新编研究生综合英语教程UNIT4(潘海英)

新编研究生综合英语教程AdvancedEnglishforGraduateStudents:GeneralSkills&AcademicLiteracyUnitFourEconomyTextAOpportunityCostTextBEconomicOutlookShouldIgotoworktoday?ShouldIgotocollegeafterhighschool?Shouldthegovernmentspendmoneyonanewweaponsystem?Thesearedecisionsthataremadeeveryday;but,whatisthecostofourdecisions?Whatisthecostofgoingtowork,ornotgoingtowork?Whatisthecostofcollege,ornotgoingtocollege?Finallywhatisthecostofbuyingthatweaponsystem,orthecostofnotbuyingthatweapon?Ineconomicsitiscalledopportunitycost.PrefaceOpportunitycostisthecostwepaywhenwegiveupsomethingtogetsomethingelse.Therecanbemanyalternativesthatwegiveuptogetsomethingelse,buttheopportunitycostofadecisionisthemostdesirablealternativewegiveuptogetwhatwewant.Let'slookatourexamplesfromabove.Ifyouhaveajob,whatdoyougiveuptogotowork?Therearemanypossibilities.Youcouldsleepin.Ifitisaniceday,youcouldtakeyourdogtotheparkandplayallday.Or,youcouldevenspendthedaylookingforabetterjob,right?Ifyouchoosetogotowork,yougiveupallofthesethings.Whatyougetfromworkingisagreaterbenefitthanthecostofgivingupthesethings.But,opportunitycostisthemostdesirablethinggivenup,nottheaggregateofthethingswehavegivenup.◦Suchnecessityarisesfromtheinadequacyoftraditionalindividualmentoringinhelpinglearnconventionsofscience.Oneaspectofresearchethicsconcernsresearchers'professionalspiritinthepursuitofultimatetruth,thatistosay,goodsciencemustbeconductedthroughrigorous,systematicandreplicableprocedure.InTextB,TheNatureofInquiry,theauthorswillelaborateonhowscientificresearchdistinguishesitselffromcommon-senseknowing,howresearchersapproachrealitydifferently,andwhatphilosophicalassumptionsunderpineachapproach.BackgroundInformationPre-readingQuestionsTextAOpportunityCostVocabularyExercisesTextAOpportunityCostContents1.Informationabouttheauthors2.Informationaboutopportunitycost3.ExamplesaboutopportunitycostBackgroundInformation•TextExplanation&Translation•OrganizationoftheTextTextAOpportunityCostVocabularyCoreVocabularyList•CoreVocabularyList•ThematicProgression•ExpandingtheNotionofThemetoLargerStructuresthanClause12l.ComprehensionIIWordStudyIIIClozeVWritingExercisesIVTranslation•IComprehension•1.AnswerQuestions•2.ParaphraseIVTranslation1.EnglishTranslation2.ChineseTranslationOpportunityCostRobertE.Hall&MarcLieberman1.Informationabouttheauthors2.InformationaboutopportunitycostBackgroundInformation3.OpportunitycostinproductionRobertE.Hallwasoneoftheworld’smosteminenteconomists.Dr.HallreceivedhisPh.D.fromMITandhastaughtthereaswellasattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.HewasthepresidentoftheAmericanEconomicAssociationfortheyear2010.HeisalsodirectoroftheresearchprogramonEconomicFluctuationsoftheNationalBureauofEconomicResearch,andchairmanoftheBureau’sCommitteeonBusinessCycleDating,whichmaintainsthechronologyoftheU.S.businesscycle.Background1.InformationabouttheauthorsMarcLiebermanisClinicalProfessorofEconomicsatNewYorkUniversity(NYU).HereceivedhisPh.D.fromPrincetonUniversity.Dr.Liebermanhastaughtgraduateandundergraduatecoursesinmicroeconomics,macroeconomics,econometrics,laboreconomics,andinternationaleconomics.HehaspresentedhisextremelypopularPrinciplesofEconomicscourseatHarvard,Vassar,theUniversityofCaliforniaatSantaCruz,theUniversityofHawaii,andNewYorkUniversity.Background1.InformationabouttheauthorsThetermOPPORTUNITYCOSTwascoinedin1914byAustrianeconomistFriedrichvonWieserinhisbookTheoriedergesellschaftlichenWirtschaft.Itwasfirstdescribedin1848byFrenchclassicaleconomistFrédéricBastiatinhisessay“WhatIsSeenandWhatIsNotSeen.”Background2.InformationaboutopportunitycostInmicroeconomictheory,theopportunitycostofachoiceisthevalueofthebestalternativeforgone,inasituationinwhichachoiceneedstobemadeamongseveralmutuallyexclusivealternativesofgivenlimitedresources.Theconceptseemsasimpleone,usefulwhenappliedtomakingeverydaydecisionsabouthowbesttospendlimitedtimeandmoney.However,evenprofessionaleconomistshaveforgottenorhaddifficultyinapplyingit.Background2.InformationaboutopportunitycostOpportunitycostsinproductionExplicitcostsExplicitcostsareopportunitycoststhatinvolvedirectmonetarypaymentbyproducers.Theexplicitopportunitycostofthefactorsofproductionnotalreadyownedbyaproduceristhepricethattheproducerhastopayforthem.Forinstance,ifafirmspends$100onelectricalpowerconsumed,itsexplicitopportunitycostis$100.Thiscashexpenditurerepresentsalostopportunitytopurchasesomethingelsewiththe$100.3.OpportunitycostinproductionImplicitcostsImplicitcosts(alsocalledimplied,imputedornotionalcosts)aretheopportunitycostsnotreflectedincashoutflowbutimpliedbythefailureofthefirmtoallocateitsexisting(owned)resources,orfactorsofproductiontothebestalternativeuse.Forexample:amanufacturerhaspreviouslypurchased1000tonsofsteelandthemachinerytoproduceawidget.Theimplicitpartoftheopportunitycostofproducingthewidgetistherevenuelostbynotsellingthesteelandnotrentingoutthemachineryinsteadofusingthemforproduction.3.OpportunitycostinproductionOneexampleofopportunitycostisintheevaluationofforeign(totheUSA)buyersandtheirallocationofcashasse