People to Avoid on a Flight 坐飞机要远离这些人

张祖平

Ive been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world and attend weddings， parties and religious1 celebrations2 in different countries. I notice that gold is almost always part of cultural events. Why do people love gold？

For some people， gold seems to be a status3 symbol. Indian businessman Datta loves gold so much that hes even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250，000. “Some people want to own an Audi or Mercedes， I chose gold，” he explains.

For other people， gold is an investment4. The price of gold generally5 increases over time—and in European markets it even reached over $1，600 per ounce6 in 2013.

And for many people， the family heirloom brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet7 that was given by her grandmother—who， in turn， inherited8 it from her own grandmother. Its quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its sentimental9 value is greater than its value in dollars： Its a beautiful object that holds many family memories.

Status and investment are good reasons to value gold， but， I think that the real reason people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamuns mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful？

People love gold because it captures10 our minds， our imagination and， above all， our hearts.

我一直都很幸運，可以周游世界，到各个国家去旅行，参加不同国家的婚礼、聚会和宗教庆典。我发现黄金几乎一直都是文化活动中不可或缺的部分。为什么人们喜爱黄金？

对于很多人来说，黄金似乎是身份的象征。印度商人达塔很是喜爱黄金，甚至买了一件价值25万美元的由黄金打造而成的衬衫。“有些人想拥有一辆奥迪或者梅塞德斯，但是我会选择黄金。”他解释道。

对另一些人而言，黄金意味着一项投资。黄金的价格通常都会与日俱增，而且在欧洲市场，黄金价格甚至在2013年就高达每盎司1，600美元。

对于很多人来说，祖上传家宝是集身份地位和投资为一体的。我妈妈有一个她祖母传给她的金手镯，而这个金手镯也是由她祖母的祖母传给她祖母的。这个金手镯相当重，大概价值不菲。但是它所蕴含的情感价值远远大于它的实际价值——它可是一件承载了很多家庭记忆的美丽物件。

身份地位和投资是人们重视黄金的上好理由，但是，我认为人们真正喜爱黄金的原因是它可以做成美丽的东西。想一想图坦卡门的面具，你见过其他如此美丽的东西？

人们喜爱黄金是因为它俘获了我们的思想，我们的想象力，尤其是我们的心。