📚 Case Study Practice: Real-World Economics | 案例分析实战演练
Welcome to the exciting world of economics! In Year 7 SQA Economics, you will learn how to think like an economist by examining real-life situations. Case studies are stories or scenarios that help you apply economic concepts to everyday events, such as running a lemonade stand, choosing how to spend your pocket money, or understanding why prices change. This article provides a set of case studies with guided practice to help you master the basics of economics in a fun and practical way.
欢迎来到经济学这个激动人心的世界！在 SQA 七年级经济课程中，你将通过研究现实生活中的情景，学会像经济学家一样思考。案例分析是帮助你应用经济概念去理解日常事件的故事或情境，例如经营一个柠檬水摊、选择如何花费零花钱，或者理解价格为什么会变化。本文提供了一系列案例分析与指导练习，帮助你以有趣且实用的方式掌握经济学基础知识。
1. Introduction to Economic Case Studies | 经济案例研究简介
A case study is a detailed description of a real or made-up situation that involves an economic problem. In Year 7, you will use simple stories to explore ideas like scarcity, choice, and markets. The best way to learn from a case study is to follow these steps: first, identify the main economic issue; second, look at the choices available; third, think about the costs and benefits of each option; and finally, make a decision and explain why it is the best one.
案例分析是对涉及经济问题的真实或虚构情境的详细描述。在七年级，你将通过简单的故事来探索稀缺性、选择和市场等概念。从案例中学习的最佳方法是遵循以下步骤：首先，识别主要经济问题；其次，查看可用的选择；第三，思考每个选项的成本和收益；最后，做出决定并解释为什么它是最佳选择。
For instance, imagine you have £10 to spend on a school trip. You could buy a souvenir, treat your friends to snacks, or save it for later. Each option has benefits and costs. The souvenir might remind you of the trip, but then you cannot buy snacks. A case study helps you weigh these trade-offs carefully.
例如，假设你有 10 英镑用于学校旅行。你可以买纪念品、请朋友吃零食，或者留着以后用。每个选项都有收益和成本。纪念品可能会让你记住这次旅行，但你就不能买零食了。案例分析可以帮助你仔细权衡这些取舍。
2. Scarcity: The Lemonade Stand Challenge | 稀缺性：柠檬水摊的挑战
Scarcity means that resources are limited, but wants are unlimited. Amina decides to set up a lemonade stand at the school fair. She has only 2 bags of sugar, 10 lemons, and 1 hour before the fair ends. She wants to serve as many customers as possible, but her ingredients are limited. This is the basic economic problem of scarcity.
稀缺性意味着资源有限而欲望无限。阿米娜决定在学校义卖会上摆柠檬水摊。她只有 2 袋糖、10 个柠檬，而且距离义卖结束只有 1 小时。她想尽可能多地服务顾客，但她的原料有限。这就是基本的经济学问题——稀缺性。
Amina must decide how to use her scarce resources. She can make strong lemonade using 2 lemons per cup, which tastes better but produces only 5 cups. Or she can use 1 lemon per cup and make 10 cups, but the drink will be weaker. Because all resources are scarce, she must make a choice.
阿米娜必须决定如何利用她的稀缺资源。她可以每杯用 2 个柠檬做成浓柠檬水，味道更好但只能做 5 杯。或者每杯用 1 个柠檬做成 10 杯，但饮料会淡一些。因为所有资源都是稀缺的，她必须做出选择。
From this case, we learn that scarcity forces us to choose between different alternatives. No matter how much we want, we cannot have everything. Economics is all about managing scarcity.
从这个案例中，我们了解到稀缺性迫使我们做出选择。无论我们多想要，都不可能拥有一切。经济学就是关于如何管理稀缺性。
3. Opportunity Cost: Choosing Between Activities | 机会成本：活动之间的选择
Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative that you give up when you make a choice. Consider Tom, who has a free afternoon. He can either revise for his economics test or go cycling with his friends. If he chooses cycling, the opportunity cost is the revision time and possibly a better test grade.
