Section I Use of English Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. ( 10 points) Mankind’s fascination with gold is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians respected gold, which had a religious __ 1 __ to them, and King Tutankhamun was buried in a solid-gold coffin 3,300 years ago. The wandering Israelites __ 2 __ a golden calf. And the legendary King Midas asked that everything he touched __ 3 __ into gold. __ 4 __only is gold beautiful, but it is __ 5 __ indestructible. It will not rust or corrode; gold coins and products __ 6 __ from the metal have survived undamaged for centuries. Gold is extremely easy to __ 7 __; one ounce, which is about the size of a cube of sugar, can be beaten into a sheet nearly 100 square feet in size, and become so thin that light passes through it. An ounce of gold can also be __ 8 __ into a wire 50 miles long. Gold __ 9 __ electricity better than any other __ 10 __ and it is particularly important in the modem electronics industry. People have always longed to __ 11 __gold. Unfortunately, this longing has also __ 12 __ the worst in the human character. The Spanish conquerors of the 16 th century robbed palaces, _ _ 13 _ _ and graves, and killed thousands of Indians in their __ 14 __ search for gold. Even today, the economic running of South Africa’s mines depends largely on the employment of black laborers who are paid about 40 pounds a month, plus room and board, and who must work in conditions that can only be __ 15 __ as cruel. __ 16 _ _, the desire to keep gold at home has been primarily an occupation of the working and peasant classes, who have no __ 17 __ in paper money. George Bernard Shaw __ 18 _ _ their instincts eloquently, “You have to choose between trusting to the natural stability of gold and natural stability of the __ 19 _ _ and intelligence of members of the government”, he said, “and with due respect to these gentlemen, I advise you to __ 20 __ for gold.”