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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.
Gold is highly valued because of its______.
选项 A、beauty
B、rarity
C、size
D、both A and B
答案D
解析 本题是一道具体细节题。问为什么黄金价值不菲。根据文章第二段，黄金不仅美丽，而且事实上还不易被毁坏。文章第四段也指出，黄金的价值主要在于它的稀有。有史以来世界上人们挖掘出来的黄金大约仅有80 000吨。所有这些黄金在一个60平方英尺的保管库或超级油轮里就可以储藏。因此，本题的正确答案应是D“由于它的美丽和稀有”。
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