📚 Core Knowledge Checklist for Year 10 WJEC Economics | Year 10 WJEC 经济：核心知识点梳理
This article provides a comprehensive revision guide for Year 10 students studying WJEC GCSE Economics. It covers every essential topic from the basic economic problem through to macroeconomic objectives, offering clear definitions, key diagrams and policy contexts. Use this checklist to test your understanding and build confident exam answers.
本文为学习 WJEC GCSE 经济学的 Year 10 学生提供一份全面的复习指南，涵盖从基本经济问题到宏观经济目标的每一个重要专题，给出清晰的定义、关键图表和政策情境。请使用这份清单来检测自己的理解程度，并构建自信的考试答案。
1. The Basic Economic Problem | 基本经济问题
The basic economic problem is that resources are finite while human wants are infinite. This mismatch forces every society to answer three fundamental questions: What to produce? How to produce? For whom to produce?
基本经济问题在于资源是有限的，而人类的欲望是无限的。这种不匹配迫使每个社会都必须回答三个根本问题：生产什么？如何生产？为谁生产？
Scarcity is the condition that arises because resources are insufficient to satisfy all our desires. It is a permanent feature of all economies, regardless of their wealth.
稀缺性是由于资源不足以满足我们所有的欲望而产生的一种状况。它是所有经济体的永久特征，无论其富裕程度如何。
The three basic questions shape the type of economic system a country adopts. Different systems answer them in different ways, from central planning to free markets.
这三个基本问题决定了国家采用何种经济体系。不同的体系以不同的方式回答它们，从中央计划到自由市场各不相同。
2. Scarcity and Choice | 稀缺性与选择
Because resources are scarce, economic agents (households, firms and governments) cannot have everything they want. They must make choices. Every choice involves a trade-off, where selecting more of one thing means having less of another.
由于资源是稀缺的，经济主体（家庭、企业和政府）无法拥有他们想要的一切。他们必须做出选择。每一次选择都涉及权衡取舍，选择更多一样东西就意味着拥有更少的另一样东西。
The process of ranking wants in order of importance and deciding which to satisfy with limited resources is called choice. Rational choices aim to maximise utility or profit given the constraints.
将欲望按重要性排序并决定用有限的资源满足哪些欲望的过程称为选择。理性的选择旨在给定约束下最大化效用或利润。
Scarcity leads directly to the need for rationing systems. In a market economy, prices act as the main rationing device; in a command economy, government planning does this job.
稀缺性直接导致了配给机制的需求。在市场经济中，价格是主要的配给手段；在命令经济中，这项工作由政府计划完成。
3. Opportunity Cost | 机会成本
Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made. It is a central concept in economics because it highlights the real cost of any decision.
机会成本是做出一种选择时所放弃的次优替代方案的价值。它是经济学的核心概念，因为它凸显了任何决策的真实成本。
For a student revising economics instead of working at a part-time job, the opportunity cost is the wages lost. For a government spending more on healthcare, the opportunity cost could be fewer resources for education.
对于一个选择复习经济学而不是做兼职工作的学生来说，机会成本就是失去的工资。对于一个在医疗保健上投入更多的政府来说，机会成本可能是用于教育的资源减少。
Opportunity cost can be illustrated on a production possibility frontier (PPF). Moving from one point to another on the curve shows the trade-off between two goods, and the slope represents the opportunity cost.
机会成本可以用生产可能性边界 (PPF) 来说明。沿曲线从一点移动到另一点显示了两种商品之间的权衡关系，斜率代表机会成本。
4. Factors of Production | 生产要素
Economists classify resources into four factors of production. Each factor earns a specific type of income, known as its factor payment.
经济学家将资源分为四种生产要素。每种要素都赚取特定类型的收入，称为要素报酬。
| Factor of Production | Description | Factor Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Land | All natural resources used in production (minerals, water, forests, land itself) | Rent |
| Labour | The physical and mental effort of workers | Wages/salaries |
| Capital | Man-made goods used to produce other goods and services (machinery, tools, factories) | Interest |
| Enterprise | The ability to combine the other factors and take risks in pursuit of profit | Profit |
The quality and quantity of factors of production determine a country’s productive potential. Investment in capital and education can shift the PPF outward over time.
