📚 Essential AP Microeconomics Vocabulary: A Categorized Guide | AP微观经济学必考词汇分类汇总
Mastering the vocabulary of AP Microeconomics is the first step to cracking the exam. This categorized guide presents the must-know terms in clear English-Chinese pairs, organized by core topic areas. From basic concepts to market failure, each term is defined concisely so you can reinforce key ideas efficiently and build a solid foundation for multiple-choice and free-response questions.
掌握AP微观经济学的词汇是攻克考试的第一步。这份分类指南以清晰的中英对照形式呈现必考术语,并按核心主题领域编排。从基本概念到市场失灵,每个术语都给出了简明定义,帮助你高效巩固关键思想,为选择题和自由回答题打下坚实基础。
1. Basic Economic Concepts | 基本经济概念
Scarcity: The fundamental economic problem that arises because society has unlimited wants but limited resources to produce goods and services.
稀缺性:由于社会具有无限的欲望而用于生产商品和服务的资源有限而产生的基本经济问题。
Opportunity Cost: The value of the next best alternative that must be forgone when a choice is made.
机会成本:做出一种选择时所必须放弃的次优替代品的价值。
Trade-off: The situation in which one thing must be given up to get more of another; all options involve opportunity costs.
权衡取舍:为获得更多某物而必须放弃另一事物的情形;所有选项都涉及机会成本。
Marginal Analysis: The study of decisions made by comparing the additional benefits of an action to the additional costs.
边际分析:通过比较一项行动的额外收益与额外成本来研究决策的方法。
Incentive: A factor (reward or penalty) that motivates a person to act or exert effort.
激励:促使个人采取行动或付出努力的因素(奖励或惩罚)。
Positive Economics: Descriptive statements about how the world is; can be tested and validated.
实证经济学:关于世界是怎样的描述性陈述;可以被检验和证实。
Normative Economics: Prescriptive statements about how the world should be; involve value judgments.
规范经济学:关于世界应该如何的规定性陈述;涉及价值判断。
Production Possibilities Curve (PPC): A model showing the maximum combinations of two goods that an economy can produce with full employment of resources and technology.
生产可能性曲线(PPC):显示一个经济体在充分利用资源和技术下所能生产的两种商品最大组合的模型。
Efficiency: Using resources in such a way as to maximize the production of goods and services; points on the PPC are efficient.
效率:以最大限度生产商品和服务的方式使用资源;PPC上的点是有效率的。
Constant Opportunity Cost: A situation where resources are equally adaptable to the production of both goods, giving a straight-line PPC.
不变机会成本:资源在两种商品的生产中具有同等适应性的情况,PPC为直线。
Increasing Opportunity Cost: A situation where resources are not equally adaptable, causing the PPC to be concave (bowed outward).
递增机会成本:资源适应性不相等的情况,导致PPC呈凹形(向外弯曲)。
2. Supply, Demand, and Market Equilibrium | 供给、需求与市场均衡
Law of Demand: As the price of a good decreases, the quantity demanded increases, holding other factors constant (ceteris paribus).
需求定律:在其他因素不变(其他条件相同)的情况下,一种商品的价格下降,需求量增加。
Law of Supply: As the price of a good increases, the quantity supplied increases, ceteris paribus.
供给定律:在其他条件相同的情况下,一种商品的价格上升,供给量增加。
Demand Curve: A graph showing the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity demanded; slopes downward.
需求曲线:显示商品价格与需求量之间关系的图形;向下倾斜。
Supply Curve: A graph showing the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity supplied; slopes upward.
供给曲线:显示商品价格与供给量之间关系的图形;向上倾斜。
Movement along the Curve: A change in quantity demanded or supplied caused solely by a change in the good’s own price.
沿曲线移动:仅由商品自身价格变化引起的需求量或供给量的变化。
Shift of the Curve: A change in demand or supply caused by a non-price determinant, such as income, tastes, or costs.
曲线移动:由非价格决定因素(如收入、偏好或成本)引起的需求或供给的变化。
Normal Good: A good for which demand increases when consumer income rises.
正常商品:消费者收入增加时需求增加的商品。
Inferior Good: A good for which demand decreases when consumer income rises.
