Q: 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 marketplace. 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, _ 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 commands as to how much of each good and service 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; every person's place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion, and custom. 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. An inactive society may result. According to the passage, a barter economy can generate   _  . A) rapid speed of transactions B) misunderstandings C) inflation D) difficulties for the traders
A: D


Q: God created the mule and told him,"You will be Mule,working constantly from dusk dawn, Carrying heavy loads on your back.You will eat grass, and you lack intelligence.You will live for 40 years."The mule answered,"To live like this for 40 years is too much.Please, give me no more than 20."And it was so.     Then God created the dog and told him, "You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man.To him you will be his greatest companion.You will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years." the dog  responded,"Lord,to live 25 years as a dog is too much.Please, no more than 10 years."And it was so.     God then created the monkey and told him,"You are Monkey.You shall swing from tree to tree, acting like a fool. You will be funny,and you shall live for 20 years."The monkey responded,"Lord,to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much.Please,Lord,give me no more than 10 years."And it was so. Finally,God created Man and told him,"You are Man,the only rational being that walks on the earth.You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the world.You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years."The man responded,"Lord,to be Man for only 20 years is too little.Please,Lord,give me the 20 years the mule refused,the 15 years the dog refused,and the ten years the monkey rejected."And it was so.So God made Man live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 20 years like a  mule,working and carrying heavy loads on his back.Then,Man is to have children and live 15 years as a dog,guarding his house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry .Then,in his old age,to live 10 years as a monkey,acting like a clown to amuse his grandchildren. When God created things,  _ A) the mule thought 40 years was enough B) the dog thought 25 years was suitable C) the monkey demanded for at most 10 years D) the man wanted a life as long as possible
A: C


Q: People have always been dreaming of going to the moon. As long as the year 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book vividly describing a trip to the moon. On landing there, the explorers discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. Words failed to express their surprise when they spotted so many "moon people". The "moon people" felt even more surprised. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?" H. G. Wells could only imagine a travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really left their footsteps on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about _ . Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Channel", a tunnel connecting England and France, is now complete. But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities". The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome   would cover the whole city. Supporters of underground development argue that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The space, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells' "moon people" would second it. Would you? The explorers in H. G. Well's story were surprised to find that the "moon people"  _  . A) knew so much about the earth B) understood their language C) lived in underground cities D) were advanced in technology
A: C


Q: In June 2013 a five-year-old boy, Toby, was walking home from school thinking about the long summer ahead. Money was tight that year and Toby's parents had told him they would not be able to afford a holiday. Instead of dreaming about foreign travel, he had been reading a book, Letter to New Zealand, where the author explains what happens in an envelope's journey from England to the other side of the world. As they neared their house, Toby asked his mum, Sabine, if he could write a letter to New Zealand. After a few more steps he was struck by an even better idea. "Can I write a letter to every country in the world?" Sabine says she often wonders what would have happened if she had replied differently that day. "It was just one of those typical questions that five-year-olds have," she says. " If he had asked me in the evening when I was tired, I might have refused. But as parents you realize there's a lot of power in just allowing kids to have a go. Also, it seemed a nice way to do some armchair exploration. So I told him" Let's see how far you get." The answer was very far indeed. Toby has since written and posted letters to all 193 UN mumber states, as well as numerous other bad-conditioned areas with comforting ones. To date he has written 681 letters- the best of which have been selected to appear in a new book called Dear World, How Are You?- although so productive is Toby' pen that the number will have risen by the time you read this. "Writing these letters has made me realize that the world isn't actually all that big," he says with a grin. In the future, part of him would like to be a musical director to turn his beloved Star Wars into a ballet. Of course, he also hopes to travel the globe in person to see some of the countries where his letters have ended up. "We're so lucky to have this wonderful world, and I hope we can live on planet Earth in peace." How can we describe Toby? A) Clever and persistent. B) Ambitious and kind-hearted. C) Hardworking and humorous. D) Brave and strong-willed.

A: B