单选题
Resources can be said to be scarce in both an absolute and relative sense: The surface of the Earth is finite, imposing absolute scarcity; but the scarcity that concerns economists is the relative scarcity of resources in different uses. Materials used for one purpose cannot at the same time be used for other purposes; if the quantity of an input is limited, the increased use of it in one manufacturing process must cause it to become less available for other uses. The cost of a product in terms of money may not measure its true cost to society. The true cost of, say, the construction of a supersonic jet is the value of the schools and refrigerators that will never be built as a result. Every act of production uses up some of society's available resources; it means the foregoing of an opportunity to produce something else. In deciding how to use resources most effectively to satisfy the wants of the community, this opportunity cost must ultimately be taken into account. In a market economy the price of a good and the quantity supplied depend on the cost of making it, and that cost, ultimately, is the cost of not making other goods. The market mechanism enforces this relationship. The cost of, say, a pair of shoes is the price of the leather, the labor, the fuel, and other elements used up in producing them. But the price of these inputs, in turn, depends on what they can produce elsewhere-if the leather can be used to produce handbags that are valued highly by consumers, the prices of leather will be bid up correspondingly.
单选题
What does this passage mainly discuss? A. The scarcity of manufactured goods. B. The value of scarce materials. C. The manufacturing of scarce goods. D. The cost of producing shoes.
单选题
According to the passage, what are the opportunity costs of an item? A. The amount of time and money spent in producing it. B. The opportunities a person has to buy it. C. The value of what could have been produced instead. D. The value of the resources used in its production.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】推断题 第二段中。Every act of production uses up some of society's available resources; it means the foregoing of an opportunity to produce something else．说明机会成本是用可生产的其他商品来衡量的，选项C正好符合。
单选题
According to the passage, what is the relationship between production and resources? A. Available resources stimulate production. B. Resources are totally independent of production. C. Production increases as resources increase. D. Production lessens the amount of available resources.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】细节题 第一段Materials used for one purpose cannot at the same time be used for other purposes; if the quantity of an input is limited, the increased use of it in one manufacturing process must cause it to become less available for other uses. 说明社会总资源是有限的，用掉一部分资源就会使该资源的总量减少并限制其他商品的生产。
单选题
What determines the price of a good in a market economy? A. The cost of all elements in production. B. The cost of not making other goods. C. The efficiency of the manufacturing process. D. The quantity of materials supplied.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】细节题 文章第三段In a market economy the price of a good and the quantity supplied depends on the cost of making it(市场经济条件下，商品的价格和产量取决于其成本)，然后又说The cost of, say, a pair of shoes is the price of the leather, the labor, the fuel, and other elements used up in producing them. 以鞋子为例说明商品价格是由生产要求决定的。
单选题
Which of the following examples BEST reflects a cost to society as defined in the passage? A. A family buying a dog. B. Eating in a restaurant instead of at home. C. Using land for a house instead of a park. D. Staying at home instead of going to school.