Mankind’s fascination with gold is as oid as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians esteemed gold, which had religious significance to them, and King Tutankhamen was buried in a solid-goJd coffin 3300 years ago.
People have always longed to possess gold. Unfortunately, this longing has also brought out the worst in the human character. The Spanish conquistadores robbed palaces, temples, and graves, and killed thousands of Indians in their ruthless search for gold. Often the only rule in young California during the days of the gold rush was exercised by the mob with a rope. Even today, the economic running of South Africa’s gold mines depends largely on the employment of black laboures who are paid about ￡40 a month, plus room and board, and who must work in conditions that can only be described as cruel. About 400 miners are killed in mine accidents in South Africa each year, or one for every two tons of gold produced.
Much of gold’s value lies in its scarcity. Only about 80,000 tons have been mined in the history of the world. All of it could be stored in a vault 60 feet square, or a supertanker.
Great Britain was the first country to adopt the gold standard, when the Master of the Mint, Sir Isaac Newton, established a fixed price for gold in 1717. But until the big discoveries of gold in the last half of the nineteenth century—starting in California in 1848 and later in Australia and South Africa—there simply wasn’t enough gold around for all the trading nations to link their currencies to the precious metal.
An out-of-work prospector named George Harrison launched South Africa into the gold age in 1886 when he discovered the metal on a farm near what is now Johannesburg. Harrison was given a ￡12 reward by the farmer. He then disappeared and reportedly was eaten by a lion.
Historically, the desire to hoard gold at home has been primarily an occupation of the working and peasant classes, who have no faith in paper money. George Bernard Shaw defended their instincts eloquently: ‘You have to choose between trusting to the natural stability of gold and the natural stability of the honesty and intelligence of the members of the government’, he said, ‘and with due respect to these gentlemen, I advise you ... to vote for gold.’
1.It can be inferred from the passage that during the days of the gold-rush in California ________.
(A) people had to mark out their gold claims with a rope
(B) people carried ropes instead of guns
(C) hanging was a common form of punishment
(D) the rope was the symbol of law and order
2.One of the problems with gold is that ________.
(A) it loses its shape too easily
(B) it changes the human characters
(C) it entails danger to the miners
(D) it costs money to produce .
3.According to the passage, gold has always been considered a precious metal mainly because ________.
(A) money is made of it
(B) it is rare
(C) a small quantity goes a long way
(D) it has religious significance
4.After the big gold discoveries in the late nineteenth century ________.
(A) the trading nations adopted the gold standard
(B) the trading nations were unable to get enough gold
(C) gold coins were used by most nations
(D) gold was considered to be a kind of precious metal
5.George Bernard Shaw thought that ________.
(A) the members of the government were honest and intelligent
(B) the value of gold was likely to change unexpectedly
(C) gold was more valuable than paper money
(D) one could place more faith in gold than in politicians
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