低档商品:消费者收入增加时需求减少的商品。
Substitute Goods: Two goods for which an increase in the price of one leads to an increase in demand for the other.
替代品:两种商品,其中一种的价格上升会导致另一种的需求增加。
Complementary Goods: Two goods that are used together; an increase in the price of one reduces demand for the other.
互补品:一起使用的两种商品;一种的价格上升会减少另一种的需求。
Market Equilibrium: The point where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied, determining the market-clearing price and quantity.
市场均衡:需求量等于供给量的点,决定了市场出清价格和数量。
Surplus: A situation where quantity supplied exceeds quantity demanded at a given price (excess supply).
过剩:在某一价格下供给量超过需求量的情形(超额供给)。
Shortage: A situation where quantity demanded exceeds quantity supplied at a given price (excess demand).
短缺:在某一价格下需求量超过供给量的情形(超额需求)。
3. Elasticity | 弹性
Price Elasticity of Demand (PED): A measure of the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price, defined as the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price.
需求价格弹性(PED):衡量需求量对价格变化反应程度的指标,定义为需求量变动的百分比除以价格变动的百分比。
PED = %ΔQd / %ΔP
Elastic Demand: When |PED| > 1; a given percentage change in price results in a larger percentage change in quantity demanded.
富有弹性需求:当 |PED| > 1 时;一定比例的价格变化导致更大比例的需求量变化。
Inelastic Demand: When |PED| < 1; quantity demanded is relatively unresponsive to price changes.
缺乏弹性需求:当 |PED| < 1 时;需求量对价格变化相对不敏感。
Unit Elastic Demand: When |PED| = 1; the percentage change in quantity demanded is equal to the percentage change in price.
单位弹性需求:当 |PED| = 1 时;需求量变动的百分比等于价格变动的百分比。
Perfectly Elastic Demand: A horizontal demand curve where any price increase causes quantity demanded to drop to zero (PED = ∞).
完全弹性需求:水平的需求曲线,任何价格上升都会使需求量降为零(PED = ∞)。
Perfectly Inelastic Demand: A vertical demand curve where quantity demanded does not change regardless of price (PED = 0).
完全无弹性需求:垂直的需求曲线,无论价格如何变化,需求量都不变(PED = 0)。
Price Elasticity of Supply (PES): A measure of the responsiveness of quantity supplied to a change in price.
供给价格弹性(PES):衡量供给量对价格变化反应程度的指标。
Cross-Price Elasticity of Demand: Measures how the demand for one good responds to a change in the price of another good; positive for substitutes, negative for complements.
需求交叉价格弹性:衡量一种商品的需求对另一种商品价格变化的反应程度;替代品为正,互补品为负。
Income Elasticity of Demand: Measures the responsiveness of demand to a change in consumer income; positive for normal goods, negative for inferior goods.
需求收入弹性:衡量需求对消费者收入变化的反应程度;正常商品为正,低档商品为负。
4. Consumer Choice and Utility | 消费者选择与效用
Utility: The satisfaction or pleasure a consumer obtains from consuming a good or service.
效用:消费者从消费一种商品或服务中获得的满足感或愉悦感。
Total Utility (TU): The total satisfaction derived from consuming a given quantity of a good.
总效用(TU):从消费一定数量的商品中获得的总满足感。
Marginal Utility (MU): The additional satisfaction gained from consuming one more unit of a good.
边际效用(MU):多消费一单位商品所获得的额外满足感。
Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility: As a consumer consumes more units of a good, the marginal utility of each additional unit eventually declines.
边际效用递减规律:随着消费者消费更多单位的商品,每一额外单位的边际效用最终会下降。
Utility Maximization Rule: Consumers allocate their income so that the last dollar spent on each good yields the same marginal utility per dollar (MUₐ/Pₐ = MUₙ/Pₙ).
效用最大化法则:消费者分配收入,使得花在每种商品上的最后一美元带来的边际效用相等(MUₐ/Pₐ = MUₙ/Pₙ)。
Budget Constraint: The limit on the consumption bundles that a consumer can afford, given prices and income.
预算约束:在给定价格和收入下,消费者能够负担得起的消费组合的限制。
Indifference Curve: A curve showing combinations of two goods that give the consumer equal satisfaction or utility.
