19．Gold
India is the world's largest market for gold jewellery．In much of Asia，the Middle East and India，around two-thirds of the jewellery purchased is used as a way of saving money as well as being worn as a decorative item．The use of jewellery as a way of saving money is often important in rural areas where finding a bank is difficult or even impossible．People buy gold because its value stays strong even when the value of money goes down．
Gold jewellery has often been a woman's only valuable possession，and in some families this is still true．A woman's gold can therefore be her only protection against personal misfortune．Today，all around the world，sales of gold jewellery have grown by over 20% per year，because everyone is confident that gold won't lose its value．Demand for gold is so high that gold mines cannot supply enough．
Gold's function as a decoration，as jewellery，has been evident for thousands of years．Since the earliest times，the beauty and richness of gold，along with the fact that it does not change its colour，has meant that it has always been the favourite metal of jewellers．The earliest gold jewellery dates from the Sumerian civilisation that was at its most powerful around 6，000years ago．In the Middle Ages，ancient people attempted to make gold from other metals．They used gold in medicines designed to fight old age and prolong life．
Gold also performs important functions in many aspects of everyday life．It does not react when it comes into contact with other substances and this，along with other unique properties，makes it useful in medicine and many other areas that we consider essential to our modern lives．
During heart surgery，gold-covered"stent"are put into blocked arteries to help the flow of blood．These gadgets need to be carefully positioned．Gold is ideal for this because it shows up clearly on X-rays and can easily be located by doctors．A pacemaker，a device inserted in the body to keep the heartbeat regular，also contains gold．Gold is used in all of these applications because of its high level of reliability．Gold also helps doctors to deliver precise doses of powerful drugs to the parts of the body where they are required．
Gold has many other applications in modern life as it conducts electricity very efficiently．The standard touch-tone telephone contains 33contacts made from gold．Air-bag systems fitted in more than 30million cars around the world rely on gold-coated electrical contacts．And every time you touch a key on your computer it strikes a gold circuit that sends your command to the computer's microprocessor．In fact，you have probably never realised how much gold there is in your everyday life．
（Note：Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS．）
78．Compared with money，people prefers gold because ofitsstrogervalue than money．．
79．Gold were used in medicines because ancient people believed it couldfightoldageandprolonglife．
80．Why can gold be used in pacemaker？Becauseit has ahighlevelofreliability．
81．What makes the application of gold in electronic products possible？It isbecauseitconductselectricityveryefficiently．
分析 本文介紹了金子在古代和現代的各種用途．除了用作首飾，在古代人們就知道在貨幣貶值的時候金子的價值也是穩定的．所以人們更喜歡儲藏金子以達到保值的作用．在中世紀人們把金子用于藥物，因為他們認為金子有對抗變老和延長生命的作用．金子在現代社會因為它有效地導電性和它的穩定性，有了更多的其他的用途．例如在心臟起搏器和造影技術上的運用以及電力設備中的作用．
解答 78 答案：Compared with money，people prefers gold because of its stroger value than money．根據第一段的末尾 People buy gold because its value stays strong even when the value of money goes down．可以知道即使在貨幣貶值的時候金子的價值也是穩定的．所以人們更喜歡儲藏金子而不是貨幣．
79 答案：Gold were used in medicines because ancient people believed it couldfight old age and prolong life．根據第三段的末尾They used gold in medicines designed to fight old age and prolong life．可以知道古代人把金子用于藥物是因為他們認為金子有對抗變老和延長生命的作用．
80 答案：Because it has a high level of reliability．根據第五段第三行Gold is used in all of these applications because of its high level of reliability．可以知道金子能有這些用途是因為它極高的可信賴性，也就是它的穩定性．
81 答案：It is because it conducts electricity very efficiently．根據最后一段第一行Gold has many other applications in modern life as it conducts electricity very efficiently可以知道金子在現代社會有其他的用途是因為它有效地導電性．
點評 考查閱讀表達．這類題主要是審題時抓住關鍵詞，然后根據關鍵詞找到答案的位置，再根據題目進行語言結構的調整以符合句子的結構．
