The best example of something is often called the "gold standard." It sets the standard against which other things are measured. In economics, the term describes how major trading nations once used gold to set currency values and exchange rates. Many nations continued to use the gold standard until the last century.
In the United States, people could exchange paper money for gold from the eighteen seventies until nineteen thirty-three. Then-President Richard Nixon finally disconnected the dollar from the value of gold in nineteen seventy-one. From time to time, some politicians call for a return to the gold standard.
In 1978, the International Monetary Fund ended an official gold price. The IMF also ended the required use of gold in transactions with its member countries. Since that time, gold prices have grown and continued to be high. But people keep buying. Some people are "gold bugs." These are investors who say people should buy gold to protect against inflation(通货膨胀).
People have valued gold for thousands of years. The soft, dense metal polishes to a bright yellow shine and resists most chemical reactions. It makes a good material for money, political power -- and, more recently, electrical power. If you own a device like a mobile phone or a computer, you might own a little gold in the wiring.
The gold standard was the subject of one of the best-known speeches in American political history. William Bryan wanted the country to use both gold and silver as money. The idea was to devalue the dollar and make it easier for farmers to pay their debts. So he delivered a speech, which made him famous. He was a presidential candidate three times. But he never won.
28. The underlined word “transactions” probably means “ ”
A. wars B. trade C. meetings D. conflict
29. After the IMF ended the official gold price, the gold prices .
A. stayed the same B. began to drop
C. increased D. increased a little at first and kept drop
30. What’s the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A. The reason for valuing gold B. The history of the use of gold
C. New function of gold D. How to obtain gold
31. We can learn from the last paragraph that William Bryan .
A. was once a farmer B. loved to collect gold
C. was a famous political figure D. was a good at giving speeches
BCAC
社会现象类阅读概念:
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题,显示其社会意义,一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。
社会现象类阅读解题技巧:
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题,显示其社会意义,一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。阅读这类文章要理清思路。
1、浏览试题,明确要求。
在阅读文章前,最好先浏览一下文章后面的题干和选项。知道了问题后再去看文章,可使思路更敏捷,而且也便于阅读时留意文中出现的与选项有关的信息。
2、通读全文,抓住主要内容。
在不影响理解的前提下,尽可能地阅读以便在尽可能短的时间内理解文章或段落的内容。阅读时,如遇到不熟悉的单词、词组或一时看不懂的句子,不要停下来苦思冥想,继续读下去,通过上下文的词语和句子可能就理解了。
3、抓住中心思想和段落大意。
通读全文时,要特别注意主题句。每篇文章或每个段落都有与文章有关的句子,尤其是科技、政论性文章的主题句一般都在文章的开头或结尾,插在中间的很少。所以,文章的第一段或开头的第一、二个句子往往包含着文章的中心思想、作者的意图或全文的概述,因此要特别注意,彻底理解。
4、有针对性地仔细阅读,找寻所需信息。
在前面的基础上,可进行有针对性地阅读了。把与问题无关的内容一扫而过,而对于和问题有关的内容认真阅读,还可以用笔在下面做出记号。再把这些信息与问题的要求结合起来,逐条分析,综合判断,找出正确答案。
5、进行合理的推理判断。
对文章有了全面的了解之后,可以按照文章要求以及上下文之间的关系,做出推理判断。在进行推理判断的时候,需要综合考虑句型、语法、句子之间的逻辑关系、文化背景等方面的因素。
6、认真复读,验证答案。
要用全文的中心思想统帅各个题目,研究其内在联系和逻辑关系,并依次审核那些还未打上的题目,确保理解无误。
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