阅读以下文章,然后回答后附的选择题,请把正确答案写在相应的题号的空格里。 The Nature of Business Business is the human activity related to material things. It is necessary for civilization. It is found in all societies, even the simplest ones. Business may include the production of goods: making airplanes, building buildings, and constructing paper boxes are examples of production. It can also provide the financing for these activities. Lending money, trading stocks and bonds, and selling insurance policies relate to the securing of capital for business activities. Other forms of business include merchandising, which is the selling of products, and providing various services, such as accounting, distributing, and repairs. Business, then, is the activity of producing and distributing goods and services. In our study of business, it is necessary to understand the four basic factors of production. These four factors are land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. What is meant by these four terms? In order to produce things, it is necessary to use land. Here, the term land is used in the most general way. It refers not only to a piece of real estate where we might build a factory, but it also means all the raw materials used for production. Some of these raw materials are found on the earth's surface, such as trees, which yield wood for lumber. Other raw materials are found under the earth's surface in mines and oil wells, and still other raw materials may be extracted from the air. All the raw materials for production come from the land, the air, and the oceans. Labor refers to the use of mental or physical work to produce goods. Most labor changes raw materials into finished products and then distributes these to buyers. In industrialized countries, labor is generally more mental than physical. For example, in both manufacturing and agriculture, machines accomplish the very tiring physical work that unskilled laborers used to do. In other countries, computers programmed robots and other forms of data processing equipment perform many of the jobs which used to require a lot of mental labor. Therefore, to a certain extent the next factor, capital, can be used to replace labor or reduce the amount of physical and mental labor that humans have to use in order to conduct business. In everyday language, capital means several things. The most general meaning is wealth or money. But it also refers to the equipment that money purchases. As one of the basic factors of production, capital is all of the things that workers use in production and distribution. It includes their tools, machines, and buildings such as factories and warehouses where goods are produced and stored. Capital, therefore, refers to anything that helps to produce and distribute goods. Putting together land, labor, and capital to make something of value, is called entrepreneurship. The entrepreneur is the person responsible for controlling and directing the other three factors. The entrepreneur does not make things with his own hands unless he is also a worker. In a business the workers take orders from the entrepreneur. He is the leader, and the employees follow his direction. Entrepreneurship includes some other important activities. The entrepreneur is responsible for initiating business activity. He must begin his business by bringing together the land, labor, and capital. Next, he must manage the business by deciding the general polices for business operation. In order to be successful, an entrepreneur must also be innovative. He must look for new products or new ways of making things, and new methods of distribution, or he must offer new services. He must be able to decide on the value of things that other people invent, whether it is a new toy, a new method of filing, or a new way of advertising. Finally, he bears all the risks of the business. Everyone connected with a business shares in the risks of the business. When a company goes bankrupt, that is, becomes unable to pay its debts, it causes problems for many people. It is hard for the employees who may have to seek work elsewhere; the customers must look for another place to buy the products; creditors usually lose some of the money to the company. But the entrepreneur takes the biggest risk if the business succeeds or fails. He must pay them up to the limit of his ability to pay. If he is skillful — and lucky — the money he receives from his business venture will pay for the land, labor, and capital, and there will still be some extra money remaining for him. This extra money is the profit. If the money he receives from the business venture is not enough to pay all of the costs, the difference is the loss. New Words 1. relate v. to connect 联系;涉及 2. construct v. to put or fit together; to form 构成 3. finance v. to work in the business of providing money 理财;融资 4. stock n. [usu. pl.] a portion of capital of a business company held by an investor 股份 5. bond n. a certificate issued by a government or a company acknowledging that money has been lent to it and will be paid back with interest 有息债券;公债 6. insurance n. guarantee of compensation for loss, damage, sickness, etc. in return for regular payment 保险 7. secure v. to make sure of getting (sth.) 获得 8. capital n. money used in business 资本 9. merchandise v. to buy and sell (goods) 买卖 10. accounting n. the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions 会计学 11. distribute v. to separate (sth.) into parts and give a share to each person 分发 12. factor n. any of the forces, conditions or influences that helps to produce a result 因素 13. entrepreneur n. a person who starts or organizes a commercial enterprise 企业家 14. refer v. to mention or speak of (sb. or sth.) 提及 15. estate n. a large area of land developed for a specific purpose, e.g. for houses or factories 作某种用途的地区 [real estate 房地产 ] 16. yield v. to produce 出产 17. extract v. to take or get (sth.) out 取出 18. manufacture v. to make goods on a large scale 大量制造 19. accomplish v. to succeed in doing 完成 20. data n. information collected for examination and consideration 数据 21. process v. to perform operation on (sth.) in computer ( 用计算机 ) 处理 22. conduct v. to do; to carry on (business) 经营 23. purchase v. to buy (sth.) 购买某物 24. warehouse n. a building where goods are stored 货仓 25. initiate v. to put into operation 开始;实施 26. innovative a. introducing or using new ideas, techniques 革新的 27. share n. the part belonging to or owed by a particular person 股份 28. bankrupt a. not having enough money to pay debts 破产的 29. creditor n. a person or organization to whom money is owned 债权人 30. limit n. a point or line beyond which something does not extend; boundary 限度 31. venture n. a project, esp. a commercial one where there is a risk of failure ( 尤指有风险的 ) 工作项目 32. profit n. financial gain 利润 Phrases 1. relate ... to/with... to connect (two things) in thought or meaning 将 ...... 联系起来 2. refer to to mention or speak of (sb./sth.) 提到;涉及 3. be extracted from to take (sth.) from (sth.) 从 ...... 中提取 4. be responsible for to have the duty of looking after sth. 对 ...... 负责;负责 ( 某事 ) 5. make ...of value to make (sth.) worthwhile or valuable 使某物更有价值 6. look for to search for 寻找 7. decide on to choose (sth. or sb.) after thinking carefully 作出决定 8. distribute ... to/among ... to separate (sth.) into parts and give a share to each person or thing 在 ...... 中分发;分配 9. pay for to give money for 为 ...... 而付钱 Notes 1. provide the financing for: conduct the business of providing money for. 2. insurance policies: documents which show the condition of an insurance contract ( 保险单 ). 3. the securing of capital: Here it means “getting money for some business”. 4. to a certain extent: to a certain degree. 5. up to: as far as; to and including. e.g. Please count from 1 up to 10. Everyone works, from the boy who sweeps the floor up to the President. I Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. 1 What may business include? A) Selling products. B) Delivering products. C) Manufacturing products. D) All of the above. 2 Which of the following is NOT categorized as "Land"? A) Oil. B) Trees C) Factories and warehouses. D) A piece of real estate. 3 Which statement is NOT true according to the passage? A) Capital not only means money or wealth but also refers to the equipment that money purchases. B) The entrepreneur only needs to give orders and never makes things with his own hands. C) In a highly industrialized country, labor is generally more mental than physical. D) Customers also share in the risks of business. 4 Which of the following business activities occur first? A) Deciding the general polices for business operations. B) Bearing all risks of the business. C) Looking for new products or new ways of making things. D) Bringing together the land, labor, and capital. 5 Who takes the biggest risk when a business goes bankrupt? A) The creditor. B) The customer. C) The employee. D) The entrepreneur.