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  3. Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians es-teemed gold, which had religious sign

Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians es-teemed gold, which had religious sign

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问题     Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians es-teemed gold, which had religious significance to them, and King Tutankhamun was buried in a solid-gold coffin 3 300 years ago. The wandering Israelites worshipped a golden calf, and the legendary King Midas asked that everything he touched be turned into gold.
    Not only is gold beautiful, but it is virtually indestructible. It will not rust or corrode (受腐 蚀，侵蚀); gold coins and products fabricated from the metal have survived undamaged for centuries. Gold is extremely easy to work with; one ounce, which is about the size of a cube of sugar, can be beaten into a sheet nearly 100 square feet in size, and becomes so thin that light passes through it. An ounce of gold can also be stretched into a wire 50 miles long. Gold conducts electricity better than any other substance except copper and silver, and it is particularly important in the modern electronics industry.
    People have always longed to possess gold. Unfortunately, this longing has also brought out the worst in the human character. The Spanish conquistadors (征服者) 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 (暴民, 乌合之众) with a rope. Even today, the economic running of South Africa’s gold mines depends largely on the employment of black laborers who are paid about 40 pounds 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 (地窖, 底下贮藏室) 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.
Even at present, in South Africa______.
选项 A、the black laborers are killed for mining gold
B、the black laborers have got rid of the control of white rulers
C、the black laborers who mine gold are still exploited cruelly
D、the life of the black laborers is highly improved
答案C
解析 本题是一道具体细节题。问即使在现代社会，在南非仍然怎样。利用查阅式阅读法，我们可以在文章第三段中找到相关信息。这段指出，即使在今天，南非金矿的开采主要是靠雇用黑人劳动力，他们必须在非常残酷的条件下工作，但获得的报酬只是每月40英镑加上吃住。因此可以推断出南非今日的采金黑人劳动力仍然受到残酷的剥削。所以，本题的正确答案应是C。
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