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The "standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces.
一個國家的生活水平是指該國居民對社會產品和勞務的消費程度。
A country's, standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth.
因此，一個國家的生活水平首要取決于這個國家創造財富的能力。
"Wealth" in this sense is not money, for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy: "goods" such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment.
這里“財富”并不指金錢，因為我們不能靠金錢為生，而是以金錢購買的東西為生：“產品”包括衣、食等；而“勞務”包括交通、娛樂等。
A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another.
國家創造財富的能力由很多因素決定，而這些因素大多又彼此影響。
Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country's natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on.
一國財富在很大程度上受其自然資源影響，比如：煤炭、黃金或其他礦物質、水源等等。
Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess none of them.
世界上一些地區煤炭、礦藏豐富，土地肥沃，氣候條件優越；而另一些地區則一無所有。
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use.
排在自然資源后面的是利用這些資源的能力。
Some countries are perhaps well off in natural resources, but have suffered for many years from civil and external wars, and for this and other reasons have been unable to develop their resources.
一些國家自然資源豐富，但長年遭受內部和外部戰爭，以及一些這樣或那樣的原因導致不能對其自然資源進行開發。
Sound and stable political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered.
而有著良好穩定的政治環境并且免受他國侵略的國家可以在和平穩定的大環境下開發它的自然資源，因此這些國家就能夠創造出比自然資源方面同樣得天獨厚但秩序混亂的國家更多的財富。
Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country's people.
另外一個重要的因素是一個國家人民的技術效率。
Industrialized countries that have trained numerous skilled workers and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.
擁有訓練有素的工人和技術人員的產業化國家比擁有拙劣技能工人的國家更能創造財富。
A country's standard of living does not only depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed within its own borders, but also upon what is indirectly produced through international trade.
一個國家的生活水平不僅僅取決于該國境內的生產和消費，還間接受到國際貿易中產品供求的影響。
For example, Britain's wealth in foodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if it had to depend only on those grown at home.
比如，英國如果僅僅依靠自己的農業生產，那供國人消費的食品及農產品將少很多。
Trade makes it possible for its surplus manufactured goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products that would otherwise be lacking.
貿易使英國能夠把剩余的制造業產品銷往國外來換取農產品，否則它的農產品會十分缺乏。
A country's wealth is, therefore, much influenced by its manufacturing capacity, provided that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures.
因此，一國財富的嚴重受其生產力的影響。但有一個前提，那就是有國家樂于接受該國生產的產品。
Question 23. What does a country's standard of living mainly depend on?
問題23 一個國家的生活水平主要取決于什么？
Question 24. Why do some countries with rich natural resources produce less wealth than others?
問題24 為什么擁有同樣自然資源的國家創造的財富值不同？
Question 25. How does Britain solve its problem of insufficient agricultural products?
問題25 英國是如何解決其農產品短缺問題的？
譯文屬可可原創，僅供學習和交流使用，未經允許不得轉載