无差异曲线:显示给消费者带来相同满足感或效用的两种商品组合的曲线。
Marginal Rate of Substitution (MRS): The rate at which a consumer is willing to trade one good for another while remaining equally satisfied; slope of the indifference curve.
边际替代率(MRS):消费者在保持同等满意度的条件下愿意用一种商品交换另一种商品的比率;无差异曲线的斜率。
5. Production and Costs | 生产与成本
Short Run: A time period in which at least one factor of production is fixed (usually capital).
短期:至少有一种生产要素(通常是资本)固定的时期。
Long Run: A time period long enough for all inputs to be variable; firms can adjust all factors of production.
长期:所有投入都可变且足够长的时期;企业可以调整所有生产要素。
Total Product (TP): The total output produced by a firm using given inputs.
总产量(TP):企业使用给定投入所生产的总产出。
Marginal Product (MP): The additional output resulting from using one more unit of a variable input.
边际产量(MP):增加一单位可变投入所带来的额外产出。
Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns: As more units of a variable input are added to fixed inputs, the marginal product of the variable input eventually declines.
边际报酬递减规律:随着可变投入不断增加固定投入,可变投入的边际产量最终会下降。
Fixed Costs (FC): Costs that do not vary with the level of output in the short run (e.g., rent).
固定成本(FC):短期中不随产量水平变动的成本(如租金)。
Variable Costs (VC): Costs that change with the level of output (e.g., raw materials).
可变成本(VC):随产量水平变动的成本(如原材料)。
Total Cost (TC): The sum of fixed costs and variable costs (TC = FC + VC).
总成本(TC):固定成本与可变成本之和(TC = FC + VC)。
Average Fixed Cost (AFC): Fixed cost divided by the quantity of output; AFC declines as output rises.
平均固定成本(AFC):固定成本除以产量;AFC随产量增加而递减。
Average Variable Cost (AVC): Variable cost divided by the quantity of output.
平均可变成本(AVC):可变成本除以产量。
Average Total Cost (ATC): Total cost divided by the quantity of output (ATC = TC/Q or AFC + AVC).
平均总成本(ATC):总成本除以产量(ATC = TC/Q 或 AFC + AVC)。
Marginal Cost (MC): The increase in total cost from producing one more unit of output.
边际成本(MC):多生产一单位产出所带来的总成本增加量。
MC = ΔTC / ΔQ
Economies of Scale: Long-run average total cost declines as output increases due to efficiencies from larger scale.
规模经济:由于大规模生产带来的效率,长期平均总成本随产出增加而下降。
Diseconomies of Scale: Long-run average total cost rises as output increases, often due to coordination problems.
规模不经济:长期平均总成本随产出增加而上升,通常源于协调问题。
6. Market Structures: Perfect Competition | 市场结构:完全竞争
Perfect Competition: A market structure characterized by many small firms, identical products, free entry and exit, and perfect information.
完全竞争:一种市场结构,特点是众多小企业、同质产品、自由进入和退出以及完全信息。
Price Taker: A firm in a perfectly competitive market that must accept the market equilibrium price; its own output decisions do not affect the market price.
价格接受者:完全竞争市场中的企业,必须接受市场均衡价格;其自身的产量决策不影响市场价格。
Marginal Revenue (MR): The additional revenue from selling one more unit; in perfect competition, MR equals the market price (MR = D = AR = P).
边际收益(MR):多销售一单位所带来的额外收入;在完全竞争中,MR等于市场价格(MR = D = AR = P)。
Profit-Maximizing Rule: A firm maximizes profit by producing the output level where marginal cost equals marginal revenue (MC = MR).
利润最大化法则:企业通过生产边际成本等于边际收益(MC = MR)的产量水平来实现利润最大化。
Shut-down Point (Short Run): A firm should shut down if the price falls below average variable cost (P < AVC), because it cannot cover its variable costs.
停业点(短期):如果价格低于平均可变成本(P < AVC),企业应停业,因为它无法弥补可变成本。
Long-Run Equilibrium: In perfect competition, firms earn zero economic profit, producing where P = minimum ATC, achieving both allocative and productive efficiency.
