B2 – Upper Intermediate
Gold has always been regarded as a good investment option or an alternative way to diversify portfolio.
In the recent years, there has been a gold rush, triggering a massive eagerness among investors.
However, if you are considering to put some of your money into this, it’s crucial to do an extensive research and understand the risks and benefits prior to purchasing gold.
Read the article about the truth behind investing in gold.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygyjy7kz5o
Listen to the article here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0l9pwd1
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “bric-a-brac” mean? “Emma is the strategies director of Hatton Garden Metals, a family-run gold dealership in London’s Hatton Garden jewellery district, and this unprepossessing tub of bric-a-brac is a small sample of what they buy over the counter each day.” Use this term in a sentence. Give a synonym.
- What does “to conjure something out of thin air” mean? “Gold can’t be printed by central banks, and it can’t be conjured out of thin air.“ Use this phrase in a sentence. Give a similar expression.
- What does “to owe a great deal to someone/something” mean? “The recent increases appear to owe a great deal to the way markets have responded to the confusion triggered by the Trump administration.” Use this idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.
Discussion Questions:
- Cite and explain the benefits of investing in gold.
- Cite and explain the drawbacks of investing in gold.
- Now equipped with some knowledge about gold as an investment, do you think it is a good investment or not? Explain.
- What is your opinion on billionaire Warren Buffett tagging gold as “lifeless” and “neither of much use nor procreative”?
- Share your thoughts on this, “Central banks have collectively bought more than 1,000 tonnes of gold each year. Central banks may themselves have been trying to build up buffers at a time of growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty.”
- Do you think your central bank should buy more gold, too? Why or why not?