1 Both the Greeks and the Romans minted coins. The Romans called the place where coins were made and stored by the Latin word moneta, the ancestor of the English word money. Even after coins were developed, however, the world was still a long way away from our current system of money. Each city made its own coins, with no common way of exchanging one type for another. Gradually, traders worked out different rates of exchange.
2 Another complication lay in the fact that for thousands of years, most people did not use money for important purchases. Although the wealthier classes used money for major transactions, ordinary people continued to barter for most things in their daily lives. For example, workers would be paid in food, clothing, and shelter, rather than in money. Farmers would grow food and make items for themselves, trading the tiny surplus for whatever they could not make or grow.
3 Paper money had a lot of advantages: it was lighter and easier to carry. It was also a lot cheaper to make. The development of paper money meant that people had grasped the difference between money as a symbol and money as something that was worth only the actual cost of the paper and ink in making a bill. The first known use of paper money was in China, around the year 1300. The first use of paper money in Europe was in Sweden in the 1600s, a time of extensive international trade and exploration. Because paper money made trade easier and more efficient, its use quickly caught on throughout the world.
2 Another complication lay in the fact that for thousands of years, most people did not use money for important purchases. Although the wealthier classes used money for major transactions, ordinary people continued to barter for most things in their daily lives. For example, workers would be paid in food, clothing, and shelter, rather than in money. Farmers would grow food and make items for themselves, trading the tiny surplus for whatever they could not make or grow.
3 Paper money had a lot of advantages: it was lighter and easier to carry. It was also a lot cheaper to make. The development of paper money meant that people had grasped the difference between money as a symbol and money as something that was worth only the actual cost of the paper and ink in making a bill. The first known use of paper money was in China, around the year 1300. The first use of paper money in Europe was in Sweden in the 1600s, a time of extensive international trade and exploration. Because paper money made trade easier and more efficient, its use quickly caught on throughout the world.
单选题
Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?
A. Because the majority of people did not have much money, they had to use other methods of exchange.
B. Rich people used money for important purchases, but common people traded goods and services directly.
C. The daily life of the rich and the poor differed mainly in the amount of money that was available to them.
D. The wealthier classes had more control over how they used their money than did members of the lower classes.
A. Because the majority of people did not have much money, they had to use other methods of exchange.
B. Rich people used money for important purchases, but common people traded goods and services directly.
C. The daily life of the rich and the poor differed mainly in the amount of money that was available to them.
D. The wealthier classes had more control over how they used their money than did members of the lower classes.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】Although the wealthier classes used money for major transactions.., is paraphrased in Rich people used money for important purchases, but ordinary people continued to barter for most things in their daily lives is paraphrased in... common people traded goods and services directly.
单选题
The word grasped in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. reduced
B. challenged
C. understood
D. hidden
A. reduced
B. challenged
C. understood
D. hidden
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】Grasped means understood in this context. Clues: Paper money had a lot of advantages...; ...the difference between money as a symbol and money as something that was worth only the actual cost of the paper and ink...; Because paper money made trade easier and more efficient, its use quickly caught on throughout the world.
填空题
Look at the four squares,
, 
, 
, and 
, which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
However, this was a long, slow process that often developed differently, depending on the individual trader.
Both the Greeks and the Romans minted coins. The Romans called the place where coins were made and stored by the Latin word moneta, the ancestor of the English word money.
Even after coins were developed, however, the world was still a long way away from our current system of money. 
Each city made its own coins, with no common way of exchanging one type for another. 
Gradually, traders worked out different rates of exchange. 
, , , and , which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?However, this was a long, slow process that often developed differently, depending on the individual trader.
Both the Greeks and the Romans minted coins. The Romans called the place where coins were made and stored by the Latin word moneta, the ancestor of the English word money.
Even after coins were developed, however, the world was still a long way away from our current system of money. Each city made its own coins, with no common way of exchanging one type for another. Gradually, traders worked out different rates of exchange.
填空题
Look at the four squares,
,
,
, and 
, which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
As trade became an ever more important part of the world economy, people began to use paper money as well as coins.
Paper money had a lot of advantages: it was lighter and easier to carry. 
It was also a lot cheaper to make. 
The development of paper money meant that people had grasped the difference between money as a symbol and money as something that was worth only the actual cost of the paper and ink in making a bill. The first known use of paper money was in China, around the year 1300. 
The first use of paper money in Europe was in Sweden in the 1600s, a time of extensive international trade and exploration. Because paper money made trade easier and more efficient, its use quickly caught on throughout the world. EXTE
, , , and , which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?As trade became an ever more important part of the world economy, people began to use paper money as well as coins.
Paper money had a lot of advantages: it was lighter and easier to carry. It was also a lot cheaper to make. The development of paper money meant that people had grasped the difference between money as a symbol and money as something that was worth only the actual cost of the paper and ink in making a bill. The first known use of paper money was in China, around the year 1300. The first use of paper money in Europe was in Sweden in the 1600s, a time of extensive international trade and exploration. Because paper money made trade easier and more efficient, its use quickly caught on throughout the world. EXTE