Supplementary Text – 1 - The History of Money

Today, currency is a mixture of coins and paper money. But it wasn’t always that way. Before people
had metal coins and paper bills, they used a lot of unusual things for money. In one part of the world,
for example, people used sharks’ teeth for money. In some places, brightly colored feathers and rare
seashells were money. People in one area even used the hair from elephant’s tails for money.

No one knows for sure when people started using metal coins for money. The oldest coins are over
2,500 years old, so we know the people used coins a very long time ago. At first, people used precious
metals, such as gold and silver, to make coins. They stamped the shape of a person or animal on each
coin to indicate its value.

In the 13th century, people in China used iron coins for their currency. These coins weren’t worth very
much, and people had to use many of them to buy things. Because it was inconvenient to carry so many
of these coins, the government started making paper receipts. People took these receipts to banks and
traded them for coins. This was the first example of paper money.

Today, most countries use a mixture of coins and paper bills for their currency. In the United States, the
paper bills are all the same size and color. For example, the $1 bill is the same size and color as the $100
bill. In many other countries, the bills have different sizes and colors. The smaller bills are worth less
money. This makes it easier for people to tell the value of their money.

In 2002, twelve European countries started using a completely new currency. It is called the euro. Many
Europeans miss their old currencies, but now it is easier to move money from one country to another.

Here are a few more fascinating facts about the history of money.

 Feathers were the lightest money ever used. People o the Pacific Island of Santa Cruz used
them.
 Stones were the heaviest money every used. People on the Pacific Island of Yap used them.
Some weighed over 500 pounds!
 The smallest money ever used was in Greece. The coins were made of metal, but they were
smaller than an apple seed.
Vocabulary: Put the right word in each blank. The sentences are from the text.

Currency worth facts precious coins iron bills metal

inconvenient receipts indicate Fascinating traded
1. Because it was ___________________________________ to carry so many coins, the
government started making paper __________________________________.
2. At first, people used _______________________ metals, such as gold and silver, to make coins.
3. Here are a few more ___________________________ ________________________ about the
history of money.
4. People took these receipts to banks and ________________________________ them for coins.
5. Today, ____________________________ is a mixture of ____________________ and paper
money.
6. These coins weren’t _______________________________ very much, and people had to use
many of them to buy things.
7. Before people had __________________ coins and paper ______________________, they used
a lot of unusual things for money.
8. They stamped the shape of a person or animal on each coin to ___________________ its value.
9. In the 13th century, people in China used ______________________________ coins for their
currency.
Vocabulary: New Context: Put the right word in each blank.

Currency worth facts precious coins iron bills metal

inconvenient receipts indicate Fascinating traded
1. Each country has its own ________________. In Mexico, it’s the peso, and in Japan, it is the yen.
2. A newspaper reporter needs all the ________________________ to write a good story.
3. My friends are more _________________________ to me than the most valuable jewels.
4. She spends most of her free time taking photographs. It’s a ____________________ hobby.
5. When you buy something in a store, they usually put them _____________________ in the bag.
6. ____________________ is a common kind of metal. It has been used in ___________________.
7. Can you change a twenty-dollar _________________________________ for me?
8. When people smile, it usually __________________ that they are happy.
9. The bus is cheap, but it is a little _______________. It makes ten stops before it gets to the city.
10. Which car is _______________________ more money?
11. Paul ___________________ his soccer ball for his friend’s basketball. I think they’re both happy.
12. _________________________________ is stronger than paper.
Vocabulary Review: Put the right word in each blank

Tiny war prevent sink odd destroyed flat suggest volunteers

identical realize
1. Can you ___________________________ a good restaurant around here?
2. The hole in my shirt is ________________________. I don’t think anyone will see it.
3. I can’t put the table here, because the ground isn’t _____________________________.
4. She looked so healthy that I didn’t __________________________ that she was sick.
5. There is an _________________________ smell in the room. I can’t identify it.
6. If you throw a stone in the water, it will __________________________________.
7. My brothers bought _________________________ cars, but they didn’t do it on purpose.
8. There was a ______________________ in the United States in the 1860s. Many people died.
9. Chris was lucky he didn’t get hurt. His car was ___________________.
10. That high fence helps to ___________________ people from entering.
11. I need some ________________________________ t help me organize the party.

Comprehension: Multiple Choices: Put a circle around the letter of the best answer.

1. In China in the 13th century, coins were made from _____________

a. Gold b. copper c. silver d. iron
2. The oldest coins are about _________________ years old.
a. 6,000 b. 8,000 c. 2,500 d. 800
3. In most countries, the _________ is a mixture of paper and coins.
a. Dollar b. currency c. precious metal d. receipt
4. People in China traded paper money for coins at _____________.
a. Banks b. teahouses c. warehouses d. government offices
5. Paper became a form of money because ____________________.
a. It was cheap b. it was easy to carry c. it was heavier than metal d. the government
didn’t have any metal
6. The Chinese started to use __________ instead of carrying around heavy iron coins.
a. Sharks’ teeth b. gold and silver c. receipts d. dollars.
7. ______________ were the lightest money ever.
a. Sharks’ teeth b. feathers c. seashells d. stones.
8. ________________ were the heaviest money ever used.
a. Sharks’ teeth b. feathers c. seashells d. stones.
9. Some of the stone money weighed over ___________ pounds.
a. 500 b. 60 c. 600 d. 5, 000
10. The smallest money ever was used in ________________.
a. Greece b. China c. Italy d. the Pacific islands
11. The smallest coins ever were about the size of _________________________.
a. Postage stamps b. apple core c. apple seeds d. seashells
 12. The bills of many countries have ______________ sizes and colors.
a. The same b. different c. inconvenient d. identical

Questions: the asterisk (*) means you have to think of the answer. You cannot find it in the text.

1. What are some of the things that people used before they had coins and bills?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. * How did people choose the things they used for money?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Do we know for certain when people first used metal coins?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the date of the earliest coins?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. What metal did people first use to make coins?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 Homework
(deadline: 8 Nov 2017)
Name in Arabic:

6. *How do most countries indicate the value of coins today?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. What metal did Chinese people use for coins in the 13 th century?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. What country made the first paper money?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Why did they make paper money?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Are all paper bills in the United States the same size and color?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
11. Are bills the same size and color in other countries?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
12. What is the euro?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Main Idea: Which is the main idea of this lesson? Choose one.

1. In the early days, many unusual things were used for money.
2. Paper currency started in China in the 13th century.
3. Coins and paper eventually replaced the early types of money.

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