A world in which most people enjoy prosperity and opportunity is surely better than one in which 80% are ( ) in economic stagnation.

　　A.bewildered

　　B.mired

　　C.confounded

　　D.mingled

　　【答案】C。“大多数人可以享受繁荣、拥有机会的世界肯定要比有 80%的人在经济发展停滞中惊慌失措要好”。bewildered：困惑;mired：陷入困境;confounded：惊慌失措的; mingled：融合的。结合句意可知补充“惊慌失措”更符合前句语境，形成鲜明差别。故正确答案是选项 C。