长期均衡:在完全竞争中,企业获得零经济利润,在P = 最低ATC处生产,同时实现配置效率和生产效率。
Allocative Efficiency: Producing the mix of goods most desired by society; occurs where P = MC.
配置效率:生产社会最想要的商品组合;在P = MC处实现。
Productive Efficiency: Producing goods at the lowest possible cost; occurs at the minimum point of the ATC curve.
生产效率:以尽可能低的成本生产商品;在ATC曲线的最低点实现。
7. Market Structures: Monopoly | 市场结构:垄断
Monopoly: A market structure with a single seller, a unique product with no close substitutes, and high barriers to entry.
垄断:一种市场结构,只有一个卖者,产品独特且没有接近的替代品,进入壁垒很高。
Barriers to Entry: Obstacles that prevent new firms from entering a market, such as legal protections, control of resources, or economies of scale.
进入壁垒:阻止新企业进入市场的障碍,如法律保护、资源控制或规模经济。
Natural Monopoly: A monopoly that arises because one firm can serve the entire market at a lower average cost than two or more firms could, often due to large fixed costs.
自然垄断:由于一家企业能够以比两家或多家企业更低的平均成本服务整个市场而产生的垄断,通常因为巨额固定成本。
Price Maker: A monopolist can set its own price by choosing its output level, facing a downward-sloping demand curve.
价格制定者:垄断者面对向下倾斜的需求曲线,可以通过选择产量水平来制定自己的价格。
Deadweight Loss in Monopoly: The loss of total welfare (consumer and producer surplus) compared to the efficient outcome; arises because the monopolist produces less than the socially optimal quantity (where P > MC).
垄断中的无谓损失:与有效率结果相比总福利(消费者和生产者剩余)的损失;产生的原因是垄断者生产的数量少于社会最优数量(P > MC)。
Price Discrimination: The practice of selling the same good to different consumers at different prices, based on differences in willingness to pay.
价格歧视:根据支付意愿的差异,以不同价格向不同消费者销售同一商品的做法。
8. Market Structures: Monopolistic Competition & Oligopoly | 市场结构:垄断竞争与寡头
Monopolistic Competition: A market structure where many firms sell differentiated products, with low barriers to entry; firms have some price-setting power but compete on quality, location, and branding.
垄断竞争:一种市场结构,许多企业销售差异化产品,进入壁垒低;企业具有一定的定价能力,但在质量、位置和品牌上进行竞争。
Product Differentiation: The process of distinguishing a firm’s product from competitors’ products through attributes like design, advertising, or service.
产品差异化:通过设计、广告或服务等属性将企业的产品与竞争者的产品区分开来的过程。
Excess Capacity: In monopolistic competition, firms produce at a quantity less than the minimum ATC output, resulting in unused capacity.
过剩产能:在垄断竞争中,企业生产量低于最低ATC产量,导致产能未充分利用。
Oligopoly: A market structure dominated by a few large firms, with high barriers to entry; firms are interdependent, meaning the actions of one firm affect the decisions of others.
寡头:由少数几家大企业主导的市场结构,进入壁垒高;企业相互依赖,一个企业的行为会影响其他企业的决策。
Interdependence: The characteristic of oligopoly where each firm must consider the likely responses of rivals when making decisions.
相互依赖:寡头市场的特征,每个企业在决策时必须考虑竞争对手可能的反应。
Collusion: An agreement among firms in an oligopoly to coordinate prices or output, aiming to increase joint profits; often illegal when formal (cartel).
合谋:寡头市场中企业之间为协调价格或产量以增加联合利润而达成的协议;正式协议(卡特尔)通常是违法的。
Game Theory: The study of strategic interactions among interdependent firms; often uses the payoff matrix and concepts like dominant strategy and Nash equilibrium.
博弈论:研究相互依赖企业之间战略互动的学科;常使用收益矩阵以及占优策略和纳什均衡等概念。
Nash Equilibrium: A situation in a game where each player chooses their best strategy, given the strategies chosen by all other players, and no player has an incentive to change.