机会成本是指当你做出一个选择时，所放弃的次优选择的价值。以汤姆为例，他有一个下午的空闲时间。他既可以复习经济学备考，也可以和朋友们去骑自行车。如果他选择骑自行车，机会成本就是复习时间和可能更好的考试成绩。
Now imagine Tom’s economics test is very important for his end-of-year report. The benefit of cycling is immediate fun and exercise. The cost is that he might feel less prepared. In this case, the opportunity cost of cycling is higher than if the test was easy. Understanding opportunity cost helps us make better decisions.
现在想象汤姆的经济学考试对年终报告非常重要。骑自行车的好处是即刻的快乐和锻炼。成本是他可能准备不充分。在这种情况下，骑自行车的机会成本比考试简单时要高。理解机会成本有助于我们做出更好的决策。
When you spend your pocket money on a video game, the opportunity cost might be the cinema ticket you could have bought instead. Always ask yourself: “What am I giving up?”
当你用零花钱买电子游戏时，机会成本可能是你本来可以买的电影票。永远问自己：”我放弃了什么？”
4. Supply and Demand: Ticket Sales for a School Play | 供给与需求：学校演出的门票销售
The school drama club is putting on a play. Only 100 seats are available in the hall. This is the supply, which is fixed in the short run. The demand for tickets depends on how popular the play is and the ticket price. If the price is set at £2, 150 students want to buy tickets. There is excess demand of 50 seats.
学校戏剧社正在上演一出话剧。礼堂只有 100 个座位可用。这就是供给，在短期内是固定的。门票需求取决于话剧的受欢迎程度和票价。如果票价定为 2 英镑，有 150 名学生想买票，就会出现 50 个座位的超额需求。
Now suppose the price is raised to £5. At this higher price, only 60 students are willing to buy tickets. Now there is excess supply: 40 seats remain empty. The school needs to find the right price to balance the number of tickets sold with the number of seats available.
现在假设票价提高到 5 英镑。在这个较高价位，只有 60 名学生愿意买票。这时就出现了超额供给：40 个座位空着。学校需要找到合适的价格，使得售出的票数与可用座位数平衡。
We can show this using a simple demand schedule:
| Price per ticket | Quantity Demanded |
|---|---|
| £2 | 150 |
| £3 | 100 |
| £5 | 60 |
As the price goes up, the quantity demanded goes down. This is the law of demand.
随着价格上升，需求量下降。这就是需求定律。
5. Market Equilibrium: Finding the Right Price | 市场均衡：找到合适的价格
Market equilibrium occurs when quantity supplied equals quantity demanded. Using the school play example, suppose the school wants to fill all 100 seats. At £3, exactly 100 students want to buy tickets, and the supply is 100 seats. This is the equilibrium price.
市场均衡发生在供给量等于需求量的时候。以学校演出为例，假设学校希望坐满 100 个座位。在票价 3 英镑时，恰好有 100 名学生想买票，而供给是 100 个座位。这就是均衡价格。
Now imagine a famous actor agrees to appear in the play for free. The demand for tickets suddenly increases. At every price, 50 more tickets are demanded. The new demand schedule is: at £2, 200 demanded; at £3, 150 demanded; at £5, 110 demanded. With supply still fixed at 100, the school must raise the price to balance the market. The new equilibrium price might be around £4.50.
现在想象一位著名演员同意免费出演这出话剧。门票需求突然增加。在每个价位上，需求量都增加了 50 张。新的需求表为：票价 2 英镑时需求 200 张；3 英镑时 150 张；5 英镑时 110 张。由于供给仍固定为 100 个座位，学校必须提高票价来平衡市场。新的均衡价格可能约为 4.50 英镑。
This case shows how changes in demand or supply affect prices. When demand rises and supply stays the same, prices tend to go up. Conversely, if more seats were added (supply increase), the price would likely fall.
