高普考/三四等/高員級◆英文題庫下載題庫

   Until the late 1700s, the economy of England was tightly controlled by the government, which limitedthe amount of interest that banks could charge, laid down rules about how employers should treat theirworkers, and set strict standards for how some products should be made. The government set up trademonopolies, giving certain companies the sole right to trade with certain parts of the world, like the EnglishEast India Company. 11 Then in the late 1700s, Adam Smith published a book called The Wealth ofNations, which advocated “laissez-faire,” meaning “to let alone” in French. 12 He said individualsshould be let alone to make their own economic decisions—what products to make, how to make them, andwhat to charge for them. 13 People would be motivated by the opportunity to try new ideas and makemore money. Society, as a result, would become wealthier. 

   After Smith’s book was published, the idea of laissez-faire became more and more popular. 14 Thenew freedom to invent and invest helped spur the Industrial Revolution, creating, as Adam Smith hadpredicted, vast new wealth. 

    But it also created the harsh conditions some employers maintained in the factories. These employerswere believers in laissez-faire. 15 They say it was none of the government’s business how much theirworkers were paid or how many hours a day they worked. For obvious reasons, the idea of laissez-faire wasmore popular among employers than among their workers.