📚 Year 12 CIE Economics: Vocabulary and Terminology Quick Memorisation Guide | Year 12 CIE 经济：词汇术语速记指南
Mastering key economic terminology is the first step to success in your Year 12 CIE Economics course. This guide breaks down essential vocabulary into themed sections, pairing clear English definitions with Chinese explanations to accelerate memorisation. Each term is linked to a simple mnemonic or connection tip, helping you internalise both meaning and context efficiently.
掌握核心经济学术语是你在 Year 12 CIE 经济课程中取得成功的第一步。本指南将关键词汇按主题划分，用清晰的英文定义搭配中文解释，以加速记忆。每个术语都附有简单的记忆法或关联提示，帮助你高效地内化其含义和语境。
1. Basic Economic Problem and Scarcity | 基本经济问题与稀缺性
Scarcity: The condition where limited resources cannot satisfy all wants and needs. Scarcity forces every society to answer three fundamental questions: what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.
稀缺性：指有限资源无法满足所有欲望和需求的状态。稀缺性迫使每个社会回答三个基本问题：生产什么、如何生产、为谁生产。
Choice: The act of selecting among alternatives. Because of scarcity, choosing more of one good means giving up something else.
选择：在替代方案中做出取舍的行为。由于稀缺性，选择更多的一种物品意味着放弃其他东西。
Economic good: A good that is scarce relative to demand and therefore commands a price. Free goods, such as air, are abundant and have zero opportunity cost.
经济物品：相对于需求而言稀缺，因而具有价格的物品。像空气这样的免费物品是丰裕的，且机会成本为零。
Mnemonic: 'SCaRCity → Society Creates Rules and Choices.' Picture a community rationing water.
记忆法：“稀缺迫使社会制定规则并做出选择。”想象一个社区定量分配用水的画面。
2. Opportunity Cost and Production Possibility Curve | 机会成本与生产可能性曲线
Opportunity cost: The next best alternative forgone when an economic decision is made. It is the real cost of any choice.
机会成本：做出经济决策时所放弃的次优选择。它是任何选择的真实成本。
Production Possibility Curve (PPC): A curve showing the maximum combinations of two goods an economy can produce with full employment of resources and given technology. Points inside the curve indicate inefficiency; outward shifts represent economic growth.
生产可能性曲线：显示在资源充分利用和技术水平既定时，一个经济体能生产的两种商品最大组合的曲线。曲线内部的点表示无效率；曲线向外移动代表经济增长。
Marginal opportunity cost: The opportunity cost of producing one additional unit of a good, which typically increases as the PPC is bowed outward.
边际机会成本：多生产一单位商品的机会成本。由于生产可能性曲线向外凸出，边际机会成本通常是递增的。
Tip: Link 'opportunity cost' to the phrase 'the road not taken' – it's always about the value of the best alternative sacrificed.
提示：把“机会成本”与“未选择的路”联系起来——它始终关乎被牺牲的最优替代方案的价值。
3. Demand and Supply | 需求与供给
Demand: The quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to purchase at various prices over a period of time, ceteris paribus.
需求：在其他条件不变的情况下，消费者在一段时间内，在不同价格水平上愿意并且能够购买的商品或服务的数量。
Law of Demand: As price falls, quantity demanded rises, and vice versa, creating an inverse relationship.
需求定律：价格下降，需求量上升；价格上升，需求量下降，两者呈反向关系。
Supply: The quantity of a good or service that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at various prices over a period.
供给：生产者在一段时间内，在不同价格水平上愿意并且能够出售的商品或服务的数量。
Equilibrium: The market-clearing price where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Disequilibrium creates shortages or surpluses.
均衡：需求量与供给量相等时的市场出清价格。非均衡状态会产生短缺或过剩。
Mnemonic: 'Demand goes Down as price goes Up' – the D and U remind you of the inverse link.
记忆法：'Demand Down, Price Up'——用 D 和 U 记住反向关系。
4. Elasticity – Price, Income and Cross | 弹性 – 价格弹性、收入弹性与交叉弹性
Price elasticity of demand (PED): Measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price. Formula:
需求的价格弹性：衡量需求量对价格变动的反应程度。公式如下：
PED = %ΔQd / %ΔP
If PED > 1, demand is price elastic; if PED < 1, it is price inelastic.
如果 PED > 1，需求富有价格弹性；如果 PED < 1，需求缺乏价格弹性。
Income elasticity of demand (YED): %ΔQd / %Δ income. Normal goods have positive YED; inferior goods have negative YED.
需求的收入弹性：需求量变化百分比除以收入变化百分比。正常品的 YED 为正；低档品的 YED 为负。
Cross elasticity of demand (XED): %ΔQd of good A / %Δ price of good B. Positive for substitutes, negative for complements.
需求的交叉弹性：A 商品需求量变化百分比除以 B 商品价格变化百分比。替代品为正，互补品为负。
Price elasticity of supply (PES): %ΔQs / %ΔP. Determines how quickly producers can respond to price changes.
供给的价格弹性：供给量变化百分比除以价格变化百分比。它决定了生产者对价格变化做出反应的速度。
Memory hook: 'PEDestrian walks slowly when price changes a lot' – if demand is inelastic, quantity walks slowly.
