TEXT B
The "standard of living" of any country means the average person’s share ofthe goods and services which the country produces. 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 ofwhich 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 favourable climate; other regions possess none of them.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. Some countries are perhaps well off in natural resources, but 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 fromforeign 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 numerousskilled 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 she had to depend only on those grown at home. Trade makes it possible for her 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.
69. The standard of living in a country is determined by ___.
A. its goods and services
B. the type of wealth produced
C. how well it can create wealth
D. what an ordinary person can share
70. A country’s capacity to produce wealth depends on all the factors EXCEPT ___.
A. people’s share of its goods B. political and social stability
C. qualities of its workers D. use of natural resources
71. According to the passage, ___ play an equally important rule indetermining a country’s standard of living.
A. farm products B. industrial .goodsC. foodstuffs D. export and import
答案详析：
短文大意：这篇文章首先介绍了决定一个国家生活水平高低的主要因素，还详细论述了影响国内财富生产能力的因素。
69. 答案：C
【参考译文】一个国家的生活标准是由什么决定的？
【试题分析】本题为细节题。
【详细解答】短文第一段第二句说“A country’s standard of living，therefore，depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth。”即生活标准的高低最主要的取决于国内生产财富的能力。故选项C为正确答案。
70. 答案：A
【参考译文】下列哪一项不是一个国家的财富生产能力的决定因素？
【试题分析】本题为细节题。
【详细解答】文中第三段提到“… the ability to turn them to use… Sound and stable political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, … the technical efficiency of a country’s people”故选项B、C、D都是决定一个国家财富生产能力的因素，只有选项A不是决定因素，故为正确答案。
71. 答案：D
【参考译文】根据短文，在决定一个国家的生活水平高低这一点上扮演同样重要角色的是什么？
【试题分析】本题为细节题。
【详细解答】短文最后一段提说“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．”即生活标准不仅取决于国内财富生产能力，也取决于通过国际贸易获取财富的能力。国际贸易能力也就是进出口能力，故选项D为正确答案。 |
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