3、ngthecarriage.1. The theory of comparative advantage Although Smith’s work was instrumental in the development of economic theories about trade and production, it did not answer a question like if a country did not possess absolute advantage in any product, could it (or would it ) trade
4、 ? 尽管斯密的著作在贸易和生产相关的经济理论上有指导意义，但他没有回答类似于一个国家若没有绝对优势能否贸易这样的问题。 David Ricardo (1772-1823) , in his 1819 work entitled On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, sought to take the basis ideas set down by Smith a few steps further. Ricardo noted that even if a country possessed abs
5、olute advantage in the production of two products, it still must be relatively more efficient than the other country in the production of one commodity than the other. Ricardo termed this the Comparative Advantage. 大卫.李嘉图在1819年的作品《政治经济学及赋税原理》，试图在斯密观点基础上进行更深一步挖掘，李嘉图表示即使一个国家在生产两种产品时有绝对优势，
6、但相对另一个国家生产同类产品它依然有相对较高效率的产品，李嘉图把这称之为比较优势。 2.Definition a. According to the theory of comparative advantage, it makes sense for a country to specialize in the production of those goods it produces most efficiently and to buy the goods from other countries that it produces less efficiently
7、, even if this means buying goods from other countries that it could produce more efficiently itself. 根据比较优势理论，一个国家专注于生产那些有较高效率的产品何从其他国家购买本国生产效率相对较低的产品，即使这意味着从国外购买更高效率的产变得合情合理。 b. A country has a comparative advantage in producing a good if the opportunity cost of produc
