Text A Why Nations Trade Ⅰ. Introductory Remarks Why do nations trade? They trade for many reasons. First, they trade because there are differences in natural resources in different parts of the world. The second reason is that pays to specialize, for specialization enables one country to produce some goods more cheaply than another country and brings benefits as one country shares their cheap goods with another country. However, one point has to be carefully considered in international trade, that is to have more products to trade or the country will not be able to expect a stable economy. Ⅱ. Outline The general form of international trade: (Para.1) buying and selling goods and services The reasons for nations to trade: (Para.2-4) differences in natural resources It pays to specialize. Advantages of specialization: (Para. 5-8) It can make some goods that are of better quality. It also enables one country to produce some goods more cheaply. It may also help towns, countries, and people better of f. Selling primary products: (Para. 9-10) Primary products are of great importance to many countries. Ⅲ. Detailed Study of the text A: Key Words and Phrases: 1. exchange: n. ①. 电话总机之交换台. ②. 交换, 互换 give A in exchange for B e.g. He gave me an apple in exchange for a piece of cake. v. to give or receive something/someone of the same type or of equal value in return for another. 交易, 交换 e.g. He exchanged the blue sweater for a red one. All exchanged seats with Ben. exchange A for B, 把A换成B e.g. Where can I exchange my dollars for pounds? cf. return A for B, 退A换取B trade A for B, 用A 来交换B exchangeable a. 可交换的 2. product n. ①. 产品 e.g. Important products of South Africa are fruit and gold. ②. 结果 e.g. Criminals are sometimes are products of bad homes. production n. 生产, 产生, 制作, 影片, 艺术作品 productivity n. 生产力 productive a. 多产的, 产生…的, 生产性的 produce v. 生产, 制造. import v. 输入, 进口 e.g. His company sells imported silk. n. 输入(品), 进口(品) e.g. In order to take its revenges on Japan, this country stopped the import of its agricultural product. export v./ n. 输出, 出口 efficient a. working or operating quickly and effectively in an organized way 效率高的, 能胜任的 (所表”效率”着重于有技巧和节省精力方面, 通常用于人) e.g. The city’s transport system is one of the most efficient in Europe. We need someone really efficient who can organize the office and make it run smoothly. cf. effective: 1) producing the result that was wanted or intended 2)start officially 有效的, 生效的 (强调”实际上产生的效果”或”具有产生效果的能力”) e.g. It’s a very effective cure for a headache. The new law will become effective next month. efficiently ad. 效率高地 efficiency n. 功效, 效率, 效能 sufficient a. 足够的, 充分的 deficient a. 缺乏的, 不足的 inefficient a. 效率低的 advantage n. ①. 便利, 优点, 优势 e.g. He had the advantage over other boys of being born into a rich family. ②. 利益 e.g. It will be to his advantage if he studies hard. 对…有利, 有助于 e.g. Such foolish behoviour will not advantage your case. advantageous a. advantageously ad. disadvantage n. 不利, 弊端, 短处 take advantage of 利用(某人 / 某物) have the advantage of sb. 胜过, 占优势 gain /have an advantage over sb. 优于, 胜过 possess v. ① 拥有, 有 e.g. He never possessed much money, but he always possessed good health. ② 对…影响很深, 足以控制或支配行为 e.g. Fear possessed him and prevented him from moving. possessed a. 着了魔的, 拥有的 possession n. 拥有, 所有权, 财产(复) possessive a. 有占有欲的, 所有格的 possessor n. 拥有者 7. in most cases: in most situations cf. in that case e.g. “I’m afraid I can’t come after all.” “Well, in that case I’m not going either.” in any case e.g. We have to pass your house in any case, so we’ll take you home. 8. (or) rather: used to give more specific information or correct something you have said. e.g. You have to be sixteen for cheap tickets--- or rather under sixteen. He explained what the Crux is, or rather, what it was. 9. that is (to say ): in other words, used to indicate that the writer or speaker is about to express the same idea more clearly or precisely. e.g. Education Ministers ought to have placed the interests of consumers --- that is to say pupils--- first. I’ll meet you in the city, that is, I will if the trains are running. 10. specialize: to limit all or most of your study, business, etc. to a particular subject or activity. e.g. After qualifying, he decided to specialize in contract law. We went to a restaurant that specializes in Italian food. 11. go hand in hand: If something goes hand in hand with something else, it is closely related to it and happens at the same time as it does or as a result of it. e.g. Prosperity goes hand in hand with investment. Prosperity and investment go hand in hand. cf. I saw Pat and Chris walking hand in hand (= holding each other’s hand) through town the other day. 12. enable: to give someone the ability or opportunity to do something. e.g. Money from her aunt enabled Jan to buy the house. 