The Origin of Coins - Test 1
B2 First · Open Cloze · Cambridge English First 3, Cambridge University Press
For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.
According (0) ___ the Greek historian Herodotus (484–425 BC), the Lydian people were the first to use metallic coins. In fact, these earliest coins were made out (9) ___ electrum, a naturally-occurring mixture of gold and silver. The coins were first produced in the seventh century BC with a design on (10) ___ side only; the other was marked with simple punches. Each coin was assigned a value in units. Some coins were inscribed with names in Lydian script, but it is unclear (11) ___ these are names of kings or just of rich men who produced the coins. (12) ___ of the irregular size and shape of the coins, it must (13) ___ been difficult to tell one (14) ___ another, especially some of the smaller ones. Thus, many costs were expressed (15) ___ terms of the total weight of the coins required and transactions were completed by weighing the coins used together, (16) ___ than counting individual ones.
The origin of coins
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