Supplementary Text Money
Supplementary Text Money
Supplementary Text 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.
Comprehension: Multiple Choices: Put a circle around the letter of the best answer.
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?
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2. * How did people choose the things they used for money?
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3. Do we know for certain when people first used metal coins?
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4. What is the date of the earliest coins?
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5. What metal did people first use to make coins?
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Homework
(deadline: 8 Nov 2017)
Name in Arabic:
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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