Listening 1: "hit pay dirt"

They are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the modern world.

Locating and extracting them is a long and demanding process.

Gold and diamonds are more profitable than oil.

any soil that was suitable for agricultural purposes.

substances of financial value found in the ground

the expensive equipment used by miners to dig for gold.

a period of massive migration to North America for mining.

the early exploration of the United States and Canada.

a time of economic crisis in the mid-19th century.

The search for gold was easier than people had expected.

Miners had to deal with harsh environments and weather.

Most people who traveled to North America found gold quickly.

It is now only used in the context of professional geology.

It describes any situation where someone finds buried treasure.

It can now refer to any activity that generates a financial gain.

To discover something that leads to wealth or achievement.

To stumble in business venture despite putting in a lot of effort.

To physically strike the ground in order to find minerals.

happens by pure chance without any previous planning.

involves significant labour and dedication.

occurs much faster than it did in the 1800s .

The verb "hit" is the only grammatically correct option.

The verb "strike" can be used as an alternative to "hit."

"Strike it rich" is a more formal version of "hitting pay dirt."