在职研究生英语考试阅读理解.docxVIP

Passage 3 While anything can happen in the world of gold, no one expects bullion（金条金块） price to rise anytime soon. Desperation sales by Asian citizens and governments have been depressing gold prices for months. At this autumns price of about $290 an ounce, gold is going for 10 percent less than last fall and 25 percent less than in 1996. American jewelry counters barely reflect that steep decline. A survey by the World Gold Council found that Americans paid about $83 for the typical piece of gold jewelry this summer, down about $2 from what they paid in 1996. Most retail jewelers have lowe