about business          D. a logical way of thinking

70. Why does the person have to give up leisure hours in the example of buying a car?

  A. Because he has to spend some time in the car.

  B. Because he has to work extra hours to get the money.

  C. Because he is busy working for his boss.

  D. Because keeping a car in good condition takes much time.

71. What is the central topic of the second paragraph?

   A. Influences of economics.              B. Importance of knowing economics.

   C. Uses of economics.                      D. Scope (范围) of economic studies.

“实行低碳经济”，“过低碳生活”，现在已经成为了人们关注的热门话题。最近，你们班的同学就这个话题展开了热烈的讨论。请你根据下表提供的信息，给21st century 写篇文章，报道你们班级的讨论情况。

注意：

对所给要点，逐一陈述，适当发挥，不要简单翻译。

字数150左右。开头已经写好，不计入总字数。

Nowadays, carrying out low carbon economy and living a low carbon life has been a hot topic. Recently our class had a heated discussion about it.

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“实行低碳经济”，“过低碳生活”，现在已经成为了人们关注的热门话题。最近，你们班的同学就这个话题展开了热烈的讨论。请你根据下表提供的信息，给21st century 写篇文章，报道你们班级的讨论情况。

注意：

对所给要点，逐一陈述，适当发挥，不要简单翻译。

字数150左右。开头已经写好，不计入总字数。

Nowadays, carrying out low carbon economy and living a low carbon life has been a hot topic. Recently our class had a heated discussion about it.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_______ the crisis of economy (经济危机) getting more and more serious, the government is searching for ways to improve people’s life.

A. As                          B. With                        C. When                      D. If

_______ the crisis of economy (经济危机) getting more and more serious, the government is searching for ways to improve people’s life.