English B2 FCE

There is no doubt that money, (0) IN the form that we know it today, (1) ............ what keeps modern economic life functioning. But, throughout history, money, in whatever form, has provided people (2) ............ the ability to buy and sell goods. Thousands of years (3) ............, civilisations had to rely on the barter system as a method of exchanging goods. Within this system a person had to exchange one thing for (4) ............. This meant that the two parties involved had to reach an agreement as to what they thought their products were worth. Items such (5) ............ wheat, tobacco and cocoa beans have been used as money at one time or another. It was not until much later that people came up with the idea of money in the form of metal coins . So why did the barter system come (6) ............ an end? Coins were much easier to handle and carry around. (7) ............ then, the use of coins has become widespread. It has made business and trading simpler and has given countries an opportunity of development by doing business with other countries. In recent years, paper money has become more common all (8) ............ the world, as it is easier to use. It WILL not be long, however, before plastic cards take over completely, replacing coins and paper money.