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.
According to the passage, what is people’s behavior towards gold?
A. Many of them are mentioned in Western literature for their gold
B. They have dreamt of and wanted to have it.
C. They all have spent their life searching for it.
D. Many of them are punished for not having it
Đáp án B
Theo đoạn văn, người dân đã làm gì với vàng?
A. Nhiều người trong số họ được đề cập trong văn học phương Tây vì số vàng của họ.
B. Họ đã mơ ước và muốn có nó.
C. Tất cả họ đã dành cả đời để tìm kiếm nó.
D. Nhiều người trong số họ bị trừng phạt vì không có nó
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions
I know you have been working very hard today. Let's ________ and go home
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions
You shouldn't have allowed them to watch too much TV
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions
For ______, it is certain that in the future some things will be very different
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions
John was praised for his bravery, ________ his colleagues were criticized for their cowardice
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs correction
From bones finding in the United States, we have learned that many animals which no longer existed in the world once made their homes there
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs correction
One of the majority causes of tides is the gravitational attraction of the Moon
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines of each pair of sentences in the following questions
We had spent nearly all our money. So we couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions
I can’t believe it, Inspector. You mean that Smith _________ money from the till all this time!
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions
Our science teacher always reminds us to be succinct when writing down data so that only the important information is recorded
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that is pronounced differently from the rest in each of the following questions
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions
Every day many of us have to ______people that we don’t like
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions
On the ________, this has been a very successful year for us
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress in each of the following word.
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that is pronounced differently from the rest in each of the following questions
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions
They are fighting to eradicate the legacy of starvation caused by the civil war