Many people have heard stories of the California gold rush during the 19th century, when lots of people went there in search for gold. Panning (淘洗) for gold has a rich and interesting history. Nowadays some people continue to pan for gold in California. Although it cannot be regarded as a method for earning income, taking on gold-panning as a hobby can give you a feeling of being in the old west and get you out into nature.
The only tool that is required to pan for gold is a gold pan. You can use a regular old flat pan, but “officially” gold pans are quite cheap so you may as well buy one that is made for the task. Most sold pans come in either plastic or medal.
Once you have your pan you will want to start practicing your gold panning technique. Panning for gold works because gold is much heavier than most rocks. To pan for gold you add rock and dirt form the bottom of a stream to your pan and then gently let water flow through the pan. The lighter-weight rocks are slowly swept away while any gold will be left behind in the pan.
To start panning for gold, first you will need to find a good location. Try checking maps of your area and old history books to find location where there were gold mines in the past. Even though most of the gold have already been removed, there are likely to be small leftovers that you can find. Once you have found an area that looks promising, look for any small stream or river where you can try out panning for gold.
Panning for gold requires patience and it may be a long time before you hit anything of value. However, it is an enjoyable hobby and provides a great opportunity to get outdoors, so don’t give up too quickly.
小题1:What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A．Where to pan for gold.
B．How gold-panning works.
C．What tools are needed.
D．A promising area for panning.小题2:What is the author’s attitude toward modern gold-planning?
A．Opposed.
B．Indifferent .
C．Positive.
D．Neutral .小题3:In which part of a newspaper would you probably find this article?
A．Lifestyle.
B．Health.
C．Travel.
D．Sports.
