India is the world's biggest gold consumer, but the country's passion for the yellow metal is waning(逐渐减弱). Record high prices and the recent economic recession have taken away some of the glitter of gold. The country's passion for gold is rooted in culture and custom. Gold ornaments(装饰品) are a traditional wedding present to brides and a gift of the precious metal during their religious festivals means good fortune. It is a traditional gift on other important occasions, such as the birth of a child. But shop owners say now they only see "essential customers"—those who have to buy for the marriage of a son or a daughter. Even these buyers are scaling back on purchases. Some are passing on traditional hereditary(遗传的) treasures, instead of buying new gold. Others are cutting back on the quantity of gold they buy and opting for ornaments of lesser weight. Gold is getting hit not just by the surging prices. In the big cities, the attraction of the precious metal is waning, as trends change. The new status symbol of the country's wealthy class is no longer jewelry, but expensive mobile phones, iPods or designer labels. However, in a country where the love of gold dates back centuries, jewelry shop owners say they will wait patiently for sales to pick up. As has happened many times in the past, they are hoping that customers will flock back, once they get accustomed to the higher prices.
单选题
The reason for the decline of gold sales is that______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：根据文章首段末句可知，黄金价格上涨及经济衰退使黄金销量下降，由此可知答案为B)。
单选题
The fact that Indian people are crazy about gold results from______.