The "standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. (23) A country's, standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "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.
A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country's natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. 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.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. (24) 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. 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. Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country's people. Industrialized countries that have trained numerous skilled workers and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.
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. 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. (25) Trade makes it possible for its surplus manufactured goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products that would otherwise be lacking. A country's wealth is, therefore, much influenced by its manufacturing capacity, provided that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures.
23. What does a country's standard of living mainly depend on?
24. Why do some countries with rich natural resources produce less wealth than others?
25. How does Britain solve its problem of insufficient agricultural products?
一個國家的生活水平是指該國居民對社會產(chǎn)品和勞務(wù)的消費程度
。因此,一個國家的生活水平首要取決于這個國家創(chuàng)造財富的能力 。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(chǎn)品”包括衣、食等;而“勞務(wù)”包括交通、娛樂等 。國家創(chuàng)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
。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(zhì)、水源等等 。世界上一些地區(qū)煤炭、礦藏豐富,土地肥沃,氣候條件優(yōu)越;而另一些地區(qū)則一無所有 。排在自然資源后面的是利用這些資源的能力
。一些國家自然資源豐富,但長年遭受內(nèi)部和外部戰(zhàn)爭,以及一些這樣或那樣的原因?qū)е虏荒軐ζ渥匀毁Y源進行開發(fā) 。而有著良好穩(wěn)定的政治環(huán)境并且免受他國侵略的國家可以在和平穩(wěn)定的大環(huán)境下開發(fā)它的自然資源,因此這些國家就能夠創(chuàng)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 。另外一個重要的因素是一個國家人民的技術(shù)效率 。擁有訓練有素的工人和技術(shù)人員的產(chǎn)業(yè)化國家比擁有拙劣技能工人的國家更能創(chuàng)造財富 。一個國家的生活水平不僅僅取決于該國境內(nèi)的生產(chǎn)和消費,還間接受到國際貿(mào)易中產(chǎn)品供求的影響
23.一個國家的生活水平主要取決于什么?
24.為什么擁有同樣自然資源的國家創(chuàng)造的財富值不同?
25.英國是如何解決其農(nóng)產(chǎn)品短缺問題的?
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