The "standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country's standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity(能力) 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 perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The USA is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders, her soil is fertile, and her climate is varied. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least wealthy. Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. China is perhaps as well off as the USA in natural resources, but suffered for many years from civil and external(外部的) wars, and for this and other reasons was unable to develop her 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. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled. Wealth also produces wealth. As a country becomes wealthier, its people have a large margin(富余) for saving, and can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.1. A country's wealth depends upon .A. its moneyB. its standard of livingC. its ability to provide goods and servicesD. its ability to provide transport and entertainment2. The main idea of the second paragraph is that .A. the Sahara Desert is a very poor regionB. a country's wealth depends on many factorsC. the USA is one of the wealthiest countries in the worldD. natural resources are an important factor in the wealth or poverty of a country3. What does the underlined word "her" in paragraph 3 refer to?A. The Sahara Desert.B. An old country.C. China.D. The USA.4. According to the last paragraph, which of the following is Not True?A. Wealth can produce wealth.B. We should suffer from civil and external wars.C. We should have more skilled people to use the natural resources.D. We should have sound and stable politics and be free from foreign invasion..
The "standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country's standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its capacity(能力) 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 perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The USA is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders, her soil is fertile, and her climate is varied. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least wealthy.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. China is perhaps as well off as the USA in natural resources, but suffered for many years from civil and external(外部的) wars, and for this and other reasons was unable to develop her 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. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled. Wealth also produces wealth. As a country becomes wealthier, its people have a large margin(富余) for saving, and can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.
1. A country's wealth depends upon .
A. its moneyB. its standard of livingC. its ability to provide goods and servicesD. its ability to provide transport and entertainment
2. The main idea of the second paragraph is that .
A. the Sahara Desert is a very poor regionB. a country's wealth depends on many factorsC. the USA is one of the wealthiest countries in the worldD. natural resources are an important factor in the wealth or poverty of a country
3. What does the underlined word "her" in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. The Sahara Desert.B. An old country.C. China.D. The USA.
4. According to the last paragraph, which of the following is Not True?
A. Wealth can produce wealth.B. We should suffer from civil and external wars.C. We should have more skilled people to use the natural resources.D. We should have sound and stable politics and be free from foreign invasion.
.题目解答
答案
1. 答案: C
2. 答案: D
3. 答案: C
4. 答案: B
.解析
- 考查要点：本题主要考查学生对文章主旨的理解，以及根据上下文推断词义的能力。
- 解题核心：
- 第1题：明确“wealth”的定义，结合文章首段关键句。
- 第2题：抓住第二段的核心论点，即自然资源对国家财富的影响。
- 第3题：通过上下文逻辑判断代词指代对象。
- 第4题：结合最后一段内容，排除与原文矛盾的选项。
第1题
关键句：A country's standard of living depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth.
解析：文章明确指出，国家的财富取决于其生产商品和服务的能力，而非货币本身。选项C直接对应“capacity to produce goods and services”，而选项A（money）被文章否定。
第2题
核心段落：第二段通过对比不同地区的自然条件（如美国 vs 撒哈拉沙漠），强调自然资源是决定财富的重要因素。选项D准确概括段落主旨，其他选项仅涉及部分细节。
第3题
上下文定位：第三段首句提到“China is perhaps as well off as the USA in natural resources”，后文用“her”指代中国。选项C符合逻辑。
第4题
关键句：最后一段指出“wealth also produces wealth”“sound political conditions”“technical efficiency”均为促进财富的因素。选项B“should suffer from wars”与文章中“civil wars hinder development”的观点矛盾，因此不正确。