However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone's time or money could be better spent on something else.
Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost-namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends? This-the alternative use of your cash and time-is the opportunity cost.
For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo-in terms of money and enjoyment-in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it's human nature to do precisely that-we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.
In the business world, a popular phrase is "value for money." People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: "value for time." The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.
According to the passage, the concept of "opportunity cost" is applied to
The "leftover ... time" in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time
What are forgone opportunities?
Mark Twain has been called the inventor of the American novel. And he surely deserves additional praise: the man who popularized the clever literary attack on racism.
I say clever because anti-slavery fiction had been the important part of the literature in the years before the Civil War. H. B. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is only the most famous example. These early stories dealt directly with slavery. With minor exceptions, Twain planted his attacks on slavery and prejudice into tales that were on the surface about something else entirely. He drew his readers into the argument by drawing them into the story.
Again and again, in the postwar years, Twain seemed forced to deal with the challenge of race. Consider the most controversial, at least today, of Twain’s novels, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Only a few books have been kicked off the shelves as often as Huckleberry Finn, Twain’s most widely read tale. Once upon a time, people hated the book because it struck the mass rude. Twain himself wrote that those who banned the book considered the novel “trash and suitable only for the slums”. More recently the book has been attacked because of the character Jim, the escaped slave, and many occurrences of the word nigger. (The term Nigger Jim, for which the novel is often severely criticized, never appears in it.)
But the attacks were and are silly—and miss the point. The novel is strongly anti-slavery. Jim’s search through the slave states for the family from whom he has been forcibly parted is heroic. As J. Chadwick has pointed out, the character of Jim was a first in American fiction — a recognition that the slave had two personalities, “the voice of survival within a white slave culture and the voice of the individual: Jim, the father and the man.”
There is much more. Twain’s mystery novel Pudd’nhead Wilson stood as a challenge to the racial beliefs of even many of the liberals of his day. Written at a time when the accepted wisdom held Negroes to be inferior to whites, especially in intelligence, Twain’s tale centered in part around two babies switched at birth. A slave gave birth to her master’s baby and, for fear that the child should be sold south, switched him for the master’s baby by his wife. The slave’s light-skinned child was taken to be white and grew up with both the attitudes and the education of the slave-holding class. The master’s wife’s baby was taken for black and grew up with the attitudes and intonations of the slave.
The point was difficult to miss: nurture, not nature, was the key to social status. The features of the black man that provided the stuff of prejudice—manner of speech, for example—were, to Twain, indicative of nothing other than the conditioning that slavery forced on its victims.
Twain’s racial was not perfect . One is left uneasy, for example, by the lengthy passage in his autobiography about how much he loved what were called “nigger shows” in his youth--mostly with white men performing in black-face---and his delight in getting his mother to laugh at them. Yet there is no reason to think Twain saw the shows as representing reality. His frequent attacks on slavery and prejudice suggest his keen awareness that they did not.
Was Twain a racist? Asking the questioning the 21st century is as wise as asking the same of Lincoln. If we read the words and attitudes of the past through the “wisdom” of the considered moral judgments of the present, we will find nothing but error. Lincoln, who believed the black man the inferior of the white, fought and won a war to free him. And Twain, raised in a slave state, briefly a soldier, and inventor of Jim, may have done more to anger the nation over racial injustice and awaken its collective conscience than any other novelist in the past century.How do Twain’s novels on slavery differ from Stowes?
| A．Twain was more willing to deal with racism. |
| B．Twain’s attack on racism was much less open. |
| C．Twain’s themes seemed to agree with plots. |
| D．Twain was openly concerned with racism. |
The story of two babies switched mainly indicates that .
| A．slaves were forced to give up their babies to their masters |
| B．slaves babies could pickup slave holders’ way of speaking |
| C．blacks’ social position was shaped by how they were brought up |
| D．blacks were born with certain features of prejudice |
What does the under lined word “they” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
| A．The attacks. |
| B．Slavery and prejudice. |
| C．White men. |
| D．The shows. |
What does the author mainly argue for?
| A．Twain had done more than his contemporary writers to attack racism. |
| B．Twain was an admirable figure comparable to Abraham Lincoln. |
| C．Twain’s works had been banned on unreasonable grounds. |
| D．Twain s works should be read from a historical point of view. |
This is What a REAL Silver Dollar Looks Like
If you trust in the yen, the euro, and the dollar... stop reading. Because this is a story about the silver coin EVERYBODY wants.
