雅思5.5基础阅读课程讲义 unit 14

Unit 14  Money

Money Through the Ages

词汇讲解:

age  n. 世纪；

aging problem：老龄化。

e.g.: I haven`t seen you for ages. 我有几个世纪没见到你了。

A

From the earliest of times, money has been central to our communities and our organized way of life. Over the centuries, various monetary systems have directed our lives. Today, it has wide social, psychological and political influence. It has  developed since the beginnings of our history.

词汇讲解:

community : n. 社区, 社会, 团体；

community college：社区大学。

directed：指导，指挥；

influence  n. 影响; 影响力，感染力；

v.  势力, 权势。

同义词：effect    n. 结果, 效果, 影响，感受；

fluency   n. 流利，流畅，雄辩。

B

From the beginning of humankind, the system of barter, or exchange, has been used to buy goods. Personal items of value such as crops or animals were exchanged for goods or services wanted. This kind of exchange still exists today

词汇讲解:

barter  v. 物物交换，事物之间的交换，bar：指的是木条，铁棒；

Put sb. behind the bars.  谚语：把某人关在监狱里。

bargain：

v:讨价还价；

n: 便宜的东西；

items：某样东西；

crop   n. 作物, 庄稼 (谷物等的)收获, 收成，一群(人)

wanted：想要；被通缉；

exist  vi. 存在, 有；

C

There is a problem with using perishable commodities such as salt, tea, tobacco, cattle, pigs or seeds as money, because the storage and transportation of these items become a problem. Consequently, over time, the bartering system evolved, so that people could sell their pigs at the best possible time and receive coins which could later be used to buy grain when the wheat was harvested.

词汇讲解:

perish  vi. 丧生，消亡，死亡；损坏，腐烂；

perishable   adj. 容易腐烂的。

D

However, coins to pay for these items developed at different times in different parts of the world. Coins appeared as a natural progression from the use of shells and beads for money. In China around 1200 BCE cowry shells were used. Other people, for example, the North American Indians, beaded together clam shells as their means of money. As time went by, the Chinese began making mock cowry shells out of metal. This metal currency is considered the origin of metal coins as they are known in the modern world. These original coins were made with holes in the middle so they could be chained together.

词汇讲解:

coin  n. 硬币；

cash：现金；

currency：货币。

shell  n. (贝、卵、坚果等的)壳；

bead   n. (空心)小珠子，beaded together：串在一起；

cowry  n. 宝贝,贝壳；

mock 仿制的; 模拟，mock examination：模拟考试；

chain：

n. 链, 锁链；一系列的事物；连锁店或旅馆；

v. 束缚。

chain store: 连锁店。

E

Later, around 700 BCE, the Lydians, who lived in the area known as Turkey, were the first people to make silver coins. From around 550 BCE they produced pure silver and gold coins with their gods and emperors imprinted on the surface. From the fourth century BCE the Egyptians used gold bars as a means of exchange. Coins were now in wider use. The Greeks and Romans used the more scarce metals of bronze, gold and silver to make their coins, which meant the coin itself became quite valuable, whereas the earlier Chinese coins had been made of more common base metals.

词汇讲解:

Turkey: 土耳其；

turkey: 火鸡；

pure  adj. 纯的

imprint   vt. 印；盖印于，在...上压出记号；使带上...的特征，铭刻；牢记。

scarce   adj. 缺乏的，罕见的，稀缺的；

scarce resource：稀缺的资源。

F

In China, around 118 BCE, as the metals available for coin making diminished, leather money developed. This early form of paper money was made of white deer-skin edged in bright colours. This was given in exchange for goods. Paper money more resembling that which we use today became commonly issued in China from around 960 CE onwards, but it developed much later in the Western World.

词汇讲解:

available：可获得，可达到的；

diminish   vt. & vi. (使)减少，缩小；

leather：皮；

feather：羽毛；

edge：边，棱，边缘，刀口[刃]；

issue：

n. 问题，议题，争论点，发行物，出版物；

vt. 出版；发行；分给。

G

The system of representative money, where a piece of paper was representation of goods or money accumulated, developed from the commodity money system. Banks stored precious goods, which were usually in the form of silver or gold bars, and offered a paper receipt for their value. These paper receipts were soon being traded as a form of money. The expression ‘as good as gold’ developed from this practice as it was generally accepted that although the receipt itself was of very little value it had a significant value since it was backed by the promise to pay the amount stated on the receipt. As a consequence of this practice, in 1694 the Bank of England issued the first permanently circulating banknotes, but it was not until the eighteenth century that the use of printed notes of a fixed value came into use.

词汇讲解:

representative：

n.   代表，代理人 ；e.g.: this is my representative 这是我的代理人

adj. 具有代表性的 有代表特征的；

representation  n. 表现，表示，代理；表现…的事物；图画，雕塑；

presentation：报告，个人演说。

accumulated  vt. & vi. 堆积; 积累

store：储存，存贮；

precious  adj. 宝贵的, 珍贵的, 贵重的, 珍爱的；

receipt  n. 收据；

invoice   n. 发票；

warranty  n. 保证书，保单；

recipe   n. 烹饪法，食谱；方法，秘诀，诀窍；

practice:

vt. & vi.  练习，实习；

n.  实践，practice make perfect：实践出真知。

significant  adj. 重要的，重大的，可观的；

state：

v. 表达，陈述;

n. 州

issue：v 发行；

permanently  adj. 永久(性)的，固定的；

反义词：temporary  adj. 临时的，暂时的，短时间的；

long-term长期

short-term 短期

circulating  adj. & n. 循环(的)，流通(的)；

circulating capital：流动资本；

cash flow：现金流；

H

Another system of money which evolved over time was that of fiat money. This is not based on the representation of any commodity or precious metal stored in a bank. Instead, it is money which is given value by a government. Fiat money has become the standard form of national currency in the world today. This trend began in 1971when the United States declared its dollar would no longer be backed by any commodity.

