When it was published i

When it was published in 1973, E.F. Schumacher’s book,
 Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, made a lot of people think about the ways we make money, and what we use it for. Here is a quote taken from the book:
“A modern economist is used to measuring the ‘standard of living’ by the amount of annual consumption,
assuming all the time that a man who consumes more is ‘better off’ than a man who consumes less.
 A Buddhist economist would consider this approach excessively irrational: since consumption is merely a means to human
well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption. ...
The less toil there is, the more time and strength is left for artistic creativity. Modern economics, on the other hand,
considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity.”
The quote makes sense to a lot of people who are tired of always working harder to buy things that don’t
really make them feel a lot better.
What do people really want, and what do they really need? Suppose someone
decides that a bigger or better television would make life more enjoyable. Perhaps. But what does the person have to pay for that TV?

 It’s not just the money; it’s the lost hours spent earning that money.
In any case, a family decides to buy a big television for the living room. But then the parents decide that they want a second television for their bedroom. What happens?
 They all can’t watch both televisions at the same time.
 Perhaps one person in the family watches the one in the bedroom,
while someone else watches the one in the living room. But then they are missing out on the happiness of being together as a family.
There are lots of things we do that don’t really improve our lives.


【3】 41. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
           To suggest some good ways to make more money and use it.
           To explain the relationship between consumption and economics.
           To inform the reader about the real significance of well-being.
           To discuss why a family decides to buy another television set.

【1】 42. Which of the following statements about Schumacher’s book is NOT true?
          Consumption is the only way to get a sense of well-being to a Buddhist economist.
          It is usually believed that the more money a person spends every year, the wealthier he / she is.
A Buddhist economist is more concerned about spiritual well-being than material satisfaction.
Modern economists hold that the standard of living is closely related to annual consumption.

【4】 43. A Buddhist economist feels that the approach of a modern economist is _______________.
    sensible
    applicable
    pragmatic
    unreasonable

【3】 44. According to this article, what may a Buddhist economist encourage people to do?
To work harder in order to buy a bigger and better TV set.
To devote more time and strength to boost the global economy.
To spend more time and energy in artistic activities.
To live up to what most modern economists have stated.

【2】 45. According to the author of the passage, buying more than one TV _______________.
is necessary for a family to enjoy more happy hours
may lose the opportunity of sharing happy time with family members
is helpful for avoiding any possible fight about watching TV
is an unavoidable trend for most modern families