📚 Year 8 CIE Economics: Key Vocabulary & Definitions Revision Guide | Year 8 CIE 经济：词汇术语速记指南
Welcome to your essential Year 8 Economics vocabulary guide. This resource is designed to help you master the key terms you will meet in the CIE curriculum. Understanding this language is the first step to thinking like an economist. Every term is explained in clear English and matched with its Chinese equivalent so that you can build confidence in both languages. From scarcity and choice to supply and demand, this guide will give you a solid foundation for all your future studies in economics.
欢迎使用你的 Year 8 经济学术语必备指南。这份资源旨在帮助你掌握 CIE 课程中会遇到的关键词汇。理解这门语言是像经济学家一样思考的第一步。每个术语都用清晰的英文解释并匹配对应的中文，让你能够在两种语言中建立信心。从稀缺性和选择到供给与需求，本指南将为你在经济学中的所有未来学习打下坚实基础。
1. The Economic Problem: Scarcity & Choice | 经济问题：稀缺性与选择
The fundamental economic problem is that we have unlimited wants but only limited resources. This condition is called scarcity. Because of scarcity, individuals, businesses and governments cannot have everything they desire and must make choices. Every choice involves deciding what to produce, how to produce it and for whom to produce it. Economics is the study of how people use scarce resources to satisfy their unlimited wants.
最基本的经济问题是我们拥有无限的欲望但只有有限的资源。这种状况被称为稀缺性。由于稀缺，个人、企业和政府无法拥有他们想要的一切，必须做出选择。每一个选择都涉及决定生产什么、如何生产以及为谁生产。经济学就是研究人们如何利用稀缺资源来满足其无限欲望的学科。
| Term (术语) | Definition (定义) |
|---|---|
| Scarcity | The situation in which there are not enough resources to satisfy all human wants. |
| 稀缺性 | 没有足够的资源来满足所有人类欲望的状况。 |
| Choice | The decision made when facing limited resources and alternative uses. |
| 选择 | 面对有限资源和可替代用途时做出的决定。 |
2. Needs and Wants | 需求与欲望
Economists distinguish between needs and wants. Needs are goods or services that are essential for survival, such as food, water, shelter and clothing. Wants are goods or services that people would like to have but are not necessary for survival — for example, a smartphone, a holiday or designer clothes. Our wants are unlimited, which is a key reason why scarcity exists.
经济学家区分需求和欲望。需求是对生存至关重要的商品或服务，例如食物、水、住所和衣物。欲望是人们想要拥有但对生存并非必需的商品或服务——例如一部智能手机、一次度假或名牌服装。我们的欲望是无限的，这正是稀缺性存在的一个关键原因。
Because wants are unlimited while resources are limited, we have to make choices about how to allocate those resources. The difference between needs and wants helps us understand consumer behaviour and the basic economic decision-making process.
由于欲望无限而资源有限，我们不得不就如何分配这些资源做出选择。需求与欲望之间的差异有助于我们理解消费者行为和基本的经济决策过程。
3. Goods and Services | 商品与服务
In economics, output is classified into goods and services. Goods are tangible items that we can see and touch, such as books, cars and apples. They can be further divided into consumer goods (used by individuals) and capital goods (used by businesses to produce other goods). Services are intangible activities that provide satisfaction, such as haircuts, education and transport.
在经济学中，产出被分为商品和服务。商品是我们能够看见和触摸的有形物品，例如书本、汽车和苹果。它们可以进一步分为消费品（由个人使用）和资本品（由企业用于生产其他商品）。服务是提供满足感的无形活动，例如理发、教育和交通运输。
Both goods and services are produced using the factors of production. Understanding this distinction helps when we later discuss production, consumption and the structure of an economy.
商品和服务都是利用生产要素生产出来的。理解这一区别有助于我们后续讨论生产、消费和经济结构。
4. Factors of Production | 生产要素
Resources used to produce goods and services are called the factors of production. There are four main categories: land (natural resources), labour (human effort), capital (man-made goods used in production, such as machinery) and enterprise (the willingness to take risks and organise the other three factors). Each factor earns a reward: land earns rent, labour earns wages, capital earns interest and enterprise earns profit.