You read the headlines. You know that troubled economic times have put global currency on a rollercoasterride. But millions have found a smarter way to build long-term value with high-grade collectable silver. And right now, those people are lining up to secure some of the last 2012 U. S. Mint Silver Eagles, America's Newest Silver Eagle Dollars. Today, you can graduate to the front of that line. Buy now and you can own these brilliant uncirculated Silver Dollars for only $38.95!
You Can't Afford to Lose
Why are we releasing this silver dollar for such a remarkable price? Because we want to introduce you to what hundreds of thousands of smart collectors and satisfied customers have known since 1984--New York Mint is the place to find the world’s finest hige-grade coins. That’s why we’re offering you this Brilliant Uncirculated 2012 U.S. Silver Eagle for as little as $37.45(plus s/h).
Timing is Everything
Our advice? Keep this to yourself. Because the more people who know about this offer, the worse it is for you. Demand for Silver Eagles in 2011 broke records. Experts predict that 2012 Silver Eagles may break them all over again. Due to rapid changes in the price of silver, prices may be higher or lower and are subject to change without notice. Supplies are limited. Call immediately to add these Silver Eagles to your holdings before it's too late.
Offer Limited to 40 per household 2012 American Silver Eagle Coin
Your cost 1-4 Coins $38.95 each + s/h
5-9 Coins $38.45each + s/h
10-19 Coins $37. 95 each + s/h
20-40 Coins $37.45 each + s/h
Note: $10 s/h (shipping and handling) for each purchaseFor fastest service, call toll-free 24 hours a day1-888-201-7143Offer Code ASE177-04 Please mention this code when you call.
New York Mint 14101 Southcross Drive W.,Dept. ASE177-04
Burnsville, Minnesota 55337
www. NewYorkMint. comWhat is stressed in the ad?
| A．The coin is of high quality and worth collecting. |
| B．The coin can be circulated as a currency. |
| C．Limited supplies guarantee a stable price of the coin. |
| D．Demand for the coin is bound to break records. |
If you buy six 2012 U. S. Mint Silver Eagles by post, you should pay at least ____.
| A．$230.7 | B．$233.7 | C．$240.7 | D．$243.7 |
The ad strongly encourages people to purchase the silver coins by ____.
| A．shopping online | B．making a phone call |
| C．lining up in front of the stores | D．writing to the company |
It’s such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof. About the size of a microwave oven, it’s pedestrian-friendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break!”
Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox. But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work. The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses, and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches, the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids’ favorites. “I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom.
Since then, the collection keeps replenishing itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers. The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind. “We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.” In what way is the library “pedestrian-friendly”?
| A．It owns a yellow roof. |
| B．It stands near a sidewalk. |
| C．It protects book lovers from the sun. |
| D．It uses palm-tree stickers as decorations. |
The library was built __________.
| A．by a ship supply company |
| B．on the basis of toy horses |
| C．like a mailbox |
| D．with glass |
What can we infer about the signboard?
| A．It was made by a user of the library. |
| B．It marked a final touch to the library. |
| C．It aimed at making the library last long. |
| D．It indicated the library was a family property. |
The passage tells us that the users __________.
