Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams and obsessions. Western literature is full of characters who kill for gold or hoard it, from King Midas in the ancient Greek myths, to Fagin in Dickens' Oliver Twist. These characters go to evil extremes to get or keep their gold and they get the ...
Phạm Minh Trí | Chat Online | |
02/09 17:31:35 (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12) |
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50.
The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams and obsessions. Western literature is full of characters who kill for gold or hoard it, from King Midas in the ancient Greek myths, to Fagin in Dickens' Oliver Twist. These characters go to evil extremes to get or keep their gold and they get the punishment they deserve. Most people would not be willing to go to such extremes, of course, but they would not question the assumption that gold has lasting value above and beyond any local currency. Societies change over time, customs and currencies evolve, but gold remains. A wedding ring, for example, must be gold, and so should any serious gift of jewelry. In fact, giving and wearing gold is still a mark of prestige in our post-industrial society, though gold is no longer valued as it used to be thousands of years ago.
Why is gold so valuable? True, it is shiny, durable, and rare, but it is far less useful than many other minerals or metals. It is also not like stock in a company, where the value of the stock depends on the performance of the company. Gold, on the contrary, like any currency, is valuable precisely because people believe it is valuable. That is, if people were willing to accept seashells for their labor and could use them to pay for food, fuel, and other commodities, then seashells would become a valuable currency. Thus, the value of gold depends on the collective belief that gold will continue to be valuable. As long as demand for gold remains steady, the price will hold steady; if demand is high, it will continue to increase in value. But if people should someday lose faith in gold, the price of gold could fall sharply.
Another factor that has affected the price of gold has been the increasing difficulty in acquiring it. Today, most of the gold left in the grounds is in microscopic pieces mixed with rock. To get it, miners must dig up tons and tons of rock, and then spray it with chemicals to separate out the gold. For one ounce of gold - a wedding ring, for example - the mine processes about 30 tons of rock. This is already a costly operation. But there are also hidden social and environmental costs. The mining and processing of gold is ruinous to the environment and to the health of people living nearby. Most of these mines are in poor regions where the people have had little voice in whether there should be mines and how the mines should be run. The large multinational mining companies simply bought the land and opened the mines. However, as people and governments begin to realize the extent of the damage caused by the mines, the situation might change. Indeed, if the mining companies ever have to pay the full environmental and social costs of mining gold, the price of gold is likely to climb yet higher.
Which of the following does author most probably agree with?
Lựa chọn một trả lời để xem Đáp án chính xác Báo sai đáp án hoặc câu hỏi |
A. The government should be better aware of the environmental damage the search for gold creates. 0 % | 0 phiếu |
B. Gold companies should increase the price of gold to cover the cost caused by their search for gold. 0 % | 0 phiếu |
C. People should devalue gold. 0 % | 0 phiếu |
D. The companies should make the search for gold much easier and cheaper 0 % | 0 phiếu |
Tổng cộng: | 0 trả lời |
Trắc nghiệm liên quan
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43-50. The attraction of gold is as old as history. Since ancient times, gold has been the object of dreams ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 42 Since the dawn of time, people have found ways to communicate with one another. Smoke signals and ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 42 Since the dawn of time, people have found ways to communicate with one another. Smoke signals and ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
- Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 42 Since the dawn of time, people have found ways to communicate with one another. Smoke signals and ... (Tiếng Anh - Lớp 12)
Trắc nghiệm mới nhất
- Tính đến năm 2020, Liên hợp quốc có bao nhiêu thành viên? (Địa lý - Lớp 11)
- Một khối gỗ hình hộp chữ nhật có các kích thước dài 10 cm, rộng 5 cm và chiều cao 4 cm. Đặt khối gỗ trên bàn theo cách nào thì áp suất gây ra trên bàn nhỏ nhất? (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)
- Khối lượng nước trong ống đong được tính theo công thức (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)
- Việt Nam là thành viên của các tổ chức liên kết khu vực nào sau đây? (Địa lý - Lớp 11)
- Điền vào chỗ trống: "Khi biết khối lượng riêng của một vật, ta có thể biết vật đó được cấu tạo bằng chất gì bằng cách đối chiếu với bảng ... của các chất." (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)
- Tổ chức liên kết khu vực nào sau đây có sự tham gia của các nước ở nhiều châu lục khác nhau nhất? (Địa lý - Lớp 11)
- Đốt cháy 1,8 g kim loại M, thu được 3,4 g một oxide. Công thức của oxide đó là (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)
- Công thức hoá học của potassium hydroxide là (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)
- Công thức hoá học của acid có trong dịch vị dạ dày là (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)
- Nước muối sinh lí (dung dịch NaCl 0,9%) được sử dụng nhiều trong y học và trong cuộc sống hàng ngày. Để pha chế 500g nước muối sinh lí ta cần: (Khoa học tự nhiên - Lớp 8)