生产要素的质量和数量决定一个国家的生产潜力。随着时间推移，对资本和教育的投资可以使生产可能性边界向外移动。
5. Economic Systems | 经济体系
An economic system is the way a society organises the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. The three main types are market, command and mixed economies.
经济体系是一个社会组织商品和服务生产、分配和消费的方式。三种主要类型是市场经济、命令经济和混合经济。
In a pure market economy, decisions are driven by the forces of demand and supply with minimal government intervention. Private ownership, competition consumer sovereignty define the system.
在纯粹的市场经济中，决策由需求和供给的力量驱动，政府干预极少。该体系以私有制、竞争和消费者主权为特征。
In a command economy, the government owns most resources and makes all key production decisions. It sets output targets and determines wages and prices centrally.
在命令经济中，政府拥有大部分资源并做出所有关键的生产决策。它集中设定产出目标，并决定工资和价格。
Most real-world economies are mixed, blending market mechanisms with state intervention. Governments provide public goods, regulate markets and redistribute income while allowing private enterprise to flourish.
大多数现实世界的经济体都是混合经济，将市场机制与国家干预相结合。政府在允许私营企业蓬勃发展的同时，提供公共物品、管理市场并进行收入再分配。
6. Demand and Supply | 需求与供给
Demand refers to the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at various prices over a given period. The law of demand states that, ceteris paribus, as price decreases, quantity demanded increases.
需求是指消费者在一定时期内，在各种价格水平上愿意并且能够购买的商品或服务的数量。需求定律指出，在其他条件不变的情况下，当价格下降时，需求量增加。
Supply is the quantity of a good or service that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at different prices. The law of supply tells us that higher prices usually lead to a higher quantity supplied.
供给是生产者愿意且能够在不同价格下提供销售的商品或服务的数量。供给定律告诉我们，价格越高，供给量通常越大。
The equilibrium price is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. At this point, there is no shortage or surplus, and the market clears.
均衡价格是需求量等于供给量时的价格。此时没有短缺或过剩，市场出清。
Shifts in demand can be caused by changes in income, tastes, prices of related goods, expectations and the number of buyers. Shifts in supply can result from changes in production costs, technology, taxes, subsidies and the number of sellers.
需求的变化可能由收入、偏好、相关商品价格、预期以及购买者数量的变化引起。供给的变化可能源于生产成本、技术、税收、补贴和卖方数量的变化。
7. Price Elasticity | 价格弹性
Price elasticity of demand (PED) measures how responsive quantity demanded is to a change in price. It is calculated 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的反应程度。它的计算方法是需求量的百分比变化除以价格的百分比变化。
PED = %ΔQd ÷ %ΔP
If PED is greater than 1, demand is price elastic – consumers are very sensitive to price changes. If PED is less than 1, demand is price inelastic – consumers are less responsive.
如果 PED 大于 1，需求是富有价格弹性的——消费者对价格变化非常敏感。如果 PED 小于 1，需求是缺乏价格弹性的——消费者的反应较小。
Knowledge of PED helps businesses set prices to maximise total revenue. When demand is elastic, lowering price raises total revenue; when inelastic, raising price increases total revenue.
了解 PED 有助于企业设定价格以实现总收益最大化。当需求有弹性时，降低价格会增加总收益；当需求缺乏弹性时，提高价格会增加总收益。
8. Market Failure | 市场失灵
Market failure occurs when the free market fails to allocate resources efficiently, leading to a net welfare loss. Key causes include externalities, public goods, information asymmetry and market power.
当自由市场无法有效配置资源，导致净福利损失时，就会出现市场失灵。主要原因包括外部性、公共物品、信息不对称和市场势力。
Externalities are third-party effects that are not reflected in market prices. Negative externalities (e.g. pollution from factories) mean too much is produced; positive externalities (e.g. vaccination) mean too little is provided.
外部性是没有反映在市场价格中的第三方影响。负外部性（例如工厂污染）意味着产量过高；正外部性（例如疫苗接种）意味着供给不足。
Public goods are non-rival and non-excludable. Examples include street lighting and national defence. Because people can benefit without paying (free-rider problem), private markets tend to under-provide them.
公共物品具有非竞争性和非排他性。例子包括路灯和国防。由于人们可以不用付钱就受益（搭便车问题），私人市场往往供给不足。
9. Government Intervention | 政府干预
To correct market failure, governments use a variety of policy tools. Indirect taxes can be imposed on goods with negative externalities to raise their price and reduce consumption. Subsidies can encourage production of goods with positive externalities.
