He got into Pat’s car, and they drove for about twelve miles. When they came to a small house, the old man said, “Stop here.”
Pat stopped and looked at the house. “But this isn’t a hotel,” he said to the old man.
“No”, the old man answered, “this is my house. And now I’ll show you the way to the Sun Hotel. Turn around and got back nine miles. Then you’ll see the Sun Hotel on the left.” Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard. 17. What was Pat doing that evening? 18. Why did Pat stop his car on the road?
19. Why didn’t the old man stop Pat when they passed the hotel?
20. How far away was the hotel when Pat stopped the old man to ask the way?
Section C
Gold has long been valued, not only for its beauty, but also for its resistance to chemical reactions, and for its electrical qualities. But some people have always valued gold most as an investment, even without any guarantee of growth in its value.
For years, gold prices fell. Now gold is in the news because prices have risen to their highest levels since the early 1980s. Gold is trading above 500 dollars a troy ounce, about 31 grams.
There seems to be no simple explanation for the increase in gold prices. Experts say investments in precious metals have increased in general. This is true even without the economic warning signs that have traditionally led many investors to buy gold. In any case, the common belief in the security of gold has a long history. From 1900 to 1933, United States money was fully based on gold. In fact, under the gold standard, anyone who wanted could exchange paper money for gold coins.
But President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress began to cut the link between gold and money. All United States money, paper or metal, became acceptable as payment for all debts, public and private. In 1934, the Gold Reserve Act made it illegal to use gold as a form of currency within the United States. But the gold standard remained important to international trade. Today, gold remains important to the wealth of nations. But money supplies and gold supplies no longer have the relationship they had in the past.