英语听力—环球英语 1437 The History of Money

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Katy Blake.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Christy VanArragon. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Small, shiny² shells⁴. Round metal coins. Colourful paper. Square pieces of plastic. What do these things have in common? They are all different kinds of money!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　How do you get the things you need? Do you trade with a friend? Do you use paper money, or coins? Or do you use credit⁵? Throughout⁶ history, people have used all of these different kinds of money. Today’s Spotlight is on the history of money.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Trading is one of the first ways that people have gotten what they need. For example, in the past, salt was very important to people. People needed salt to keep food fresh. So people would trade salt for other things they needed. People traded salt for shoes, tools, weapons and food. This method of trading is called bartering⁷. Instead of buying things, people bartered⁸, or traded, for them.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But bartering does not always work well. For example, a man who makes shoes may need some rice. He may try to trade the shoes he makes for the rice. But the person who grows rice may not need new shoes. If the man who grows rice is not willing⁹ to trade, the man who makes shoes is not able to get what he needs.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So over time, people developed a new system. Instead of bartering, people would trade for particular objects. These objects were often rare¹⁰ or beautiful. But sometimes the objects were even common things.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　These special objects are called proto-money. Proto means¹¹ “first in time” or “earliest.” So, proto-money is the first, or earliest kind of money. Some cultures used objects such as seeds, pieces of wood, animal skins, cloth, and shells.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In Native American culture, people used pieces of a special kind of seashell¹² as money. This kind of money was called wampum. People wore the pieces of wampum around their necks. It was a popular form of proto-money. In the 1600s, local governments in the United¹³ States even accepted it as an official form of money! People used wampum in America until about the year 1700.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Another popular kind of proto-money was a shell³ from the coasts of the Indian Ocean. This shell is called a cowrie shell. People have used cowrie shells in many places - from China to Africa. People used the cowrie shell because it is very beautiful. The shell is white with a little bit of yellow. The surface is very smooth. It is between one and three centimetres long. The small size and the physical beauty made the cowry shell a very popular kind of proto-money. In some parts of the world, people used cowrie shells as money until the eighteen hundreds.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　However, the most popular kind of proto-money was metal. The ancient Egyptians weighed amounts of metal like gold or silver. Each amount had a particular value. The Egyptians used gold and silver because of their beauty. These metals were purer than other metals, like iron¹⁴. People bought things for different amounts of metal. Something very valuable was worth a larger amount and weight of metal. Using metal as money led people to create metal coins.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　People in ancient Turkey made the first metal coins. The coins first appeared almost three thousand years ago. People used special tools to create pictures on pieces of metal. Each picture identified how much the piece of metal weighed. Each different weight of metal was worth a different amount.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Coins spread from Turkey into Africa and Europe. Soon, coins became the most popular form of money. People began to use coins all over the world. Coins had many different kinds of pictures stamped into them. Some coins had animals, while others showed common things such as tools or plants. Each different picture represented¹⁵ a different amount.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The first person to have his face on a coin was Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great lived more than two thousand years ago. He was the king of an area in Macedonia near Greece. He fought many battles, and never lost. He is one of history’s greatest military¹⁶ commanders. His coins were used throughout his territory¹⁷.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Another popular face on a coin was the face of Maria Theresa. She was the queen of Austria¹⁸ in 1765. Her coin was so popular that people used it in countries outside of Austria. People in Arabia and Africa began to use the Maria Theresa coins as money. Some people even believed that the Maria Theresa coins had magical¹⁹ powers. People used these coins in parts of Africa until 1924!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Even though coins were so popular, it was not easy to carry a lot of coins a far distance. They were too heavy. The Chinese were the first to use paper money instead. They started using paper money more than one thousand years ago. This new paper money was easier to carry for long distances.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Hundreds of years later, Europe also began to use paper money. In the beginning, people wrote paper money by hand. But as time went on, governments took over the job of making money. If paper money became damaged or too dirty, a person could trade in their old money for new money. If they needed to, they could also trade in the paper for its value in gold or silver.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Money has continued to change, even in recent times. In some places, people rarely²⁰ use money. Instead, they use thin plastic credit cards. Using a credit card, a person borrows money from a bank, when he buys something. Then, at the end of the month, he pays the bank. This makes it easy to spend money! Money experts say that it is too easy. When people use paper money or coins, they spend less money. When they use a credit card, people spend more money - even too much money. This leads to debt²¹ - the person owes²² money to the bank.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　What will money look like in the future? Experts think that soon everything will happen electronically²³ - using computers. This digital²⁴ money will replace physical money. This is already happening. But in most places, people still use beautiful, colourful paper money and shiny metal coins.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　People from long ago may have never imagined all the different and new ways that people can pay for things today. We have come a long way since the days of bartering. What kind of money do you use?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Joshua Leo. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘The History of Money’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 shiny   

adj.有光泽的，发光的，辉煌的

参考例句：

• What shiny shoes you're wearing!你穿的鞋子擦得真亮啊！
• All the cups are clean and shiny.所有的杯子都很干净明亮。

