علوم قرآن و حدیث

ریدینگ آزمون MSRT+زبان انگلیسی

Economists have received the unfair reputation of being unable to agree on anything. The image of economists in disagreement is part of our folklore. An English commentator wrote: “If parliament were to ask six economists for an opinion, seven answers could come back―two no doubt from the volatile Mr. Keynes.” The London Times laments the “rise in skepticism about what economists can tell us,” and Business Week complains about “the intellectual bankruptcy of the economics profession.”

The image of widespread disagreement among economists is overrated. The results of a survey of 100 professional economists confirm that there is considerable agreement among economists about what can be done (positive economics), especially in a microeconomic context. However, there is more disagreement over what ought to be done. Questions of what ought to be done (Should we equalize the distribution of income? Should we increase defense spending?) require moral and political value judgments on which individuals naturally differ. Finally, disagreement among professional economists receives more publicity than other scientific professions, which contributes to the false image of economists in disaccord.

While disagreements in other sciences are as strong as or even stronger than in economics, these disagreements are less visible to the public eye. Theoretical physicists have disagreed about the physical nature of the universe since the foundations of physics, but this scientific controversy is understood by only a few theoretical physicists.

It does not require much disagreement to bring economic disputes to the public's attention. Everyone is interested in economic questions: Will inflation accelerate? Will I lose my job? Why is the price of gasoline rising so fast? Why are home mortgages so hard to come by? Economists do disagree, particularly on some big macroeconomic issues. But often what the public perceives as disagreements over positive economics are really disagreements over what ought to be done. In general there is more agreement than disagreement among economists.

1. According to the passage, the commentator mentions Mr. Keynes as noted for his____.
A) good sense B) inconsistency of opinions C) predictability D) greediness

2. According to the passage, positive economics is ____.
A)an attempt to convince disgruntled economists
B)statements in microeconomics about what is possible.
C) financial statements showing again
D) results of economic surveys

3. The author believes that disagreement between economists is all of the following EXCEPT _____
A) natural B) exaggerated C) publicized D) nonexistent

4. According to the passage, which of the following statements describes disagreements between theoretical physicists?
A) They are fairly recent situations.
B) They are not easily understood by non-physicists.
C) The public follows them intently.
D) They are not worthy of publication.

5. The phrase “hard to come by” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____
A) badly advertised B) difficult to obtain C) far away D) plentiful

6. It can be inferred from the passage that economists find macroeconomic issues ___
A) more controversial than microeconomic issues.
B) easier to understand than positive economics.
C) similar to issues in theoretical physics.
D) not concerned with reality.

7. The purpose of the author in this passage is to ___
A) point out a misconception
B) support a generalization
C) elaborate on a myth
D) compare two views
8. The author’s attitude toward economists in this passage is ____
A) sympathetic B) critical C) indifferent D) skeptical