The Definition of "Price"

　　“价格”的定义

　　Prices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which products and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the products bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional, transportation, and public-utility services.

　　价格决定资源的使用方式。价格也是供给有限的产品与服务在买方中的配给手段。 美国的价格系统是复杂的网状系统，包括经济生活中一切产品的价格，也包括无数的服务，诸如劳动力、专业人员、交通运输、公共事业等服务的价格。

　　The interrelationships of all these prices make up the “system” of prices. The price of any particular product or service is linked to a broad, complicated system of prices in which everything seems to depend more or less upon everything else.

　　所有这些价格的内在联系构成了价格系统。任何一种特定产品或服务的价格都与这个庞大而复杂的系统密切相关，而且似乎或多或少地取决于系统中其它成份。

　　If one were to ask a group of randomly selected individuals to define “price”, many would reply that price is an amount of money paid by the buyer to the seller of a product or service or, in other words that price is the money values of a product or service as agreed upon in a market transaction.

　　如果随机挑选一群人，问问他们如何定义"价格"，许多人会回答价格就是根据卖方提供的产品或服务，买方向其付出的钱数。换句话说，价格就是市场中约定的产品或服务的货币价值。

　　This definition is, of course, valid as far as it goes. For a complete understanding of a price in any particular transaction, much more than the amount of money involved must be known. Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the product or service to be exchanged, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that apply to the transaction, guarantees on the product or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors.

　　当然，该定义就其本身来说自有其道理。 但要获得对价格在任何一桩中的完整认识，就必须认识到价格不仅仅是涉及到的货币数量。双方不仅要清楚中的货币数量，而且要非常熟悉物的质量和数量，的时间、地点，付款形式，信用条件和折扣，对产品或服务的质量保证、交货条款、退赔权利等等因素。

　　In other words, both buyer and seller should be fully aware of all the factors that comprise the total “package” being exchanged for the asked-for amount of money in order that they may evaluate a given price.

　　也就是说，双方必须通晓构成物价格的通盘细节以便于评估报价。

　　【长难句讲解】

　　本期的内容大部分都是长难句，背诵起来可能会些吃力，小编在这里举两个例子，希望大家能够学习分析长难句的方法，把一个长句子拆分了，再理解记忆，这样会有助于背诵。

　　1、The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the products bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional, transportation, and public-utility services.

　　此句的主干部分是Price system is a complex network.后面的部分从整体上来看是一个定语从句，which is composed of the prices of …… as well as ……，products和services是并列成分。这两者，分别由bought and sold in the economy和including……补充。

　　2、Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the product or service to be exchanged, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that apply to the transaction, guarantees on the product or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors.

　　这句话看似很长，其实结构并不难。句子主干部分就是buyer and seller should be familiar with……。只是句子的宾语部分很长，用not only……, but……连接起来，强调的语气上有递进，但内容都是“需要熟知通晓”的，包括货币数量、产品服务的数量质量、时间地点……等等。 

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