词汇讲解:

trend：趋势；

declare   vt. 正式宣布，宣告，声明；

claim，e.g.：i claim that. 我认为。

announce，sb announce. 某人正式宣布。

proclaim：正式提出；

state  n. 州政府；v. 陈述，表达。

I

　　Throughout history, coins have been by far the most important form of money. In an auction at Sotheby's in London in July 1995, 200 ancient coins sold for over two million pounds. One coin, mimed in 460 BCE was sold for one hundred and thirty two thousand pounds. For someone to pay that much for a coin, they must be made of money. Just think, an old coin stashed away in a drawer somewhere or dug up in the garden could make a mint in an auction. If you are hard up, finding an old coin may be just what you need to help make ends meet. In fact, if you were lucky enough to find a very rare coin, you too could end up with money to burn!

词汇讲解:

Form：

n. 表格；以…的形式；

v. 形成；

auction  v. 拍卖；n. 拍卖，拍卖方式;

mint   [mint] 

n. 铸币厂；巨额(的钱)。

a mint of money. 巨额的钱；

薄荷 薄荷糖

vt. & vi. 铸造。

Stash：

vt. 隐藏；

n. 隐藏处；

make the ends meet：使收支相抵；

make buckle and tongue meet  v. 使收支平衡；

buckle up：系好(安全带)。

练习1 Look at the title of the reading passage: Money Through the Ages Ask yourself:

a. What is the main topic of the passage?

i. History

ii. Money

iii. People

b. What is the main idea (the aspect of the topic) that will be discussed in the passage?

i. in ancient times

ii. in modern times

iii. at all times in history

 

Scanning for Specific Information

练习2 ：Scan read the passage quickly to find the following key words. Which people are mentioned in the passage? Write the letter of the paragraph(s) beside each one.

　a. North American Indians     ______

　b. Chinese     ______

　c. Lydians     ______

　d. Egyptians     ______

　e. Greeks     ______

　f. Romans     ______

练习3：Which monetary systems are discussed in the passage? Write the letter of the paragraph(s) beside each one.

　 a. Commodity    ______

　 b. Representative  ______

　 c. Fiat     ______

 

IELTS Type Questions: Reading for Details and for Main Ideas

Table Completion

练习4 ：Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, A DATE OR A NUMBER from the reading passage for each answer.

Event

Date

Shells   were used as money

1〕________

First   2〕________   coins

700   BCE

Coins   with markings on them were produced

3〕________

Base   metal reserves for producing coins reduced

4〕________

5〕________   in China

960   CE

6〕________   were used in England

1694

The   US dollar is no longer supported by a gold reserve

7〕________

Coin   made in 8〕________ was sold for￡132,000

1995

 

Matching

练习5 ：Look at the following list of statements.

Match each statement 1-7 with the correct people (A-E).

List of people

A. North American   Indians

B. Lydians

C. Egyptians

D. Greeks and Romans

E. Chinese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　　1______ used clam shells as money

　　2 ______ made substitute cowry shells

　　3 ______ made coins out of bronze

　　4 ______ made the first silver coins

　　5 ______ used gold bars as payment

　　6 ______ made coins from less expensive metals

　　7 ______ made the earliest paper money from animal skins

 

Classification

练习6：According to the information in the reading passage, classify the following statements as being associated with one of the following monetary systems.

　A   Commodity

　B   Representation

　C   Fiat

Write the correct letter, A, B or C in the gaps.

　1) ________ is supported by the promise of gold or silver bars as payment.

　2) ________ is also a system of barter, or exchange.

　3) ________ uses items that cannot be easily stored or moved around.

　4) ________ is the most common system in modern times.

5) ________ provides a receipt as a pledge for an equivalent amount of a commodity or valuable that is being stored.

　6) ________ has a monetary worth set by the state.

　7) ________ is not supported by a stored product or commodity.

 

Vocabulary-Idiomatic Expressions

1.         Match the beginning of an expression (Column A) with an ending(Column B).

　     Column A                                      Column B

　　a. a nest ________                                   i. a mint

　　b. to be ________                                   ii. to burn

　　c. to be made of ________                            iii. as gold

　　d. to make ________                                 iv. egg

　　e. to make ends ________                             v. hard up

　　f. as good ________                                  vi. talks

　　g. money ________                                  vii. money

　　h. to have money ________                            viii. meet

2.         Match a common expression above with a meaning below. Note: Number vi. has two correct answers.

　i. to have enough money to survive ________

　ii. to have very little money ________

　iii. to have money put aside for future needs ________

　iv. people with a lot of money have power and influence ________

　v. to gain a lot of money ________

　vi. to be extremely rich ________

　vii. everything is fine (as promised) ________

3.         Complete the following sentences using one of the common expressions.

　a. My friend has just won a million dollars. Now he has ________.

　b. Our neighbours are already struggling to ________ I really don't think they can afford to have another child.

　c. The oil company paid the farmers money to walk off their land. ________, you know.

　d. He went to Las Vegas and ________ in one of the casinos there. He won an incredible amount of money!

　e. Can you lend me fifty dollars? I'm a bit ________ at the moment.

　f. Leave your bag behind the desk. It'll be ________ there.

　g. I think he's ________ Look he's wearing a genuine Rolex watch and Pierre Cardin suit and now he's driving a Ferrari.

　h. Well, he must have certainly used money from his ________ to pay for that!