Read the text and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F). THE AMERICAN GOLD RUSH It all started early in 1848 in California. James W. Marshall was working by the riverside when he found some small pieces of yellow metal in the water. He showed them to his boss. It was gold. The two men tried to keep a secret but without success. Soon, the magic word 'gold' was repeated all around the world. Everybody wanted to go to California to get rich. Thousands of people started to rush to the golden river by horse, by ship and even on foot. Night after night, a few more new towns appeared along the river. Some people brought tents to live in while others built wooden houses called huts. Looking for gold was hard work and many people were disappointed. Only the lucky ones found gold - sometimes up to $2,000 in one day. It is not surprising that many small hotels, restaurants and bars opened in these 'new towns. Their owners made fortunes providing services to people who arrived in a town in search of gold. By the end of 1850, the California Gold Rush was over. However, about forty-seven years later gold was discovered again, this time in Canada. Once more, over a thousand people left their homes and families to look for a better future. Today, at the original site of the California Gold Rush, near Sacramento, visitors can still try their luck with finding the yellow pieces of metal in the river. The old buildings have been redecorated and tourists can experience the life of the old days. Many of them are sure that they can find at least a small bit of gold. 1. The American Gold Rush started in the second half of the nineteenth century. 2. The pieces of metal found in the river were yellow. 3. James W. Marshall didn't show the gold he found to his DOss. 4. People travelled to California by horse, by ship and on foot. 5. The huts in which people lived near the river were usually made of bricks. 6. The owners of hotels, bars and restaurants got really rich in California. 7. In 1897, gold was discovered in Canada. 8. Today, people can look for gold in California near Sacramento.
