A long time ago, before there was any money (coins or paper money), people got the things that they needed by trading or exchanging. Salt was one of the first items used to exchange for other items. Later, some of the common things that were used for exchanging were tea leaves, shells, feathers, animal teeth, tobacco, and blankets. Around 3000 BC, barley, a type of grain, was used for exchanging.
The world’s first metal money was developed by the Sumerians who melted silver into small bars all weighing the same. This was around 1000 BC. About three hundred years later, people started using coins as official money.
Around 640 BC, people in the ancient kingdom of Lydia ( which was in Turkey) created special coins of exact with and purity (纯度). They were made of gold and silver and were stamped with a lion’s head.
Later, other empires such as Greece, Persia, and Rome adopted the concept of coins and started developing their own in many different shapes and different metals.
Around the year 1000, the Chinese started using paper money. The Chinese were the first to use paper money. The Europeans discovered this thanks to Marco Polo who went to China in 1295. the Chinese had different values for the paper notes which were made by the Chinese government.
Around 1661, Sweden became the first European country to make paper money. Until 1850, the Spanish dollar was the coin most widely used throughout the world.
小题1:What is the best title for this passage?
A． The history of money
B． How people traded in the past
C． The invention of paper money
D． The use of coins around the world小题2:We learn that before coins and paper money were used, _____.
A． barley had always been used for exchanging
B． only a few people knew how to trade with others
C． salt was the most widely used item for exchanging
D． many kinds of things were used for exchanging小题3:According to the passage, when did people start using coins as official money?
A. Around 1300 BC. B. Around 1000 BC.
C. Around 700 BC. D. Around 640 BC.
小题4:The underlined word “adopted” in Paragraph 4 probably means “____”.
A． replaced
B． changed
C． accepted
D． invented小题5:Which of the following countries first started to use paper money?
A．Spain
B．China
C．Sweden
D．Lydia
