填空题

A country’s capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an (26) on one another. Wealth depends to a great (27) upon a country’s natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile soil and a (28) climate; other regions possess perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The U. S. A. is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her (29) , her soil is fertile, and her climate is varied. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least (30) .
Next to natural resources comes the (31) to turn them to use. China is perhaps as well off as the USA in natural resources, but (32) for many years from civil and (33) wars, and for this and other reasons was unable to develop her resources. Sound and stable political conditions and freedom from foreign invasion enable a country to develop its natural resources (34) , and to produce more wealth than another country equally served by nature but less well ordered. Another important factor is the technical (35) of a country’s people. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.