这个案例展示了需求或供给的变化如何影响价格。当需求上升而供给不变时，价格往往会上涨。相反，如果增加更多座位（供给增加），价格可能会下降。
6. Elasticity: How Responsive Are Buyers? | 弹性：买家的反应程度
Price elasticity of demand measures how much the quantity demanded changes when the price changes. A small sweet shop sells chocolate bars. If the price rises from £0.50 to £0.60, the shop sells 20 fewer bars a day (from 100 to 80). The demand is quite responsive, which economists call elastic.
需求价格弹性衡量当价格变化时需求量变化多少。一家小糖果店卖巧克力棒。如果价格从 0.50 英镑涨到 0.60 英镑，店里每天少卖 20 根（从 100 根降到 80 根）。需求相当敏感，经济学家称之为富有弹性。
Now think about a life-saving medicine. Even if the price increases by 10%, people will still buy almost the same quantity because they need it. This demand is inelastic. For most everyday items like snacks, entertainment, and stationery, demand tends to be elastic because you can easily choose something else or do without.
现在想想一种救命药。即使价格上涨 10%，人们仍然会购买几乎相同的数量，因为他们需要它。这种需求是缺乏弹性的。对于大多数日常物品，如零食、娱乐和文具，需求往往富有弹性，因为你很容易选择其他东西或干脆不买。
Understanding elasticity helps businesses set prices. If a football club raises ticket prices by 5% and sees a 15% drop in attendance, the demand is elastic, so a price rise might not increase total revenue.
理解弹性有助于企业制定价格。如果一个足球俱乐部将门票价格提高 5%，而观众人数下降 15%，则需求富于弹性，因此涨价可能不会增加总收入。
7. Production and Costs: Baking Cookies for Charity | 生产与成本：为慈善烤饼干
The charity committee decides to bake and sell cookies to raise money. They need an oven (fixed cost), ingredients like flour, sugar, and chocolate chips (variable costs), and labour. Fixed costs are £10 for using the school kitchen. Variable costs are £0.30 per cookie. If they bake 100 cookies, total cost = £10 + (100 x £0.30) = £40.
慈善委员会决定烤饼干义卖筹款。他们需要烤箱（固定成本）、面粉、糖和巧克力豆等原料（可变成本），以及劳动力。使用学校厨房的固定成本为 10 英镑。每块饼干的可变成本是 0.30 英镑。如果烤 100 块饼干，总成本 = 10 英镑 + (100 x 0.30 英镑) = 40 英镑。
They sell each cookie for £0.80. Revenue from 100 cookies is £80. Profit = revenue – total cost = £80 – £40 = £40. Now, if they increase production to 200 cookies, fixed cost remains £10, but variable costs double to £60. Total cost = £70. Revenue at £0.80 per cookie is £160. Profit becomes £90.
他们每块饼干卖 0.80 英镑。100 块饼干的收入是 80 英镑。利润 = 收入 – 总成本 = 80 英镑 – 40 英镑 = 40 英镑。现在，如果他们将产量增加到 200 块，固定成本仍是 10 英镑，但可变成本翻倍至 60 英镑。总成本 = 70 英镑。按每块 0.80 英镑计算，收入为 160 英镑。利润变成 90 英镑。
This shows that spreading fixed costs over more units can lower average cost. But be careful: if the oven can only bake 50 cookies at a time, increasing output might require hiring another oven, raising fixed costs.
这表明将固定成本分摊到更多产品上可以降低平均成本。但要小心：如果烤箱一次只能烤 50 块饼干，增加产量可能就需要再租一个烤箱，从而提高固定成本。
8. Specialisation and Trade: Teamwork in a Project | 专业化与贸易：项目中的团队合作
Specialisation means focusing on what you do best. In a group history project, Mia is great at drawing timelines, while Jack is a fast writer. If they both try to do everything, they might waste time. Instead, Mia specialises in visuals and Jack in writing. Then they combine their work. This is like trade: they exchange drawing skills for writing skills.
