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  3. Gold ! Gold ! Gold ! Gold has enth

Gold ! Gold ! Gold ! Gold has enth

游客2023-12-21  10
问题                                           Gold ! Gold ! Gold !
    Gold has enthralled man since the dawn of civilization. For centuries he braved arctic cold, tropic heat and inhuman privations to wrest gold from the earth.  He used it for religious objects, sculpture, jewelry and as a symbol of wealth. Paradoxically, he often buried it — for use in the afterlife, as the pharaohs, did, or for safekeeping against the uncertainties of this life.
    Gold’s lustre and rarity, which implied its owner possessed great power, gave it a musical quality from the start. Gold was considered divine in ancient Greece and it was used to adorn temples and as an offering to the gods. Despite their reverence, the ancients were quick to recognize gold’s practical qualities, particularly its malleability, which made it ideal for jewelry. Even Cleopatra used gold ornaments to enhance her charm.
    However, it has been as a symbol of wealth — of nations as well as individuals — that gold has played its most dramatic role. The quest for gold changed the course of history — shifting nations’ borders and opening wildernesses.
    The cry "Gold!" probably launched more ships than a hundred Helens of Troy. History books tell us Columbus’ expedition was inspired by his scientific curiosity. But it was also backed by Queen Isabella, who may have been motivated to donate her jewels by more than just sympathy for his cause or desire for a trade route to the East. Whatever the original motive might have been, certainly her royal spouse was moved by more than scientific triumph in 1511 when he wrote to his men in South America: "Get gold," he commanded, "humanely if possible, but at all hazards get gold."
    The intrinsic value of gold, perhaps enhanced by its mystique, made it a medium of exchange in many parts of the world．Payments were made in gold hundreds of years before 550 B．C．, when the first known gold coins were cast.  King Croesus of Lydia (western Turkey), whose legendary wealth inspired the phrase "rich as Croesus", is generally credited with that minting. However, gold played a relatively minor monetary role until the great 19th century gold rushes in California, Alaska, Canada and South Africa produced sufficient quantities to make wide-scale monetary use practical.
    The artistic, industrial and ornamental uses of gold have changed little since ancient times, but its monetary use has been transformed. Gold ducats, double eagles and sovereigns can’t meet industrial societies’ need for convenient and efficient money. Modern nations use paper currency, base-metal coins, and checkbook balances to meet the needs of their fast-paced economies.
    As a rule, nations now keep gold for payments to each other. The "coin" used in these payments is a gold bar, often about the size and shape of a common building brick, weighing about 400 troy ounces (about 27 avoirdupois pounds) and valued at about  $17,000 at today’s official U. S. Government price. In the "free" market, where the forces of supply and demand constantly determine gold’s ’value, this same bar was worth about thirteen times as much in early 1981. When nations trade gold, it is done at the market price rather than at the official price.
选项 A、describe the mining of gold．
B、describe man’s pursuit of gold.
C、determine the importance of gold．
D、discuss the role of gold.
答案 D
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