记忆钩子：“行人（pedestrian）在价格大幅变化时走得慢”——如果需求缺乏弹性，数量就像行人一样缓慢移动。
5. Market Failure and Government Intervention | 市场失灵与政府干预
Market failure: Occurs when the free market fails to allocate resources efficiently, leading to a net social welfare loss.
市场失灵：当自由市场无法有效配置资源，导致社会净福利损失时发生。
Externalities: Costs or benefits that affect third parties not involved in the transaction. Negative externalities (e.g., pollution) lead to overproduction; positive externalities (e.g., education) lead to underproduction.
外部性：影响未参与交易的第三方的成本或收益。负外部性（如污染）导致过度生产；正外部性（如教育）导致生产不足。
Public goods: Non-rivalrous and non-excludable goods (e.g., street lighting). The free market fails to provide them because of the free-rider problem.
公共物品：非竞争性和非排他性的商品（如路灯）。由于搭便车问题，自由市场无法提供这类物品。
Government intervention tools: Indirect taxes (to internalise external costs), subsidies (to boost merit goods), regulations, and tradable permits.
政府干预工具：间接税（将外部成本内部化）、补贴（促进优效品）、法规和可交易许可证。
Mnemonic: 'Failing Market? Governments Impose Taxes, Subsidies, Rules.'
记忆法：“市场失灵？政府征收税收、提供补贴、制定规则。”
6. Macroeconomic Objectives | 宏观经济目标
Economic growth: An increase in a country's real GDP over time, signifying rising productive potential and living standards.
经济增长：一国实际 GDP 随时间推移而增加，意味着生产潜力和生活水平的提高。
Price stability: A low and stable rate of inflation. Central banks often target around 2% to avoid deflation and high inflation costs.
物价稳定：低且稳定的通货膨胀率。中央银行通常将目标定为 2% 左右，以避免通缩和高通胀的代价。
Low unemployment: Achieving a situation where all who are willing and able to work at the going wage rate can find employment.
低失业率：实现所有愿意并能够在现行工资水平下工作的人都能找到工作的状态。
Balance of payments stability: A sustainable current account position, avoiding persistent deficits or excessive surpluses.
国际收支平衡：可持续的经常账户状况，避免持续的赤字或过度的盈余。
Income redistribution: Reducing extreme inequalities through progressive taxation and welfare transfers.
收入再分配：通过累进税制和福利转移支付减少极端不平等。
Mnemonic: 'Great Performance Secures Best Results' – Growth, Price stability, Stability (Balance of payments), Best (Redistribution).
记忆法：“Great Performance Secures Best Results”——增长、物价稳定、国际收支稳定、最佳（再分配）。
7. National Income and Circular Flow | 国民收入与循环流
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a given period. Nominal GDP is measured at current prices; real GDP is adjusted for inflation.
国内生产总值：一国境内一定时期内生产的所有最终商品和服务的总价值。名义 GDP 按当期价格计算；实际 GDP 已根据通胀进行调整。
Circular flow of income: A model showing the flow of money, goods, and services between households and firms. Withdrawals (savings, taxes, imports) reduce the flow; injections (investment, government spending, exports) boost it.
收入循环流：展示家庭与企业之间货币、商品和服务流动的模型。漏出（储蓄、税收、进口）减少流量；注入（投资、政府支出、出口）增加流量。
The multiplier effect rger final change in national income. Multiplier = 1 / (1 - MPC) or 1 / (MPS + MPT + MPM).
乘数效应：支出的初始变动（一次注入）会导致国民收入发生更大的最终变动。乘数 = 1/(1-MPC) 或 1/(MPS+MPT+MPM)。
Tip: Think of the circular flow as a bath: injections turn on the tap, withdrawals pull the plug.
提示：把循环流想象成一个浴缸：注入是打开水龙头，漏出是拔掉塞子。
8. Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply | 总需求与总供给
Aggregate Demand (AD) ending on domestic goods and services at different price levels. AD = C + I + G + (X - M).
总需求：在不同价格水平上对国内商品和服务的总支出。AD = 消费 + 投资 + 政府支出 + (出口 - 进口)。
Short-run Aggregate Supply (SRAS): The total output firms are willing to supply at a given price level, assuming at least one fixed factor of production. Upward sloping because higher prices can improve profit margins temporarily.
短期总供给：在至少一种生产要素固定不变的情况下，企业在给定价格水平上愿意提供的总产出。由于价格上升能暂时改善利润空间，短期总供给曲线向上倾斜。
Long-run Aggregate Supply (LRAS): The productive potential of the economy when all factors are variable. Classical LRAS is vertical at full employment output. Keynesian LRAS has a perfectly elastic section during deep recession.
长期总供给：当所有生产要素均可变时，经济的生产潜力。古典学派的 LRAS 在充分就业产出处呈垂直线。凯恩斯学派的 LRAS 在深度衰退时具有完全弹性段。
Macroeconomic equilibrium: Where AD equals SRAS, determining the price level and real output. A shift in either curve can cause demand-pull or cost-push inflation.