专业化意味着专注于你做得最好的事情。在一个小组历史项目中，米娅擅长画时间线，而杰克写作很快。如果他们都试图什么都做，可能会浪费时间。相反，米娅专门做视觉设计，杰克专门写作。然后他们组合各自的工作。这就像贸易：他们用绘画技能交换写作技能。
Specialisation increases productivity. Even at a national level, countries specialise in producing certain goods. Scotland might specialise in whisky and renewable energy, while another country specialises in electronics. They then trade to get the goods they don’t produce. This makes everyone better off.
专业化能提高生产率。即使在国家层面，各国也专门生产某些商品。苏格兰可能专注于威士忌和可再生能源，而另一个国家专注于电子产品。然后它们通过贸易来获得自己不生产的商品。这使每个人都变得更好。
In your own life, think about dividing chores with siblings: one washes dishes, the other tidies the room. This saves time and reduces arguments.
在你的生活中，想想跟兄弟姐妹分工做家务：一个人洗碗，另一个人整理房间。这样节省时间并减少争吵。
9. Money and Banking: Saving Pocket Money | 货币与银行：储蓄零花钱
Money is a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account. When you receive £5 pocket money, you can spend it immediately or save it in a bank. A savings account pays interest. If a bank offers 5% annual interest, saving £5 for one year gives you £5 + (£5 x 0.05) = £5.25. The bank uses your money to lend to others and pays you interest in return.
货币是交换媒介、价值储藏手段和计价单位。当你收到 5 英镑零花钱时，你可以立刻花掉或存入银行。储蓄账户会支付利息。如果银行提供 5% 的年利率，存入 5 英镑一年后得到 5 英镑 + (5 英镑 x 0.05) = 5.25 英镑。银行用你的钱贷款给别人，并支付你利息作为回报。
If you plan to buy a £20 game, saving £5 a month without interest takes 4 months. With interest, it takes slightly less. Saving helps you reach goals and teaches patience. However, inflation (a general rise in prices) can reduce the value of your saved money. If the game’s price increases to £22 by the time you have £20, you need to save more.
假如你计划买一个 20 英镑的游戏，每月存 5 英镑不计利息需要 4 个月。有利息则时间稍短。储蓄帮助你实现目标并教会你耐心。但通货膨胀（物价普遍上涨）会降低你所存金钱的价值。如果等你有 20 英镑时游戏价格涨到了 22 英镑，你就需要多存一点了。
Always compare interest rates and fees when choosing a savings account, just like you would compare prices when shopping.
选择储蓄账户时总要比较利率和费用，就像购物时比较价格一样。
10. Government Role: Taxes and Spending on Public Goods | 政府角色：税收与公共物品支出
Governments provide public goods and services that everyone can use, such as street lighting, roads, and defence. These are funded by taxes. Your school is funded partly by government taxes. Imagine your local council collects £500 per household each year in council tax. With 1,000 households, total tax revenue is £500,000. The council spends £100,000 on parks, £200,000 on schools, and £200,000 on roads and bins.
政府提供每个人都能使用的公共产品和服务，如路灯、道路和国防。这些都由税收资助。你的学校部分由政府税收资助。想象你当地市政局每年向每户征收 500 英镑市政税。有 1000 户家庭，总税收收入为 500,000 英镑。市政局花费 100,000 英镑在公园上，200,000 英镑在学校上，200,000 英镑在道路和垃圾处理上。
If people demand a new skatepark costing £50,000, the council must decide whether to increase taxes or cut spending elsewhere. This is a classic public finance problem. Public goods are non-rival (my use does not reduce yours) and non-excludable (you cannot stop someone from using street lights). Because of this, private businesses might not provide them, so the government steps in.
如果人们要求建一个造价 5 万英镑的新滑板公园，市政局必须决定是增税还是削减其他开支。这是典型的公共财政问题。公共物品是非竞争的（我的使用不会减少你的使用）和非排他的（你不能阻止别人使用路灯）。正因如此，私营企业可能不会提供这些物品，所以政府会介入。
As a student, you can think about school resources. The library is a public good within the school, paid for by school budgets. How would you share it if too many classes want to use it at the same time?
