The third function of an economy is to determine who gets the product．Family A gets$5，000 worth of goods this year，family B five times as much--how is the division to be decided?The incomes of individuals are determined by the quantities of resources(labour skills，capital in all its forms)they own and the prices they receive for the use of these resources．Workers are incited by the price system to acquire new skills and to exercise them diligently，and families are encouraged to savings(capital accumulation)by the payment of interest or dividends．The inheritance of both personal ability and wealth also enters into the distribution of income．
If the price system is working reasonably well，it performs all of these economic functions with remarkable subtlety and precision．Society desires not only the correc amount of wheat but also that it be consumed more or less evenly over the crop year，with a surplus to carry over in case of a partial failure of the next year’s crop．①The price system provides a seasonal price pattern that encourages the holding of inventories rather than early splurging and richly rewards speculators who correctly anticipate a crop failure and hold grain that will alleviate it．⑦In the same way，the desires of every sizable group of consumers(or resource owners)are registered through the price system；entrepreneurs are incited by price offers to provide opera and musical comedy，kosher food，and Persian delicacies．
High prices in a properly functioning price system thus serve as incentives to produce more and consume less，and lower prices serve as corresponding deterrents．In addition the price system is a method of communicating information．Herbert Spencer once stated，rather ponderously，that only by constant iteration can alien truths be impressed upon reluctant minds：the price system，with its capacity for infinite repetition，is well suited to this sometimes unpleasant task．A higher price of steel scrap，for example，tells thousands of owners and collectors of scrap that more scrap is wanted and that more exhaustive search for abandoned rails，boilers，radiators，and machines is worth undertaking．A higher price of gasoline tells thousands of automobile drivers that gasoline should be used more sparingly，and the message is repeated each time each driver purchases more gasoline．[382 words]
1．The distribution of income is determined by all of the following factors，EXCEPT______．
A．the price system
B．wealth accumulated
C．productivity growth
D．new labour skills
2．Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the second paragraph?
A．The seasonal price pattern best satisfies the desire of society for a balanced supply of wheat．
B．The price system is able to satisfy the desires of every sizable group of consumers．
C．The price system can satisfactorily perform any of its economic functions．
D．It is possible to lower costs of production by standardizing products．
3．AIl of the following statements are true，EXCEPT______．
A．high prices never appear in a properly functioning price system
B．lower prices indicate that there is more supply than demand
C．higher prices indicate that there is more demand than supply
D．it is normal for the price of a perishable product to vary with seasons
4．It can be inferred from the text that______．
A．each family should get equal share of income from society
B．the income disparity should be considerably narrowed
C．the price system rarely functions properly in modern society
D．the distribution of income is determined by multiple factors
5．The author’s attitude toward the issue of distribution is______.
A．doubtful
B．impartial
C．suspicious
D．sympathetic [NextPage]
难句透析
①Society desires not only the correct amount of wheat but also[that it be consumed more or less evenly over the crop year，with a surplus to carry over in case of a partial failure of the next year’s crop]．
【结构】谓语动词“desires”有两个宾语，用“not only…but als0…”连接起来。第一个宾语是名词短语“the eor rect amount of wheat”，第二个宾语是宾语从句“that it be consumed…crop”。因为“desires”是个表达欲望的动词，后面所跟宾语从句中的动词应采用虚拟语气形式，即“be consumed”。
【释义】社会不仅期望收获适当数量的小麦，而且期望能在小麦收获的整个年度内大致均衡地消费，并留有一菇剩余以防备来年小麦部分歉收。
②The price system provides a seasonal price pattern[that”encourages the holding of inventories rather than earl splurging and richly”—rewa—rds speculators(who correctly anticipate a crop failure and hold grain
【结构】方括号所标示的部分是“a seasonal price pattern”的后置定语从句。其中，有两个用“and”连接的并列的诈语动词“encourages”和“rewards”。动名词“the holdin9…”和“early splurgin9”用做“encourages”的并列宾语，用“rather than”连接在一起。“richly”用做状语，修饰“rewards”。圆括号所标示的部分是“speculators”的后置定语从句。其中，有两个用“and”连接的谓语动词“anticipate”和“hold”。
【释义】价格体系提供了一种季节性的价格模式。这种季节性的价格模式不是鼓励把储备的小麦过早挥霍掉，而是鼓励进行小麦储备。有些精明的商人能预料到来年小麦会歉收，并储备小麦以减轻灾荒。这种季节性的价格模式能使他们受惠极大。
全文翻译
经济的第三大功能就是决定产品如何分配。A家庭可能今年得到价值5000美金的货物，而B家庭的则是他们的5倍——这样的分配是由什么决定的?个人的收入是由他们所拥有的资源(劳动力技术，各种形式的资本)以及他们对使用这些资源所收取的价格所决定的。工人们因为价格系统的刺激而不断学习新的技能并且勤学苦练，而家庭则受利息支付或红利分配的影响而增加储蓄(资本积累)。继承所得的个人能力及财富也同样会进入收入分配的过程。 如果价格系统运作良好，它在发挥经济功能时就可以处理得相当细致和精准。社会不仅期望收获适当数量的小麦，而且期望能在小麦收获的整个年度内大致均衡地消费，并留有一定剩余以防备来年小麦部分歉收。①价格体系提供了一种季节性的价格模式。这种季节性的价格模式不是鼓励把储备的小麦过早挥霍掉，而是鼓励进行小麦储备。有些精明的商人能预料到来年小麦会歉收，并储备小麦以减轻灾荒。这种季节性的价格模式能使他们受惠极大。同样的道理，每个大小可知的消费者群体(或资源所有者们)的需求都在价格体系中有反应；企业家们则受到价格的刺激而为人们提供歌剧和音乐喜剧，合适的食品以及波斯的美昧。
因此，在一个有效运作的价格系统中，高的定价会促使人们多生产少消费，而低的定价则正好起反作用。除此之外，价格系统也还起着作为传递信息的一种方式的作用。赫伯特·斯宾塞曾用艰涩的语言指出，只有通过经常性的重复才能使陌生的事实在不愿意接受它的那些思想中扎根：价格系统，由于其可以无限制的重复，因此也最适于用来解决这有时不受欢迎的任务。举例来讲，如果收购废铁的价格较高，那无疑是叫成千上万的有废铁的和收废铁的人去收更多的废铁，也就是告诉他们现在值得去尽心竭力地找更多的废弃铁轨、废热水器、废加热器以及报废的机械等。如果汽油的价格很高，那也就是在告诉驾车的人们汽油应该省着用，这个信息在每位驾驶员每次去加油的时候都会被强化。
超纲词汇
Delicacy n．微妙
Entrepreneur n．企业家，主办人
incite vt．激动，煽动
Iteration n．反复
Kosher adj．犹太教所规定允许的，合适的
Persian n．／adj．波斯人；波斯的
Ponderous adj．沉重的，生硬的，呆板的
splurge vi．／n．卖弄，炫耀，挥霍
参考答案：1．C 2．C 3．A 4．D 5．B
