C(2026·南通市通州区期末)
Over the years, people have used different forms(形式) of money as a way to trade or save.
Seashells
Generally, people think the first form of money was seashells. About 3,000 years ago, people in some East Asian countries like China and some countries in Africa used shells. People thought shells were a good choice because they were easy to carry, similar in size and lasted a long time.
Coins
Then, people developed skills for making metal(金属) things, and metal coins appeared(出现). Metal coins were made of bronze, iron, gold or silver. The earliest metal coins were gold coins from Lydia, which were used around 600 BCE. Coins had different
shapes. For example, in ancient China, people had daobi(knife coins), fangkongqian(round coins with a square hole in the centre), etc.
Paper money
The first known paper money appeared in China during the Song Dynasty, which is called jiaozi. The paper was a promise to pay a certain amount of money. Six centuries later(in the
10－7
1600s), banks in Europe started to give out paper money. Paper money became common in almost all currencies(货币), and people still use it widely.
Digital(数字的) money
These days, people are used to paying for things electronically. Now many countries are developing digital currencies. Money is used in a new form.
(
A
)9. Which place used the earliest metal coins?
A. Lydia. B. China. C. Africa. D. Europe.
(
D
)10. Why were seashells a good choice as money?
A. Because they were expensive.
B. Because they were hard to find.
C. Because they had different sizes.
D. Because they were easy to carry in size and lasted long.
(
C
)11. What does the underlined word “shapes” mean?
A. 颜色 B. 气味 C. 形状 D. 质地
(
B
)12. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The use of seashells B. Money in different forms
C. Paper money in China D. The future of digital money