作为一名学生，你可以考虑学校资源。图书馆是校内的公共物品，由学校预算支付。如果太多班级同时想使用它，你会如何分配？
11. International Trade: Importing vs. Producing Locally | 国际贸易：进口与本地生产
Countries trade to get goods they cannot produce efficiently at home. Scotland can grow some fruit in greenhouses, but it is cheaper to import bananas from warmer countries. This is because other countries have a comparative advantage: they can produce bananas at a lower opportunity cost. By importing bananas, the UK can use its resources to produce other things, like financial services or engineering.
国家之间开展贸易是为了获取在本国不能高效生产的商品。苏格兰可以在温室中种植一些水果，但从气候温暖的国家进口香蕉更便宜。这是因为其他国家具有比较优势：它们生产香蕉的机会成本更低。通过进口香蕉，英国可以将资源用于生产其他东西，比如金融服务或工程产品。
Think about your own belongings. Your phone might be assembled in China, with parts from Japan and Korea. This global supply chain exists because different regions specialise. If a country tried to produce everything by itself, prices would be much higher and quality lower.
想想你自己的物品。你的手机可能在中国组装，零件来自日本和韩国。这种全球供应链之所以存在，是因为不同地区实行专业化。如果一个国家试图什么都自己生产，价格会高得多，质量也会更差。
However, international trade can also cause job losses in industries that cannot compete. A local toy factory might close if cheaper toys are imported. This trade-off is an important topic in economics.
然而，国际贸易也可能导致无法竞争的行业出现失业。如果进口了更便宜的玩具，本地玩具工厂可能会关闭。这种权衡是经济学中的一个重要话题。
12. Review and Practice Questions | 复习与练习题
Let’s test your understanding with three mini case studies. Read each scenario and answer the questions that follow. Think about the economic concepts we have covered: scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, costs, and trade.
让我们用三个小型案例来测试你的理解。阅读每个场景并回答后面的问题。思考我们学过的一些经济概念：稀缺性、机会成本、供给与需求、成本以及贸易。
Case A: A tuck shop at school sells fruit pots and crisps. The shop has a budget of £20 to buy stock. Fruit pots cost £1 each; crisps cost £0.50 per pack. The shop can sell fruit pots for £1.50 and crisps for £1.00. How many of each should the shop buy to maximise profit if it knows 30 students prefer fruit and 50 prefer crisps? What is the opportunity cost if it spends all its money on fruit pots?
案例 A：学校小卖部出售水果杯和薯片。小卖部有 20 英镑预算进货。水果杯每个进价 1 英镑；薯片每包 0.50 英镑。小卖部可以卖水果杯 1.50 英镑，薯片 1.00 英镑。如果知道 30 名学生偏好水果、50 名偏好薯片，小卖部应各进多少才能最大化利润？如果它将所有钱都花在水果杯上，机会成本是什么？
Case B: A local cinema shows a film at 3 pm and 7 pm. The 3 pm show sells tickets at £4, attracting 80 viewers. The 7 pm show charges £7 and attracts 120 viewers. The cinema has 150 seats. Calculate total revenue for each show and comment on whether the cinema should change its pricing.
案例 B：一家本地电影院在下午 3 点和晚上 7 点放映电影。下午 3 点场票价 4 英镑，吸引 80 名观众。晚上 7 点场票价 7 英镑，吸引 120 名观众。电影院有 150 个座位。计算每场的总收入，并评论电影院是否应该调整定价。
Case C: Your friend offers to trade your lunch (a cheese sandwich) for his lunch (a chicken wrap). You both like each other’s lunch more. Explain why this trade benefits both of you, using the idea of voluntary exchange. What does this tell you about the benefits of trade?
案例 C：你的朋友提出用他的午餐（鸡肉卷）交换你的午餐（芝士三明治）。你们俩都更喜欢对方的午餐。请用自愿交换的概念解释为什么这次贸易使双方受益。这说明了贸易的什么好处？
Write down your answers and discuss them with a partner. Remember, economics is about thinking clearly about choices. Good luck with your case study practice!
写下你的答案并与同伴讨论。记住，经济学就是清楚地思考各种选择。祝你的案例分析练习顺利！
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