IELTS Reading 練習 貨幣的起源（含題目+詳解）

The Origins of Money

For most of human history, people obtained the goods they needed without using money. In the small, kin-based societies that dominated the prehistoric world, food and tools were typically shared, gifted or exchanged through long-running social obligations. The familiar idea that early humans practised straightforward barter — swapping a basket of fish directly for a clay pot, for example — is largely a myth invented by later economists. Anthropological studies of small-scale societies show no clear evidence of such markets in the absence of states.

What did precede coinage in many regions was the use of "commodity money": a few highly valued items that could stand in for almost anything else. Cattle, salt, cocoa beans, lengths of cloth and large stone discs have all served this role. The most famous example is probably the cowrie shell, used across parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific for over three thousand years. Cowries were durable, hard to forge and small enough to carry in quantity. Their value depended on a shared belief that others would accept them — exactly the same psychological foundation on which modern banknotes rest.

True coinage — standardised pieces of metal stamped with an authority's mark — appears in the archaeological record around 600 BC. The earliest examples come from Lydia, in what is now western Turkey, where coins were minted from electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver. Within a century, coins had spread across the Greek city-states, Persia and northern India. The advantages were obvious: a stamped weight removed the need to test purity at every transaction, and a king's image on the metal advertised political authority over distance.

Paper money came much later. Although the Tang Chinese experimented with paper notes from the ninth century AD, it was not until the Song dynasty in the eleventh century that government-issued banknotes circulated widely. Marco Polo's amazed reports of paper currency in thirteenth-century China helped seed the idea in Europe, but European states did not issue their own paper money for several more centuries.

1. Most prehistoric societies relied on direct barter to exchange goods.
2. Cowrie shells were used as money in some regions for thousands of years.
3. The first coins were made of pure gold.
4. Marco Polo introduced paper money to Europe.

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

1. The writer suggests that the value of cowrie shells came primarily from:

- A. their religious significance - B. their rarity in nature - C. shared belief in their acceptance - D. their use in jewellery

1. According to the passage, one major advantage of stamped coinage was that it:

- A. eliminated the need to weigh metal at each transaction - B. allowed coins to be made by anyone - C. made forgery impossible - D. replaced cowrie shells overnight

Complete the summary below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.

Before coins, many societies used items such as cattle, salt and shells as (7) ______. The earliest stamped coins appeared in Lydia around 600 BC and were made from (8) ______, a natural alloy. Government-issued paper notes first circulated widely under the (9) ______ in eleventh-century China.

1. FALSE Supporting sentence: "The familiar idea that early humans practised straightforward barter ... is largely a myth invented by later economists". The passage explicitly rejects the barter story.

2. TRUE Supporting sentence: "the cowrie shell, used across parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific for over three thousand years". "Over three thousand years" matches "thousands of years".

3. FALSE Supporting sentence: "coins were minted from electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver". An alloy of gold and silver is not pure gold. The statement contradicts the passage.

4. NOT GIVEN The passage says Marco Polo's reports "helped seed the idea" in Europe but does not say he introduced paper money. The statement overstates his role. Choose NOT GIVEN.

5. C — shared belief in their acceptance Supporting sentence: "Their value depended on a shared belief that others would accept them". Direct paraphrase.

6. A — eliminated the need to weigh metal at each transaction Supporting sentence: "a stamped weight removed the need to test purity at every transaction". "Test purity" includes the need to weigh and assay; A is the closest paraphrase. C overstates ("impossible" is not in the passage).

7. commodity money Supporting sentence: "What did precede coinage in many regions was the use of 'commodity money'". Two-word phrase from the text.

8. electrum Supporting sentence: "coins were minted from electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver". Single word, exact match.

9. Song dynasty Supporting sentence: "it was not until the Song dynasty in the eleventh century that government-issued banknotes circulated widely". Two-word answer.