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  3. Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians esteemed gold, which had religious signi

Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians esteemed gold, which had religious signi

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问题     Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians esteemed gold, which had religious significance to them, and King Tutankhamen was buried in a solid-gold 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 labourens 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 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."  
It can be inferred from the passage that during the days of the gold-rush in California ______ .
选项 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
答案C
解析 本题主要考查的是学生对上下文的理解能力。答题句是“Often the only rule in young California during the days of the gold rush was exercised by the mob with a rope．”(在加利福尼亚年轻人中，他们的惩罚经常都是通过暴民用绳子来解决的。)这道题目可以通过前面讲的内容来帮助理解，文章前面一直在说为了淘金，暴露了人性最丑恶的一面，并列举了很多例子。D选项指的是绳子是法律和命令的象征，容易使考生混淆。hanging指的是绞死，故选C。
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