MONEY THEN AND NOW

When you buy something these days, you have so many ways of paying for it. Just think of them! However, you may be surprised to learn that there have always been lots of methods of payment. In very early times, people used to exchange one thing for another - an ox or a cow for rice or grain, for example. This system of exchange was called 'barter', but there were lots of problems. Well, how many heavy bags of rice would you give for a cow ... or a TV, or a car? And how would you carry the bags of rice? The ancient Greeks solved these problems. In the 7th century B.C. they introduced coins made of fixed amounts of gold and silver.Business became much easier, because people could now exchange money for the things they required. Coins last a long time, but they are heavy, and so eventually, governments solved the problem by introducing banknotes. So cash became easier and lighter to carry. Nowadays, of course, more and more people are paying for things with cheque's and credit cards instead of in cash. What is the reason for this?

GOING TO BRITAIN

Money
There are one hundred pence (lOOp) in a pound (£1). People sometimes say "p" instead of "pence", for example, "eighty p". Not all banks change foreign money, but you can usually find at least one bank in each town that will do it

Where
Hotels are very expensive in Britain. A cheaper solution is a bed and breakfast' in someone's home. Information centres or tourist offices can help you to find these. There are also youth hostels and campsites in many places.

Writing Home
Stamps can only be bought in post offices; but nearly every village (or part of a town) has a post office. Often it is inside a small shop.

Getting Around
Trains are quite good in Britain. If you are under 24 or over 65, or if you are travelling with a family, ask about 'railcards' for cheaper fares on the train. There are also coaches (long-distance buses) between some towns and cities; these are cheaper than trains. In towns and cities, there are usually buses, and in London there is also an underground. But the underground is not easy to use, so you should learn about it before you use it. You can get information about the system in all the stations in London.

Eating Out
Restaurants are often expensive, and you cannot be sure the food will be good. But Indian and Chinese restaurants serve good meals, which are cheap. Pubs sometimes serve good food but it is usually quite expensive. Fast food shops - fish and chip shops, hamburger shops - are cheap, but the food is not always very good.


1. Where can you ask about a cheap place to stay?
2. Who can get 'railcards'?
a) People
b) People over 65.
c) People
3. Where can you have a good and cheap meal?
4. In most villages, where is the post office?