纳什均衡:博弈中的一种状态,每个参与者在给定其他参与者所选策略的情况下都选择了自己的最佳策略,且没有参与者有动机单方面改变。
Dominant Strategy: A strategy that is best for a player regardless of the strategies chosen by other players.
占优策略:无论其他参与者选择什么策略,对于某个参与者都是最佳的策略。
9. Factor Markets | 要素市场
Factor Market: The market where resources (labor, capital, land, entrepreneurship) are bought and sold.
要素市场:买卖资源(劳动、资本、土地、企业家才能)的市场。
Derived Demand: The demand for a factor of production is derived from the demand for the goods and services it helps to produce.
派生需求:对一种生产要素的需求源于对它帮助生产的商品和服务的需求。
Marginal Revenue Product (MRP): The additional revenue generated by employing one more unit of a factor; for labor, MRP = MPₗ × MR (or P if perfectly competitive).
边际收益产量(MRP):多雇用一单位要素所带来的额外收入;对于劳动,MRP = MPₗ × MR(如果完全竞争则为价格)。
Marginal Factor Cost (MFC): The additional cost of hiring one more unit of a factor; in a perfectly competitive labor market, MFC equals the wage rate.
边际要素成本(MFC):多雇用一单位要素的额外成本;在完全竞争的劳动市场中,MFC等于工资率。
Least-Cost Combination of Inputs: A firm minimizes costs when the marginal product per dollar spent is equal across all inputs (MPₐ/Pₐ = MPₙ/Pₙ).
最低成本投入组合:当在所有投入上花费的最后一美元的边际产量相等时(MPₐ/Pₐ = MPₙ/Pₙ),企业实现成本最小化。
Perfectly Competitive Labor Market: Many firms and workers, wage-taking behavior, and equilibrium wage determined by supply and demand for labor.
完全竞争劳动力市场:众多企业和工人,工资接受行为,均衡工资由劳动力供给和需求决定。
Monopsony: A factor market structure with a single buyer of labor; the monopsonist can influence the wage rate and hires fewer workers than in a competitive market, causing a deadweight loss.
买方垄断:只有一个劳动买方的要素市场结构;买方垄断者能影响工资率,且比竞争市场雇用更少的工人,造成无谓损失。
10. Market Failure and the Role of Government | 市场失灵与政府角色
Market Failure: A situation in which the free market fails to allocate resources efficiently, often due to externalities, public goods, or imperfect information.
市场失灵:自由市场未能有效配置资源的情况,通常由外部性、公共品或不完全信息导致。
Externality: A cost or benefit that affects a third party who did not choose to incur that cost or benefit.
外部性:影响未选择承担该成本或利益的第三方的成本或收益。
Negative Externality: A cost imposed on a third party not involved in the transaction (e.g., pollution), causing overproduction relative to the socially optimal level.
负外部性:强加给未参与交易的第三方的成本(如污染),导致相对于社会最优水平的生产过剩。
Positive Externality: A benefit received by a third party not involved in the transaction (e.g., education), causing underproduction relative to the socially optimal level.
正外部性:未参与交易的第三方获得的收益(如教育),导致相对于社会最优水平的生产不足。
Socially Optimal Quantity: The quantity where marginal social benefit equals marginal social cost (MSB = MSC); takes external effects into account.
社会最优数量:边际社会收益等于边际社会成本的产量(MSB = MSC);考虑了外部影响。
Pigouvian Tax: A tax levied on a good that creates a negative externality, set equal to the marginal external cost to internalize the externality.
庇古税:对产生负外部性的商品征收的税,其金额等于边际外部成本,以使外部性内部化。
Pigouvian Subsidy: A government payment to encourage production or consumption of a good with a positive externality, equal to the marginal external benefit.
庇古补贴:政府为鼓励具有正外部性的商品的生产或消费而支付的款项,金额等于边际外部收益。
Public Good: A good that is non-rival (one person’s consumption does not reduce availability to others) and non-excludable (no one can be excluded from using it), such as national defense.
公共品:具有非竞争性(一个人的消费不减少他人可得性)和非排他性(不能排除任何人使用)的商品,如国防。
Free-Rider Problem: The tendency for individuals to avoid paying for a public good, relying on others to pay, leading to under-provision of the good by the private market.
搭便车问题:个人不支付公共
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