Aristotle summed up the four qualities of money some 2，000 years ago．It must be lasting and easy to recognize，to divide，and to carry about．When we think of money today，we picture it either as round，flat pieces of metal which we call coins or as printed paper notes．But there are still parts of the world today where coins and notes are of no use．There is a direct exchange of goods named“the barter system（物物交换制）”．Perhaps it is fish for vegetables，meat for grain，or different kinds of food in exchange for pots，baskets or other things．For this kind of simple trading，money is not needed，but there is often something that everyone wants and everybody can use．
Salt may seem rather a strange material to use as money．Cakes of salt，stamped to show their value，were used as money in Tibet before liberation．Metal，valued by weight，came before coins in many parts of the world．Iron is still used in many countries instead of money．The early money of China was of bronze（青铜），often in flat，round pieces with a square hole in the middle，called“cash”．The earliest of these are between three thousand and four thousand years old．
Nowadays，coins and notes have taken the place of nearly all the more picturesque forms of money．
1．“The barter system”usually takes the place of money exchange where __________．
A．there is only salt B．the people's trading needs are very simple
C．metal tools are used D．money is unknown
2．According to the passage salt had been used as money __________．
A．in Tibet B．2，000 years before
C．in many countries D．instead of real money
3．One type of early Chinese money was __________．
A．made from bones B．made of bronze
C．better than coins D．in the form of rings
4．The underlined word“some”means __________．
A．about B．not as many as C．a little D．a few more than
参考答案：1．B 2．A 3．B 4．A