用于生产商品和服务的资源被称为生产要素。主要有四类：土地（自然资源）、劳动（人力努力）、资本（用于生产的人造商品，如机器）和企业（承担风险并组织其他三种要素的意愿）。每种要素获得相应的报酬：土地获得租金，劳动获得工资，资本获得利息，企业获得利润。
| Factor | 要素 | Description | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 土地 | All natural resources, e.g. soil, minerals, water. | Rent |
| Labour | 劳动 | Human physical and mental effort. | Wages |
| Capital | 资本 | Man-made goods used to make other goods, e.g. tools, factories. | Interest |
| Enterprise | 企业 | The ability to organise production and take risks. | Profit |
5. Opportunity Cost | 机会成本
Opportunity cost is one of the most important concepts in economics. It is the next-best alternative that is given up when a choice is made. Because resources are scarce, every decision to use them in one way means sacrificing the benefit they could have provided if used in the next-best way. For example, if a government spends more on building hospitals, the opportunity cost might be fewer new schools.
机会成本是经济学中最重要的概念之一。它是当做出选择时所放弃的次优替代方案。由于资源是稀缺的，每一次决定以某种方式使用资源都意味着牺牲了这些资源若以次优方式使用所能带来的益处。例如，如果政府增加医院建设支出，机会成本可能就是少建几所新学校。
Opportunity cost is not just about money; it includes time, enjoyment and any other benefit that could have been gained. This concept helps individuals, businesses and governments make better decisions by thinking about what they are giving up.
机会成本不仅仅涉及金钱；它包括时间、享受和任何其他可能获得的益处。这个概念通过让人思考自己正在放弃什么，帮助个人、企业和政府做出更好的决策。
6. Markets and Prices | 市场与价格
A market is any arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to exchange goods and services. Markets can be physical, like a local fruit stall, or virtual, like an online shop. The price is the amount of money that has to be paid to acquire a good or service. In a free market, prices are determined by the forces of demand and supply. When buyers and sellers interact, they negotiate prices and quantities without central control.
市场是允许买方和卖方交换商品和服务的任何安排。市场可以是有形的，如本地水果摊，也可以是虚拟的，如网店。价格是为获得商品或服务而必须支付的货币金额。在自由市场中，价格由需求和供给的力量决定。当买方和卖方互动时，他们在没有中央控制的情况下协商价格和数量。
The price mechanism helps allocate scarce resources: when a good is in high demand, its price tends to rise, signalling producers to supply more. This process is central to how market economies work.
价格机制有助于分配稀缺资源：当某种商品需求旺盛时，其价格往往会上升，这向生产者发出了增加供给的信号。这一过程是市场经济运行的核心。
7. Demand | 需求
Demand is the quantity of a product that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price over a period of time. The law of demand states that, all other things being equal, as the price of a good increases, the quantity demanded decreases, and vice versa. This inverse relationship is shown by a downward-sloping demand curve.
需求是在一定时期内，消费者愿意并能够以给定价格购买的产品数量。需求定律指出，在其他条件不变的情况下，当商品价格上升时，需求量下降，反之亦然。这种反向关系体现为一条向下倾斜的需求曲线。
A change in the product's own price causes a movement along the demand curve (change in quantity demanded). Other factors — such as changes in income, tastes, prices of related goods (substitutes and complements) — cause the whole demand curve to shift (change in demand).
产品自身价格的变化会引起沿需求曲线的移动（需求量的变化）。其他因素——如收入变化、偏好变化、相关商品（替代品和互补品）的价格变化——会导致整条需求曲线移动（需求的变化）。
8. Supply | 供给
Supply is the quantity of a product that producers are willing and able to sell at a given price over a period of time. The law of supply states that, all other things being equal, as the price of a good increases, the quantity supplied increases. The supply curve slopes upward, reflecting this positive relationship.
供给是在一定时期内，生产者愿意并能够以给定价格出售的产品数量。供给定律指出，在其他条件不变的情况下，当商品价格上升时，供给量增加。供给曲线向上倾斜，反映了这种正向关系。
A change in the product's own price causes a movement along the supply curve (change in quantity supplied). Other factors — such as changes in production costs, technology, taxes or subsidies — shift the supply curve (change in supply).
