20．However wealthy we may be，we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want．Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost，which simply refers to whether someone's time or money could be better spent on something else．
Every hour of our time has a value．For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another，or be sleeping or watching a film．Each of these options has a different opportunity cost-namely，what they cost us in missed opportunities．
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium．Why not，you might reason，watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends？This-the alternative use of your cash and time-is the opportunity cost．
For economists，every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo-in terms of money and enjoyment-in order to take it up．By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on，you ought to be able to make better-informed，more reasonable decisions．Consider that most famous economic rule of all：there's no such thing as a free lunch．Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free，the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities．
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging：imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable．Yet，in a sense it's human nature to do precisely that-we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time．
In the business world，a popular phrase is"value for money．"People want their cash to go as far as possible．However，another is fast obtaining an advantage："value for time．"The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something，so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time．By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities，such as sleeping and eating．In return，however，this passage will help you to think like an economist，closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions．
58．According to the passage，the concept of"opportunity cost"is applied toD．
A．making more money
B．taking more opportunities
C．reducing missed opportunities
D．weighing the choice of opportunities
59．The"leftover…time"in Paragraph 3probably refers to the timeC．
A．spared for watching the match at home
B．taken to have dinner with friends
C．spent on the way to and from the match
D．saved from not going to watch the match
60．What are forgone opportunitiesB？
A．Opportunities you forget in decision-making．
B．Opportunities you give up for better ones．
C．Opportunities you miss accidentally．
D．Opportunities you make up for．
分析 本文是一篇议论文．文章主要介绍了如何更好地支配自己的时间和金钱，以及如何在作决定时考虑花费的机会成本．因为无论我们多么富有，我们也不可能在一天里找到足够的时间做我们想要做的一切．因此，我们要放弃一些事情选择做更好的事情．
解答 58．D 推理判断题．根据第一段的"Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost，which simply refers to whether someone's time or money could be better spent on something else"．和第三段的"This-the alternative use of your cash and time-is the opportunity cost"可知，opportunity cost（机会成本）是指人们考虑自己的时间和金钱是否可以更好地被利用在其他的事情上，也就是在衡量自己的选择是否合理．所以这个概念应用于衡量机会的选择方面，故选D．
59．C 词义推测题．根据第三段的"Say…but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium…use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends？"可知，人们本来是想去看球赛，但是球赛的票太贵了．所以就把本来准备看球赛的金钱和时间用在了别的地方，所以leftover …time所指的是"花在观看比赛（路上）来去的时间"．故选C．
60．B 推理判断题．根据第四段的"Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free，the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities．"可知，即使有人带你去享受免费的午餐，在这种情况下，你吃饭的时间还是会让你失去某些东西．所以推测出forgone opportunities是指"所放弃的可以做更有价值事情的更好的机会"．故B正确．
点评 本文是政治经济类阅读，考查学生对细节的理解把握和推理判断能力，做题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确选择．在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
