From 'mashallah' gold tokens that people give to babies in Turkey, to the gold stars that primary teachers stick on their students' exercise books, to the gold trimmings and gifts in Indian weddings, to the gold coffin that the 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson was buried in. It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold?
For some people, gold seems to be a status symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he's even bought a shirt made of the stuff - at a cost of $250,000. I'm not sure I'd spend so much money on a shirt - would you? But Datta Phuge has his reasons. He explains: "Some elite people want to own an Audi or Mercedes and have big cars. I chose gold."
For other people, gold is an investment. The price of gold generally increases over time - and in European markets it reached over $1,500 per ounce in 2011.
And for many people, the family heirloom brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet that was given to her by her grandmother - who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It's quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its sentimental value is greater than its value in dollars: It's a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me - and one day, I'll pass it on to the younger generation.
So, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. But, I think that the real reason people love gold is because it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen's death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful, so evocative?
People love gold because it captures our minds, our imaginations and, above all, our hearts.
Quiz 測驗 1. Name two countries that the writer has visited.
Argentina and Japan.
2. Why did Indian businessman Datta Phuge buy a gold shirt?
He chose gold as a status symbol.
3. Is this statement true or false? The price of gold usually stays the same.
False. The price of gold generally increases over time.
4. What will the writer inherit from her mother?
A gold bracelet.
5. In the writer's opinion, why do people love gold?
Because it can be made into beautiful objects, and because it captures our minds, our imaginations and our hearts.
Glossary 词汇表 attended出席，參加 tokens象徵 trimmings裝飾物 coffin棺材 status symbol社會地位的象徵 elite精英 investment投資 family heirloom傳家寶 inherited繼承的 sentimental value情感價值 Tutankhamen's death mask圖坦卡蒙的木乃伊府麵具 evocative喚起回憶或想像的 captures捕捉，抓住 above all最重要的是
