单项选择题

In any country, the "standard of living" means the average person"s share of the goods and services which the country produces. Therefore, a country"s standard of living depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "Wealth" in this sense is not money, but "goods" such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment.
The capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. To a great extent, wealth depends 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 some are not.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. Some countries are perhaps well off in natural resources, but unable to develop their resources. They suffered for many years from civil and external wars. Peaceful political and stable conditions enable a country to develop its natural resources effectively, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered. Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country"s people. Industrialized countries that have trained numerous skilled workers and technicians produce wealth more than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.
A country"s standard of living does not only depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed within its own borders, but also upon what is indirectly produced through international trade. For instance, Britain"s wealth is foodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if she had to depend only on those grown at home. Trade makes it possible for her surplus manufacture goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products. In this aspect, a country"s wealth is much influenced by its manufacturing capacity, provided that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures. The manufacturing capacity may be a key factor to a higher standard of living when one country ______.