Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension(35 minutes) Passage One Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
The American economic system is organize around a basically private enterprise, market oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen, striving to make profits, produce these goods and services in competition with others businessmen; , operating under competitive pressures. Largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to , that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.
An important factor of a market oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to buy producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system. The important factor in a private enterprise economy is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources (private property), and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the fight to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.
21.In Para. 1, “the desire of individuals to ” means ____. A） Americans are never satisfied with their incomes B） Americans tend to overstate their incomes C） Americans want to have their incomes increased D） Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes
22.The first two sentences in the second paragraph tell us that____. A） producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production B） consumers can express their demands through producers C） producers decide the price of products D） supply and demand regulate price
23.According to the passage, a private enterprise economy is characterized by ____. A） private property and rights concerned. B） manpower and natural resources control C） ownership of productive resources D） free contracts and prices
24.The passage is mainly about ____. A） how American goods are produced B） how American consumers buy their goods C） how American economic system works. D） how American businessmen make their profits.
25.The word “embrace”(Sent. 2, Para. 3) may convey the meaning of ____. A) hugs B) includesC) excludes D) demands
, operating under competitive pressures. Largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to 
, that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.