产品自身价格的变化会引起沿供给曲线的移动（供给量的变化）。其他因素——如生产成本、技术、税收或补贴的变化——会移动供给曲线（供给的变化）。
9. Equilibrium | 均衡
Market equilibrium occurs at the price where the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied. At this point, there is no tendency for the price to change, because the plans of buyers and sellers match exactly. If the price is above equilibrium, there is a surplus (excess supply), which pushes the price down. If the price is below equilibrium, there is a shortage (excess demand), which pushes the price up.
市场均衡出现在需求量等于供给量的价格水平上。在这一点上，价格没有变动的趋势，因为买方和卖方的计划完全吻合。如果价格高于均衡水平，就会出现过剩（超额供给），这会迫使价格下降。如果价格低于均衡水平，就会出现短缺（超额需求），这会推动价格上升。
Markets tend to move towards equilibrium through the price mechanism, but external events can shift demand or supply and lead to a new equilibrium price and quantity.
市场通过价格机制趋于均衡，但外部事件可能使需求或供给移动，并导致新的均衡价格和数量。
10. Specialisation and Division of Labour | 专业化与劳动分工
Specialisation occurs when individuals, firms or countries concentrate on producing a narrow range of products. Division of labour is a form of specialisation where the production process is broken down into many separate tasks and each worker performs one or a few of them. Both concepts lead to higher productivity, lower average costs and greater output.
专业化发生在个人、企业或国家集中生产范围较窄的产品时。劳动分工是专业化的一种形式，将生产过程分解为许多独立的工序，每位工人只完成其中一道或少数几道工序。两者都能提高生产率、降低平均成本并增加产出。
For example, a factory making smartphones might have some workers assembling screens while others test batteries. By specialising, workers become faster and more skilled at their tasks. However, over-specialisation can make work repetitive and an economy vulnerable if there is a fall in demand for that product.
例如，一家生产智能手机的工厂可能安排一些工人组装屏幕，另一些工人测试电池。通过专业化，工人在其工序上变得更快、更熟练。然而，过度专业化可能导致工作枯燥，而且一旦对该产品的需求下降，经济体就会变得脆弱。
11. Opportunity Cost and the Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) | 机会成本与生产可能性边界
A production possibility frontier (PPF) is a curve that shows the maximum possible output combinations of two goods an economy can produce with its given resources and technology. Points on the curve represent efficient use of resources, while points inside represent inefficiency. The slope of the PPF illustrates opportunity cost: to produce more of one good, some of the other must be sacrificed.
生产可能性边界（PPF）是一条曲线，展示了一个经济体在给定资源和技术条件下能够生产的两种商品的最大产出组合。曲线上的点代表资源的高效利用，而曲线内的点代表低效。PPF的斜率说明了机会成本：要生产更多的一种商品，就必须牺牲部分另一种商品。
A shift of the PPF outward represents economic growth, which can result from more resources or better technology. The PPF also helps us understand trade-offs, choice and the concept of scarcity in a visual way.
PPF向外移动代表经济增长，这可能是资源增加或技术进步的结果。它还有助于我们以直观的方式理解权衡、选择和稀缺性概念。
12. Mixed Economy and the Role of Government | 混合经济与政府角色
A mixed economy combines elements of a market economy and a planned economy. Most real-world economies are mixed: some decisions are made by private individuals and firms through markets, while the government provides public goods, regulates markets, redistributes income and stabilises the economy. Key terms here include taxation, public spending and regulation.
混合经济结合了市场经济和计划经济的元素。现实世界中的大多数经济体都是混合的：部分决策由个人和企业通过市场做出，而政府则提供公共品、监管市场、再分配收入并稳定经济。这里的关键术语包括税收、公共支出和监管。
In Year 8, you simply need to recognise that governments step in when markets fail to provide certain goods (like street lighting or defence) or when inequality or instability arises. This prepares you for deeper topics later in the course.
在 Year 8，你只需认识到当市场无法提供某些商品（如街道照明或国防）或出现不平等和不稳定时，政府会进行干预。这为你后续课程中更深入的主题做好了准备。
Published by TutorHao | Economics Revision Series | aleveler.com
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