宏观经济均衡：AD 与 SRAS 相交之处，决定了价格水平和实际产出。任何一条曲线的移动都可能引起需求拉动型或成本推动型通胀。
9. Inflation and Unemployment | 通货膨胀与失业
Inflation: A sustained increase in the general price level. Measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Demand-pull inflation arises when AD grows faster than AS; cost-push inflation is caused by rising production costs.
通货膨胀：一般价格水平的持续上升。通过消费者价格指数 (CPI) 衡量。需求拉动型通胀源于 AD 增长快于 AS；成本推动型通胀由生产成本上升引起。
Deflation: A persistent fall in the general price level, often more damaging than inflation as it can lead to a deflationary spiral.
通缩：一般价格水平的持续下跌。通常比通胀更具破坏性，因为它可能导致通缩螺旋。
Unemployment types:
失业类型：
Frictional unemployment: Workers between jobs or searching for their first job – short-term and inevitable.
摩擦性失业：工人转换工作之间或首次寻找工作期间的失业——短期且不可避免。
Structural unemployment: Mismatch between skills and job requirements, often due to industrial decline or technological change.
结构性失业：技能与岗位要求不匹配，通常由产业衰退或技术变革引起。
Cyclical unemployment: Caused by a deficiency in aggregate demand during economic downturns.
周期性失业：由经济低迷时期总需求不足引起。
Phillips curve memory aid: 'In the short run, low unemployment often comes with high inflation – like a trade-off seesaw.'
菲利普斯曲线记忆辅助：“短期内，低失业往往伴随高通胀——就像一个权衡取舍的跷跷板。”
10. Balance of Payments and Exchange Rates | 国际收支与汇率
Balance of payments: A record of all financial transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world. The current account records trade in goods, services, income, and current transfers. The capital and financial account records capital flows, FDI, and portfolio investment.
国际收支：记录一国居民与世界各国之间所有金融交易的账户。经常账户记录商品、服务、收入和经常转移。资本与金融账户记录资本流动、外商直接投资和证券投资。
Exchange rate: The price of one currency in terms of another. A floating exchange rate is determined by market forces; a fixed exchange rate is set by the government or central bank.
汇率：一种货币用另一种货币表示的价格。浮动汇率由市场力量决定；固定汇率由政府或中央银行设定。
Appreciation: A rise in the value of a currency under a floating system. Exports become more expensive, imports cheaper.
升值：在浮动汇率制下，一种货币的价值上升。出口变得更贵，进口更便宜。
Mnemonic: 'SPICED' – Strong Pound Imports Cheaper Exports Dearer. This works for any appreciation.
记忆法：“SPICED”——本币坚挺（Strong），进口便宜（Imports Cheaper），出口昂贵（Exports Dearer）。适用于任何货币升值。
11. Fiscal and Monetary Policy | 财政与货币政策
Fiscal policy: The use of government spending and taxation to influence the economy. Expansionary fiscal policy (higher spending, lower taxes) aims to boost AD; contractionary policy reduces inflationary pressure.
财政政策：利用政府支出和税收影响经济。扩张性财政政策（增加支出、降低税收）旨在刺激 AD；紧缩性政策则用于减轻通胀压力。
Monetary policy: Actions by a central bank to control the money supply and interest rates. Lowering the base rate encourages borrowing and spending; raising it dampens demand.
货币政策：中央银行控制货币供应量和利率的行动。降低基准利率鼓励借贷和支出；提高利率抑制需求。
Supply-side policies: Measures designed to increase the productive capacity of the economy, such as investment in education, deregulation, and tax reforms to incentivise work and entrepreneurship.
供给侧政策：旨在提高经济体生产能力的措施，例如教育投资、放松管制以及激励工作和创业的税制改革。
Quick recall: 'Fiscal is the Treasury; Monetary is the Central Bank. Supply-side shifts the LRAS.'
快速记忆：“财政看财政部；货币看央行。供给侧移动 LRAS。”
12. Economic Development and Growth | 经济发展与增长
Economic growth: A quantitative measure – the increase in real GDP. It does not necessarily capture improvements in quality of life.
经济增长：一种数量指标——实际 GDP 的增加。它未必能反映生活质量的提升。
Economic development: A broader concept encompassing rising living standards, reduced poverty, improved health and education, and greater personal freedom. It is about quality, not just quantity.
经济发展：一个更广义的概念，包含生活水平提高、贫困减少、健康和教育改善以及个人自由的增加。它关乎质量，而非仅仅是数量。
Human Development Index (HDI): A composite index combining life expectancy, education, and per capita income to measure development.
人类发展指数：综合了预期寿命、教育和人均收入的复合指数，用以衡量发展水平。
Sustainable development: Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It balances economic, social, and environmental goals.
可持续发展：在不损害后代人满足其自身需求的能力的前提下，满足当代人的需求。它平衡了经济、社会和环境目标。
Memory phrase: 'Growth is getting bigger; Development is getting better.'
记忆口诀：“增长是变大；发展是变好。”
Published by TutorHao | Economics Revision Series | aleveler.com
更多咨询请联系16621398022（同微信）
或截图后用「扫一扫 → 相册」选择本图