| Until recently, the British system of
money was not based on the decimal system. But in February, 1971, Great
Britain{{U}} (41) {{/U}}its currency to the decimal system(十进制). The
pound is still the basic monetary unit, but it is now made up of 100 pennies{{U}}
(42) {{/U}}pence. In the new system, there are six coins. The coins
are known{{U}} (43) {{/U}}their values. They have the following values:
1/2 pence or penny, 1 penny, 2 pence, 5 pence, 10 pence, and 50 pence. In Great Britain, the word note is used to refer to paper money. The notes you would most probably use if you{{U}} (44) {{/U}}England are the one-pound note, the five-pound note, and the ten-pound note. It isn't{{U}} (45) {{/U}}for a country to convert(转换) its currency from one system to{{U}} (46) {{/U}}. In England the Decimal Currency Board spent $ 3 million to explain the new system to the people. The change{{U}} (47) {{/U}}the decimal method of counting is to go much{{U}} (48) {{/U}}than the money system. Great Britain will{{U}} (49) {{/U}}the metric system for all weights and measurements. The{{U}} (50) {{/U}}will be enormous. According to one estimate, it will run{{U}} (51) {{/U}}$12 billion. There must be new{{U}} (52) {{/U}}for businesses and factories, new bottles and cans for the food and dairy industries, new traffic{{U}} (53) {{/U}}for the highways (the speed limits and distances must be{{U}} (54) {{/U}}in kilometers rather than miles), new thermometers (water will freeze{{U}} (55) {{/U}}0 degrees centigrade instead of 32 degrees Fahrenheit). But the changeover is inevitable. In the long{{U}} (56) {{/U}}, the new system, which is uniform and{{U}} (57) {{/U}}, will save money. And now that Great Britain has joined the Common Market, it will be necessary for British exporters to use the{{U}} (58) {{/U}}system as that of the other countries{{U}} (59) {{/U}}Britain has formed such close economic{{U}} (60) {{/U}}. |