单选题
There are various ways in which individual economic
units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the
market system, the administered system and the traditional system.
In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among
each other in the market place. It is possible to buy commodities from other
economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions may take
place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as
automobiles, shoes, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding
somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always
be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases
transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are
bought or sold for money. An alternative to the market system
is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will
issue edicts or commands as to how much of each goods and services should be
produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be
one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the
government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms
and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of
complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole
economy. In a traditional society, production and consumption
patterns are governed by tradition: parentage, religion, and custom fix every
person's place within the economic system. Transactions take place on the basis
of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste may have an
obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care
for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where
every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be
difficult to achieve. A stagnant society may result.
单选题
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To outline contrasting types of economic systems.
B. To explain the science of economics.
C. To argue for the superiority of one economic system.