| A．donate books to the library |
| B．get paid to collect books for the library |
| C．receive thank-you notes for using the library |
| D．visit the library over 5 times on average daily |
D
| The Worst Journey in the World Cherry-Garrard 665 pages Price: $ 16.95 This book is about courage, misery, exploration and friendship. The “Worst journey” referred to is a five-week journey undertaken by Cherry-Garrard in the depths of the Antarctic night and winter to obtain eggs of the emperor penguin. At one point their tent blew away in a gale, they were forced to remain in their sleeping bags for a further 48 hours as they were unable to take any action in the terrible storm. |
Endurance, the Greatest Adventure Story Ever Told Alfred Lansing 277 pages Price: $33.78 This is the story of crossing the Antarctic continent. Shackleton and his men never came close to the pole, but theirs was one of the greatest adventures of all time. His ship, Endurance, was trapped and then crushed by sea ice, leaving Shackleton and 27 men adrift on ice floes. The story of how Shackleton saved all of them and reached South Georgia Island is one of the epics in the history of survival. |
| South with Endurance: Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917 Frank Hurley 320 pages Price:$28.00 I am so pleased that this book has been published. Frank Hurley, a young Australian photographer was crucial to the 1914-1917 expedition to Antarctic. The book is an oversized collection featuring all of the official photographer’s pictures. Photography buffs, historians and adventure lovers alike will relish (喜爱) the images from one who was surely one of history’s greatest documentary photographers. |
Let heroes Speak: Antarctic Explorers, 1772-1922 Michael H. Rosove 320 pages Price: $ 45.73 An excellent and unique historical overview of Antarctic voyages, from the very first by Captain Cook in 1772 to the end of the heroic age when Shackleton died aboard the Quest at South Georgia in 1922. This book gives a hugely readable synopsis(梗概) of each of the major journeys. You can therefore choose which expedition you would have most liked to be on, and which you would have least liked. |
The writer has written this passage in order to______.
| A．show us how people live on the North pole |
| B．recommend some books on Antarctic to us |
| C．tell us some interesting stories about adventure |
| D．advertise us to travel to the Antarctic continent |
If you want to learn about the adventure to Antarctic through pictures you can choose to read _____.
| A．Endurance, the Greatest Adventure Story Ever Told |
| B．Let heroes Speak: Antarctic Explorers, 1772-1922 |
| C．South with Endurance: Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917 |
| D．The Worst Journey in the World |
We can learn from Endurance, the Greatest Adventure Story Ever Told that Shackleton and his men _____.
| A．overcame various troubles to survive | B．enjoyed the adventurous experiences |
| C．arrived at the North Pole as planned | D．were the first to get to South Georgia |
We are fortunate to be living in a time when all people have the ability to access any knowledge they desire. This digital society that we live in affords us opportunities that our ancestor only dreamed of having. We should not take this privilege for granted.
In the not so distant past of the 1950s, people who wanted to research an idea, a product, or anything else, had to go to a library where they could look up information in books. Not all people had the same access to the books, and the information they contained. In America, if your skin was black, you could not use the same library that a person with white skin used. If a black skinned person was allowed access to a library, it most likely was stocked with outdated books that white skinned people had discarded.
In the digital society we live in today, the color of your skin does not determine the access you have to information. Technology has brought to us the powerful tools like the Internet where we can find information on almost every subject.
Access to the Internet has allowed us to research the things we are planning to purchase. We are capable of comparing prices on things like insurance, appliances, entertainment, clothing, and all other things. We also now have the ability to purchase items online without ever leaving our homes. We have been freed from the restrictions of store hours, and regional sales. A person in America can purchase a product from a person in Germany, without leaving home.
Because of the digital society we live in our children can learn about anything they are interested in. When they ask you what the dinosaurs ate, you can look it up, and tell them the answer. Because of this people will be smarter in the future, and technology will only improve.By “We should not take this privilege for granted”, the writer means that ______.
| A．we have special right to do anything |
| B．it is wrong to make use of the privilege |
| C．knowledge is important in the digital society |
| D．we should seize the chances the modern society offers |
The main idea of the fourth paragraph is that ______.
| A．the Internet brings us a lot of convenience |
| B．people in modern society are mostly wealthy |
| C．we would like to stay at home every day |
| D．we can find anything we like in the world |
The dinosaurs are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to tell us that _____.
| A．people will be much clever than ever |
| B．what the dinosaurs ate seems strange to us |
| C．finding out what the dinosaurs looked like is easy |
| D．we can learn knowledge with the help of technology |
The writer’s attitude toward the digital society is ______.
| A．critical | B．positive | C．neutral | D．negative |