为纠正市场失灵，政府使用多种政策工具。可以对具有负外部性的产品征收间接税，以提高其价格并减少消费。补贴可以鼓励具有正外部性的产品的生产。
Regulation sets legal limits on harmful activities, such as bans on smoking in public places or limits on carbon emissions. Government provision directly supplies public goods and merit goods like healthcare and education.
监管为有害活动设定法律限制，例如禁止在公共场所吸烟或限制碳排放。政府直接提供公共物品和有益品，如医疗保健和教育。
Information campaigns aim to reduce information asymmetry, helping consumers and producers make better-informed decisions. Maximum and minimum price controls can be used to protect vulnerable groups.
信息宣传活动旨在减少信息不对称，帮助消费者和生产者做出更明智的决策。最高和最低价格管制可以用来保护弱势群体。
10. Macroeconomic Objectives | 宏观经济目标
Governments typically pursue four main macroeconomic objectives: economic growth, low and stable inflation, low unemployment, and a satisfactory balance of payments. These are often referred to as the magic square of macroeconomic policy.
政府通常追求四个主要的宏观经济目标：经济增长、低而稳定的通货膨胀、低失业率，以及令人满意的国际收支平衡。这些常被称为宏观经济政策的神奇四角。
Economic growth is measured by the percentage change in real gross domestic product (GDP). Sustained growth raises living standards but may also bring environmental costs and inflationary pressures.
经济增长用实际国内生产总值 (GDP) 的百分比变化来衡量。持续的增长会提高生活水平，但也可能带来环境成本和通胀压力。
Low unemployment is a key goal because joblessness wastes resources and causes social hardship. The two main measures are the claimant count and the Labour Force Survey (ILO) unemployment rate.
低失业率是一个关键目标，因为失业会浪费资源并造成社会困难。两个主要的衡量指标是申领失业救济人数和劳动力调查 (ILO) 失业率。
11. Economic Growth and Unemployment | 经济增长与失业
Economic growth can be illustrated by an outward shift of the PPF or an increase in aggregate demand and aggregate supply. The causes include rises in the quantity or quality of factors of production, technological progress and improved efficiency.
经济增长可以通过生产可能性边界的外移或总需求与总供给的增加来说明。其原因包括生产要素数量或质量的提高、技术进步和效率的改善。
Unemployment can be classified into types: frictional (short-term between jobs), structural (mismatch of skills), cyclical (caused by weak demand during recessions) and seasonal. Each type requires different policy responses.
失业可分为几种类型：摩擦性失业（短期的工作转换）、结构性失业（技能不匹配）、周期性失业（衰退期间需求疲软所致）和季节性失业。每种类型需要不同的政策应对。
High unemployment reduces household incomes, lowers consumer spending and increases government spending on benefits. In contrast, economic growth that is inclusive can reduce poverty and improve public services.
高失业率降低家庭收入，减少消费者支出，并增加政府福利支出。相反，包容性的经济增长可以减少贫困并改善公共服务。
12. Inflation | 通货膨胀
Inflation is the sustained increase in the general price level over time. It is usually measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price Index (RPI) in the UK.
通货膨胀是指总体价格水平在一段时间内持续上涨。在英国，通常用消费者价格指数 (CPI) 或零售价格指数 (RPI) 来衡量。
Cost-push inflation occurs when rising costs of production (e.g. energy, wages) force firms to increase prices. Demand-pull inflation happens when aggregate demand grows faster than the economy’s ability to supply goods and services.
成本推动型通货膨胀发生的原因是生产成本上升（例如能源、工资）迫使企业提高价格。需求拉动型通货膨胀发生在总需求增长快于经济体供给商品和服务的能力时。
Moderate inflation is considered normal in a growing economy, but very high or unpredictable inflation distorts spending, saving and investment decisions. Governments use monetary policy (interest rates set by the Bank of England) to control inflation and keep it near the target of 2%.
温和通胀在增长的经济中被视为正常现象，但过高或难以预测的通货膨胀会扭曲支出、储蓄和投资决策。政府运用货币政策（由英格兰银行设定利率）来控制通货膨胀，并将其保持在 2% 目标附近。
Published by TutorHao | Economics Revision Series | aleveler.com
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