The central problem of economics is to satisfy the people's and nation's wants.

The problem we faced with is that our resources, here identified as money are __50__. The only way we can solve the problem is to make choices. After looking at our resources, we must examine our list of __51__ and identify the things we need immediately, those we can postpone, and __52__ we cannot afford. As individuals, we face the central problem involved in economics---deciding how to allocate(分配) our limited resources to provide __53__ with greatest satisfaction of our wants.
    Nations face the same problem. As a country's population __54__, the need for more goods and services grows correspondingly. Resources necessary to production may increase, but there are __55__ enough resources to satisfy the total desires of a nation. Whether the budget meeting is taking place in the family living room, in the conference room of the corporation __56__ of directors, or in the chamber of the House of Representatives in Washington, the basic problem still exists. We need to find __57__ of allocating limited resources in order to satisfy unlimited wants.
    A short time ago, economists divided goods into two categories, free and economic. The former, like air and water, were in __58__ abundance(丰富) that economists had no concern for them. After all, economics is the __59__ of scarcity and what to do about it. Today many of these "free goods" are __60__ very expensive to use. Population has made clean air and water expensive for producers extra cost, and __61__ taxpayers who pay for the government's involvement in cleaning the environment.
    In the 1990s, almost all goods are __62__. Only by effort and money __63__ obtained in the from people wish.

Meeting needs of people and the demands from resource available __64__ the basic activity of production. In trying to meet unlimited wants from limited economic goods, production leads to new problems in economics.
　　

The telephone rang in the police station at Richmond, California , USA.
“Police station? A train for Santa Fe hit a truck at the McDonald Street Crossing. Please ____21____ there at once. With an ambulance, too. A man is badly ____22_____.” said an anxious voice of a young woman. “ And you know I am the ….”
“Please wait! Hi! Hi!” the policeman kept on ____23____ though the line was cut off. Within a minute , a police car and an ambulance car started off. Before long they got to the crossing, but they ___24____everything was fine. No accident, no wounded man.
“What a dirty trick!” said the policeman ____25____. “ We must find out that bad___26_____ and …..”They were just talking about the _____27___when they heard the whistle of a train which was nearing them quickly. All of a sudden, a truck appeared. It came ___28_____towards them, too. When the truck was passing the crossing, it suddenly ____29___ to move on. Right then and there, before the eyes of all the policemen __30_______, the train hit the truck heavily and ___31____it dozens of meters away.
When Randolph Bruce, the driver, was ___32_____ out of the damaged truck, he was seriously wounded just as the young woman had told on the phone. As he was taken to the ___33______ in time, his life was saved
Later the police did whatever they could to _____34___the woman who had telephoned them. It turned out that the woman was a very excellent police officer working far in the neighboring state, who had got the first-hand ____35_____ of this crime as described above.

The word “conservation” has a thrifty meaning. To conserve is to save and protect, to leave what we ourselves enjoy in such a good condition that others may also share the enjoyment. Our forefathers had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of raw materials: most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures were “limitless” and could “last forever”. Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or nothing about the complicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which means that, as in a living body, an unhealthy condition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.

　　Fifty years ago, nature study was not part of the school work; scientific forestry was a new idea; wood was still cheap because it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands; soil destruction and river floods were not national problems; nobody had yet studied long-term climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word “conservation” had nothing of the meaning that it has for us today.

　　For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about correcting the mistakes of our forefathers. Conservation should be made part of everybody’s daily life. To know about the water table in ground is just as important to us as a knowledge of the basic math formulas. We need to know why all watersheds (上游集水区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and rivers must be made to give their full benefit to the soil before they finally escape to the sea. We need to be taught the duty of planting trees as well as of cutting them. We need to know the importance of big, grown trees, because living space for most of man’s fellow creatures on this planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic (立方体的) volume above the earth. In a word, it should be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.

1.The author’s attitude towards the use of natural resources is _________.

A. positive         B. uninterested     C. optimistic           D. critical

2.According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that _________.

　　A. they had no idea about scientific forestry

　　B. they had little or no sense of environmental protection

　　C. they were not aware of the importance of nature study

　　D. they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials

3.To avoid repeating the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that ______

　　A. we plant more trees

　　B. natural sciences be taught to everybody

　　C. environmental education be directed toward everyone

　　D. we return to nature

4.How can you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller.

B. Our living space should be measured in cubic volume.[来源:Z。xx。k.Com]

C. We need to take some measures to protect space.

D. We must preserve good living conditions for both birds and animals.

Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people's houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, "We've been to a lot of other people's houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn't we?"
"Yes, certainly," answered her husband, "A big party will be the easiest thing, won't it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month."
So Mrs. Harris said, "Yes, I'll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December."
"How many will that be?" Mr. Harris asked. "Don't invite too many."
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, "Party: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m."
"That isn't very nice, is it?" he said. "You're telling our guests that they must go at 8:30." So Mrs. Harris just wrote "Party: 6:30 p.m."
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, "You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained(抱怨)."
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. "That was a surprise, wasn't it? Who complained about the noise?"
"I did," Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.
【小题1】Why did Mr. Harris and his wife move to another town?

It’s cold in here. We must have the fire　　　　day and night.

A. burn  B. burns  C. burnt  D. burning