3 shell   

n.贝壳，壳，外形；v.去壳，脱落；n.[计算机] DOS命令:安装备用的COMMAND.COM文件，并改变环境尺寸

参考例句：

• Please shell some peanuts for the cake.请为做点心剥点胡花生。
• This kind of beetles have hard shell.这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。

4 shells   

n.（贝、卵、坚果等的）壳( shell的名词复数 )；外壳；炮弹；（人的）表面性格

参考例句：

• We collected shells on the beach. 我们在海滩拾贝壳。
• But at last the shells cracked, one after another. 最后，蛋壳一个接着一个地裂开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

6 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

7 bartering   

v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Parliament would be touchy about bartering British soil for ships. 用英国国土换取舰只，议会感到为难。 来自辞典例句
• In former times trade was based on bartering--goods were exchanged for other goods. 以前，贸易是以易货（即货物交换）的方式进行的。 来自辞典例句

8 bartered   

v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The local people bartered wheat for tools. 当地人用小麦换取工具。
• They bartered farm products for machinery. 他们用农产品交换机器。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 willing   

adj.愿意的，自愿的，乐意的，心甘情愿的

参考例句：

• We never lack food and clothing if we're willing to work.如果我们愿意工作,就不会缺吃少穿。
• He's quite willing to pay the price I ask.他很愿意照我的要价付钱。

10 rare   

adj.稀罕的，罕有的，珍贵的，稀薄的，半熟的，非常的；adv.非常

参考例句：

• It is rare to see a man over 160 years old.很少见到一个人能活到160岁。
• The zoo has a lot of rare animals in it.这个动物园有许多珍奇的动物。

11 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

12 seashell   

n.贝，贝类

参考例句：

• He gave us a big seashell as a gift.他给了我们一个大贝壳作为礼物。
• I'm making you another seashell necklace.我再给你做一条贝壳项链。

13 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

14 iron   

n.铁，熨斗，坚强，烙铁，镣铐；vt.烫平，熨，用铁包；vi. 烫衣服

参考例句：

• The iron has lost its magnetic force.这块铁已失去了磁力。
• We need an electrician to mend the iron.我们要请电工修理熨斗。

15 represented   

v.表现( represent的过去式和过去分词 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• The number 107 is represented in hexadecimal as 6B. 107这个数用十六进制表示为6B。
• Women are under-represented at senior levels in business. 商界高层的女性代表不足。

16 military   

n.军队；adj.军事的，军人的，好战的

参考例句：

• The area has been declared a closed military zone.这个地区已宣布为军事禁区。
• The king was just the tool of the military government.国王只是军政府的一个傀儡。

17 territory   

n.领土，领地，版图，地区，活动范围

参考例句：

• Resources in plenty can be found in this territory.这一地区能找到大量自然资源。
• Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources.我国土地辽阔，资源丰富。

18 Austria   

n.奥地利(欧洲国家)

参考例句：

• Austria lies to the southeast of Germany.奥地利位于德国东南。
• I always confuse Australia with Austria.我总是把澳大利亚同奥地利弄混。

19 magical   

adj.魔术的，有魔力的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• I used to believe my mother had magical powers.我以前一直相信我母亲有奇妙的魔力。
• The effect of the medicine on the sick man was magical.药对病人的效力是不可思议的。

20 rarely   

adv.很少，难得；非常地，非凡地

参考例句：

• Such fish is rarely met with in the north country.这种鱼在北方难得看到。
• He rarely comes here anymore.现在他难得来这儿了。

21 debt   

n.债务，义务，负债状态，罪，过失

参考例句：

• The man was pressed to pay off his debt.那人被逼还债。
• The firm had to charge off the debt as hopeless.公司只得把那笔没希望要回的债务注销。

22 owes   

v.亏欠，负债，感恩；感激( owe的第三人称单数 )；应把…归功于；欠…债；（对位高权重者）忠诚

参考例句：

• He owes a lot of money to Mr. Smith. 他欠史密斯先生许多钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 electronically   

adv.电子地

参考例句：

• The information is electronically transmitted to schools and colleges… 信息通过电子方式传送到各所学校和学院。 来自辞典例句
• All transactions, from banking to shopping, will be performed electronically. 所有的活动，从跑银行到买东西，都可通过电脑来完成。 来自辞典例句

24 digital   

n.数字，数字式；adj.数位的，数字的

参考例句：

• There's a digital watch on the table.桌子上有一块数字式手表。
• The signal will be converted into digital code.信号会被转变为数字代码。