Name: 錢的歷史 || 分級讀本 || 提升你的英語流利度 ✅️ (The History of Money || Graded Reader || Improve Your English Fluency ✅️)
Uploaded: 2026-02-01T08:59:09.000Z
Duration: 22 min 10 s
Description: 【看影片學英語】數萬部 YouTube 影片，搭配英漢字典即點即查，輕鬆掌握單字發音與用法，長久累積看電影不必再看字幕。

祈使句型

to 不定詞

It is a story about something you use every single day.

這個故事跟我們每天都在用的東西有關。

But before we talk about money, we must go back.

但在我們聊錢之前，我們要先回到過去。

那大家要怎麼拿到他們需要的東西呢？

他們會用一種叫做「易貨」的方式。

If I had a basket of red apples and you had a warm blanket, we could trade.

如果我有一籃紅蘋果，你有一條溫暖的毛毯，我們就可以交換。

I give you my apples, you give me your blanket.

我給你我的蘋果，你給我你的毛毯。

Imagine I have apples, but I don't need a blanket.

想像我有很多蘋果，但我並不需要毛毯。

I have apples, but the person I need help from wants a chicken.

我有蘋果，但我需要幫助的那個人想要雞。

This was the big challenge of the ancient world.

這就是古代世界面臨的大挑戰。

To trade, both people had to want exactly what the other person had.

想要進行易貨，兩個人都必須剛好想要對方擁有的東西。

This is what experts call a double coincidence of wants.

這就是專家說的「雙方需求的巧合」。

It is a big name for a very simple problem.

這是一個聽起來很響亮，但其實是很簡單的問題。

People spent so much time looking for the right person to trade with.

人們花了很多時間去找對的人交換。

You had to find someone who had what you wanted and wanted what you had.

你必須找到一個擁有你想要的東西，而且也想要你擁有的東西的人。

Imagine trying to buy a loaf of bread today by offering a used book.

想像一下，今天你想用一本二手書去買一條麵包。

It would take a long time to find a hungry baker who likes to read.

你得花很長的時間才能找到一個又餓又喜歡看書的麵包師傅。

In small villages, people knew each other.

They shared things because they were neighbors.

他們分享東西，因為他們是鄰居。

They trusted that if they helped someone today, that person would help them tomorrow.

他們相信，如果今天幫助了別人，明天那個人也會幫助他們。

But as villages grew into cities, people became strangers.

但是，隨著村莊變成城市，人們變得陌生了。

You needed something that everyone agreed was valuable.

你需要一樣大家公認有價值的東西。

You needed a bridge between your apples and the shoemaker's shoes.

你需要一個連結你的蘋果和鞋匠的鞋子的橋樑。

This need for a bridge changed everything.

It was the first step toward the world we know today.

這是我們今天所知世界的起點。

They realized they needed a better way to trade.

他們發現需要一個更好的交易方式。

They needed something small and easy to carry.

他們需要一個小巧、方便攜帶的東西。

They needed something that would not rot, like apples.

他們需要一個不會像蘋果一樣腐爛的東西。

This means they used real things that everyone wanted.

這表示他們使用大家都會想要的實體物品。

In different parts of the world, people chose different things.

在世界各地，人們選擇了不同的東西。

Near the ocean, many people chose seashells.

In some places, one shell could buy a small fish.

在某些地方，一個貝殼可以買一條小魚。

For thousands of years, shells were the most popular money in the world.

幾千年來，貝殼是世界上最受歡迎的貨幣。

People in Africa, Asia, and even North America used them.

非洲、亞洲，甚至北美洲的人們都用過它們。

Can you imagine carrying a bag of shells to the store?

你能想像帶著一袋貝殼去商店買東西嗎？

不過，貝殼並不是唯一的東西。

在寒冷的地方，人們會用動物毛皮。

In other places, they used big stones or even feathers.

在其他地方，他們會用大石頭，甚至羽毛。

One of the most important early moneys was salt.

不過很久以前，鹽就像黃金一樣。

It was very important for keeping food fresh.

Without salt, meat would go bad quickly because everyone needed it.

沒有鹽，肉會很快變壞，因為大家都需要它。

Did you know that the word salary comes from the word salt?

你知道 salary 這個字是從 salt 這個字來的嗎？

Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, and it was their solarium.

羅馬阿兵哥有時候會用鹽來支付薪水，那時候就叫做 solarium。

不過，就連貝殼和鹽也都有問題。

And if you have a lot of salt, it is very heavy to carry.

而且如果你有很多鹽，搬起來會很重。

People started to look for something better.

They wanted something that would last forever.

他們想要一種可以永遠保存的東西。

They wanted something that was very hard to find, so it stayed valuable.

他們想要一種很難找到的東西，這樣它就能保持價值。

They turned their eyes toward the ground.