13. resource: often used in plural form to mean something such as land, minerals, or natural energy. e.g. a country rich in natural resources Canada’s vast mineral resources cf. We must make the best possible use of our limited financial resources. Martin has inner resources that will see him through this crisis. resources for learning resource room / center 14. it pays to do something: doing something will bring a good result or advantage to do something else. e.g. It usually pays to tell the truth. It never pays to take risks where human safety is concerned. cf. Hard training now will pay (you richly when it comes to the actual competition. If the pub doesn’t start to pay (=make a profit , we’ll have to sell it. 15. make good use of: get as much advantage as possible from something e.g. We must make the best possible use of the resources we have. cf. make use of: to use something that is available in order to achieve something else or get an advantage for yourself e.g. Not enough people are making use of the children’s play scheme. We might as well make use of (= use) the hotel’s facilities. 16. manufacture: to make or produce large quantities of goods to be sold. e.g. the company that manufactures the drug manufactured goods manufacturing industries cf. produce: to grow something or make it naturally; make things to be sold e.g. Canada produces high-quality wheat. The factory produces an incredible 100 cars per hour. Gas can be produced from coal. 17. be skilled at/in doing something: to have the knowledge and ability to do something well e.g. She’s skilled at dealing with members of the public. Few doctors are actually trained, and not al are skilled, in helping their patients make choices. 18. devote…to: to give (one’s time or effort or love) wholly to (something he believes in or a person), or to use (a particular amount of time or energy) doing (something) e.g. The Cabinet minister left government to devote more time to his young family. She has devoted all her energies/life to taking care of homeless people. Over half of his speech was devoted to the issue of unemployment. 19. talent: (someone who has) a natural ability to be good at something e.g. Her talent for music showed at an early age. She is a young dancer of great talent. We are looking for new/fresh/young local talent (= new/fresh/young local people with talent). 20. suffer from: to experience something unpleasant, such as illness, pain, loss, or hardship e.g. She suffers from headaches. The village suffered from floods. 21. benefit: something that gives you advantages or improves your life in some way e.g. an aid program that has brought lasting benefits to the region. cf. profit: money that you gain by selling things or doing business e.g. She makes a big profit from selling waste material to textile companies. You don’t expect to make much profit within the first couple of years of setting up a company. 22. compared to/ with: in comparison with e.g. Compared to many others you are very lucky indeed. London is large, compared to/ with Paris. cf. The poet compares his lover’s tongue to a razor blade. 23. be better off: to have more money, to be in a better condition e.g. We are better off this year than we were last year. You could pay it back afterwards when you are better off. 24. be made from: to be made out of cf. The table is made of wood. Bread is made from corn. We use “from” when the result no longer looks like the original material. 25. depend on: to need the support of; be supported by; rely on e.g. Children depend on their parents. The country depends heavily on foreign aid. Pollution of the sea has killed thousands of the fish on which many fishermen depend for their livelihood. 26. count on something: to expect something to happen and include it in your plans e.g. You can’t count on the weather being fine. We are counting on selling at least 5000 copies of the book. Important and Difficult Sentences: 1. International trade is the exchange of goods and services produced in one country for goods and services produced in another country. This sentence gives us a definition of international trade. 2. Rather, they use the income, or money, from the sale of their products to buy the products of another country. The writer uses “rather” to give more specific information about international trade, meaning “it would be more exact/precise to say that they use the money they have got from selling their products to buy products of another country”. 3. That is, it lets them specialize. In other words, trade among countries enables them to specialize. In the sentence, “it” refers to trade among countries. 4. Trade and specialization go hand in hand and enable each of us to have…at the lowest possible cost. Trade and specialization are closely related and make it possible for each of us to have…at the lowest possible cost. 5. …it pays to specialize. …it brings an advantage to a country if it specializes. 6. If the Belgians built factories and trained… Note that the subjunctive mood is used in this and the next sentence to talk about the situation that is imaginary. 7. …if made at home. …if it were made in their own countries. at home: in one’s own country e.g. Newspapers both at home and abroad ignored the incident. 8. It pays a country to specialize even if it can… Specialization brings a country an advantage although it can… even if: although something is true or something happens e.g. Even if I did lose a stone, I still wouldn’t look skinny. She’s a lovely woman, even if she can be a bit tiring at times. 9. This is called comparative advantage. This means you are in a better position than others. 