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1、UnitEightTheCostsofEconomicGrowthIntroductionTheeconomyhasdevelopedgreatlyinthepastyears,andpeople’slifehaschangedalotwithinventionoftelephones,automobiles,computersetc.However,theweatherisbecomingwarmerandwarmer;theairandwaterarepollutedmoreandmoreseriously.TextExercisesRelatedTe
2、chnicalTermsGrammar1Citizensandscholarsaretodayraisingafundamentalquestion:Iseconomicgrowthdesirable?Ortoputitonlyslightlylessgrandly:whenasocietyhasreachedastageofwealthwhereallthenecessitiesoflifeandahigh(historicalstandards)degreeofcomforthavebeenassuredtotheoverwhelmingnumbero
3、fitscitizens,doesittherebyreachastagewhenthecostsofgrowthbegintoexceeditsbenefits,whenitsenergiesshouldproperlybeturnedinotherdirections?Text2Thisisnotanaltogethernewquestion.Eveninthenineteenthcentury,thegreatphilosopher–economistJohnStuartMillyearnedforthedaywhenmankindwouldlook
4、for“betterthings”thanacontinuationoftheconstant“struggleforriches”.Millwrote:Text3IconfessIamnotcharmedwithanidealoflifeheldoutbythosewhothinkthatthenormalstateofhumanbeingsisthatofstrugglingtogeton;thatthetrampling,crushing,elbowingandtreadingoneachother’sheels,whichformtheexisti
5、ngtypeofsociallife,arethemostdesirablelotofhumankind,oranythingbutthedisagreeablesymptomsofoneofthephasesofindustrialprogress.Text4Millactuallylookedforwardtothecomingofa“stationarystate,”providing,ofcourse,thatthepopulationproblem(whichhadworriedhispredecessors,MalthusandRicardo)
6、couldbehandledandadecentstandardoflifecouldbeguaranteedtotheworkingclasses.Text5IntheUnitedStatesintheeighthdecadeofthetwentiethcentury,wehaveachievedastandardoflifefortheaveragemanthatfarexceedsanythingthatMillhadhopedfor.Inconsequence,therearethosewhoarguethatthetimehasnowcometo
7、reconsiderthepivotalroleofeconomicgrowthinoursociallife.Theargumenthasmanyvariants,butitisbuiltaroundtwofundamentalthemes.Text6Thefirstthemestressesthedecliningbenefitsofmoderngrowthintheaffluentsociety.Whydowewantmoregoods,thecriticsask.Certainlynotoutofeconomicnecessity.Notevenf
8、oraddedmaterialcomfort;historical