Gold has exercised power for ages. People have been looking for gold since the beginning of mankind. Whole empires (帝国) have been built on gold. The Spanish conquered all of Central and South America in order to bring gold back to their home country. Inca and Maya civilizations worshipped gold and thought it came from the sun. Explorers traveled for thousands of miles in search of the precious metal.
Gold is, once again, in demand. People want to have gold as a kind of security in unstable times. They invest in (投资于) gold instead of saving their money in banks. Many people argue that since 9/11 the world has become a more dangerous place. When in 2008 the financial markets collapsed (崩溃), the major currencies of the world became weaker. Investors were no longer sure how safe their money was. They bought more and more gold which made the price of the yellow metal rise.
One of the reasons why gold is so valuable is that it practically cannot be destroyed. It always stays the same and never changes. It can be recycled and afterwards be used for many things. In Iraq poor people collect gold dust and bring it back to jewellery shops to be recycled. Recycling gold is also a big business in Japan, where gold is collected from old mobile phones and other industrial waste.
The demand for the metal and increased production leads to a number of environmental problems. A single ounce of gold produces over 30 tons of waste, more than any other metal on earth. Poisonous substances can leak into rivers and contaminate (污染) the water. In Peru and Brazil wide areas of the Amazon rainforest are cut down by the illegal mining of gold.
13. Spain made war on Central America .
A. to expand the empire B. to defend their beliefs
C. to get a precious metal D. to enslave people there
14. Investors are more fond of gold because .
A. its price has never gone down
B. its production is becoming less
C. it can ensure the value for long
D. it is the best material for jewelries
15. It can be inferred from the text that .
A. gold has very stable (稳定的) physical character
B. collecting gold dust is a career in Japan
C. around 30 tons of gold is made each year
D. new-style mobile phones begin to use gold