10. Suppose there is a person…a below-average teacher. The word “suppose” is used at the beginning of the sentence to suggest a situation. e.g. Suppose (that) the news is true, what then? Look, suppose you lose your job tomorrow, what would you do? a below-average teacher: a teacher of lesser teaching skills below-average: below the standard or level which is considered to be typical or usual e.g. The quality of candidates was (well) below average. His marks in English have been below average (=much less than average) for some time now. 11. If the second person could devote full attention to carpentry … If the second person could give full attention to carpentry… 12. …the town might not suffer from the quality of the carpentry … the quality of the carpentry in the town might not become worse 13. Towns, countries, and people are better off … Towns, countries, and people have more money than they used to have or are in a better position than they used to be … 14. Primary products are the raw materials from which manufactured goods are made. Primary products are the raw materials which can be used to make manufactured goods. That is, manufactured goods are made from the raw materials. 15. …as do copper, iron, coal, and crude oil. ---… just as copper, iron, coal, and crude oil come from beneath the surface of the earth. “As do” acts as a substitute for the predicate “come from beneath the surface of the earth”. e.g. David works hard, as do my brothers. 16. These countries have “all their eggs in one basket”. These countries depend completely on their primary products to achieve stable economies. put all one’s eggs in one basket: to depend on a single plan of action or person for success e.g. I’m applying for several jobs because I don’t really want to put all my eggs in one basket. 17. Such countries will not be able to count on stable economies until they have more products to trade. Only when these countries have more products to trade will they be able to be sure of / to expect stable economies. Ⅳ. Summary of the Text International trade can be regarded as a form of buying and selling goods and services among different countries. There are two reasons for nations to trade: the differences in natural resources in different countries and the benefit of specialization. When a country specializes, it can benefit in three ways. 1) Products it makes will have a better quality. 2) The cost of these products will be lower. 3) Most important of all, the people in these countries will enjoy a wealthier life. Countries can specialize not only by producing certain goods but also by selling primary products, which can be a very important source of income for many countries. Ⅴ. Text-related Information Advantages of Trade: In 1776 the Scottish economist Adam Smith, in the Wealth of Nations, proposed that specialization in production leads to increased output. He believed that in order to meet a constantly growing demand for goods, a country’s scarce resources must be allocated efficiently. According to his theory, a country that trades internationally should specialize in producing only those goods in which it has an absolute advantage, that is, those goods it can produce more cheaply than can its trading partners. The country can then export a portion of those goods and, in turn, import goods that its trading partners produce more cheaply. Adam Smith’s works is the foundation of the classical school of economic thought. Comparative Advantage: The English economist David Ricardo modified this theory on international trade. His theory, which is still accepted by most modern economists, stresses the principle of comparative advantage. This principle illustrates the ability to produce a product or service at a relatively lower cost than other competitors. In other words, a nation has a comparative advantage in producing those items it does best compared with other nations. Comparative advantage is the cornerstone of international trade: Nations export goods and services in which they have a comparative advantage and import those goods and services in which they have a comparative disadvantage. International Trade: International trade leads to more efficient and increased world production, thus allowing countries (and individuals) to consume a larger and more diverse bundle of goods. A nation possessing limited natural resources is able to produce and consume more than it otherwise could. The establishment of international trade expands the number of potential markets in which a country can sell its goods. The increased international demand for goods translates into greater production and more extensive use of raw materials and labor, which in turn leads to growth in domestic employment. Competition from international trade can also force domestic firms to become more efficient through modernization and innovation. Within each economy, the importance of foreign trade varies. Some nations export only to expand their domestic market or to aid economically depressed sectors within the home economy. Other nations depend on trade for a large part of their national income and to supply goods for domestic consumption. In recent years foreign trade has also been viewed as a means to promote growth within a nation’s economy; developing countries and international organizations have increasingly emphasized such trade.