Did you know that money is not worth the paper it is printed on? Money is really just a symbol.
Long ago, people did not use money. They made or grew food, clothes, and other things they needed. Later, people started trading. They would trade what they made to someone else in order to get different foods and goods. To trade like this is to barter（物物交换）.
The barter system was a good system. Bakers could trade bread for wheat. Weavers could trade cloth for meat. Trading not just let people work at certain jobs.
But one problem with bartering was that not everyone agreed on prices. People had to work out a price each time they wanted to trade. Another problem was that the goods might be too heavy to carry. What if the cow farmer wanted to trade a cow for a horse with the horse farmer? They would have to carry their animals with them. What if the cow farmer wanted to trade a cow for a chicken? A cow is worth more than a chicken. The farmer should get “change.” But how can you make change from a cow?
People used to use all kinds of small things for money. They used shells, beads, feathers, seeds, and even salt. A group of people would decide the worth of a kind of shell. Other kinds of shells would be worth more or less. Then people had money that was worth a certain amount. It was easy to carry. It was easy to make change.
With time going by, we finally have the money that we use today.
A. This is where money comes in.
B. That means it stands for something else.
C. They made clothes from wool from their sheep.
D. Bartering did not have a way to make change, either.
E. It also gave people a way to buy things they needed.
F. With money, we don't have to travel with chickens, cows, or clay pots!
G. When people traded, they no longer had to make everything they needed.
