UNIT 8: MONEY MATTERS

Exercise 1. For each of the six questions choose one correct answer:
1. Ive got money in the bank again, so now Im back in the ________.
a. red
b. black
c. yellow
d. green
2. Choose the more formal alternative for the word in
bold. That picture cost me twenty quid.
a. dollars
b. pounds
c. pence
d. cents
3. If you havent got any money, you are ________.
a. broken
b. broke
c. smashed
d. shattered
4. How would you say the following amount of money? 1276
a. One thousand and two hundred and seventy six pounds.
b. One thousand, two hundred and seventy six pounds.
c. One thousand and two hundred, seventy six pounds.
d. One million, two hundred and seventy six pounds.
5. It costs a fiver. In Britain this means ________.
a. fifty pence
b. five thousand pounds
c. five hundred pounds
d. five pounds
6. The following are all types of money. Which one do you borrow when you want
to buy a house?
a. pocket money
b. mortgage
c. allowance
d. grant
Exercise 2. Read the information about the functions and characteristics of money
and do the exercises below:
THE FUNCTIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MONEY
American businesses produce, market, and distribute goods and services.
Money makes it possible for businesses to obtain what they need from suppliers
and for consumers to obtain goods. Money is defined as anything customarily
used as a medium of exchange, a unit of accounting, and a store of value. The
basis of the market economy is voluntary exchange. In the American economy,
the exchange usually involves money in return for a good or service.

The Functions of Money

Most
Americans
think of money
as bills, coins,
and
checks.
Historically,
and in other
economies,
money might be
shells, gold, or
even
goods
such as sheep.
Economists
identify money
by the presence
or absence of
certain
functions.
Anything that is
used as a
medium
of
exchange, a unit
of accounting, and a store of value is considered money. For example, Native
Americans used wampum - beads made from shells. Fijians have used whales teeth.
There are three functions of money.
Medium of Exchange. To say that money is a medium of exchange simply
means that a seller will accept it in exchange for a good or service. Most people
are paid for their work in money, which they then can use to buy whatever they
need or want. Without money people would have to barter - exchange goods and
service for other goods and services.
Suppose you worked in a grocery store and were paid in groceries because
money did not exist. To get whatever you needed, such as clothes and housing,
you would have to find people who have the goods that you want. In addition,
those people would have to want the exact goods - in this case, groceries - that
you have. Barter requires what economists call a double coincidence of wants.
Each party to a transaction must want exactly what the other person has to offer.
This situation is rare. As a result, people in societies that barter for goods spend
great amounts of time and effort making trades with one another. Bartering can
work only in small societies with fairly simple economic systems.
Unit of Accounting. Money is the yardstick that allows people to compare the values
of goods and services in relation to one another. Money that is a measure of value
functions in this way as a unit of accounting. Each nation uses a basic unit to measure
the value of goods, as it uses the foot or meter to measure distance. In the United States,
this base unit of value is the dollar. In Japan, it is the yen; in France, the euro. An item for
sale is marked with a price that indicates its value in terms of that unit.
Using money as the single unit of accounting provides a simple and convenient way to
compare the values of various items. By using money prices as a factor in comparing
goods, people can determine whether one item is a better bargain than another. A single
unit of accounting also allows people to keep accurate financial records - records of debts
owed, income saved, and so on. Businesspeople can better calculate their profits and
losses over the years by using a single money unit of accounting.
Store of Value. Money also serves as a store of value. You can sell something, such
as your labor, and store the purchasing power that results from the sale in the form of
money for later use. People usually receive their money income once a week, once every
two weeks, or once a month. However, they usually spend their income at different times
during a pay period. To be able to buy things between paydays, a person can store some
of his or her income in cash and some in a checking account. It is important to note that in
periods of rapid and unpredictable inflation, money is less able to act as a store of value.
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The Types and Characteristics of Money

Anything that people are willing to accept in exchange for goods can serve as
money. At various times in history, cattle, salt, animal hides, gems, and tobacco
have been used as mediums of exchange. Each of these items has certain
characteristics that make it better or worse than others for using it as money.
Cattle, for example, are difficult, to transport, but they are durable. Gems are easy
to carry, but they are not easy to split into small pieces to use.
The table below lists the major characteristics that to some degree all items
used as money must have. Almost any item that meets most of these criteria can
be and probably has been used as money. Precious metals, however, particularly
gold and silver, are especially well suited as mediums of exchange, and have
often been used as such throughout history. It is only in more recent times that
paper money has been widely used as a medium of exchange.
Mediums of exchange such as cattle and gems are considered commodity
money. They have a value as a commodity, or good, aside from their value as
money. Cattle are used for food and transportation. Gems are used for jewelry.
Representative money is money backed by - exchangeable for - some commodity, such as
gold or silver. It is not in itself valuable for non-money uses, but it can be exchanged for some
valuable item. Like commodity money, the amount of representative money circulation, or in
use by people, is limited because it is linked to some scarce good, such as gold. At one time
the United States government issued representative money in the form silver and gold
certificates. In addition, private banks accepted deposits of gold or silver and issued paper
money, called bank notes. These were a promise to convert the paper money into coin or
bullion on demand. The banks were supposed to keep enough gold or silver in reserve - on
hand to redeem their bank notes. Often, they did not.

Today all United States money is fiat money. Its face value occurs through
government fiat, or order. It is in this way declared legal tender.
Characteristic
Durable

Portable

Divisible

Stable in value
Scarce
Accepted

Description
Money must be able to withstand the wear and tear of being
passed from person to person. Paper money lasts on the
average of only one year, but old bills can be easily replaced.
Coins, in contrast, last for years.
Money can be carried around easily. Though paper money is
not very durable, people can easily carry large sums of paper
money.
Money must be easily divided into small parts so that
purchases of any price can be made. Carrying coins and small
bills makes it possible to make purchases of any amount.
Money must be stable in value. Its value cannot change rapidly
or its usefulness as a store of value will decrease.
Whatever is used as money must be scarce. That is what gives
it value.
Whatever is used as money must be accepted as a medium of
exchange in payment for debts. In the United States,
acceptance is based on the knowledge that others will continue
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to accept paper money, coins, and checks in

exchange for desired goods and services.
Exercise 3. After reading the text in Exercise 2, fill in the missing word or words:
Money, regardless of what form it takes, has three major functions. When sellers are
willing to accept it as payment for goods or services, money functions as a 1)________

_________ _________. As a 2)___________ __________ __________, money

allows people to compare the values of various items and to keep accurate
records. Money in a convenient form serves as a 3)__________ __________
_________, allowing people to save for the future.
Whatever is used as money must be 4)____________________, which is what
gives it its value. Money, to be easy to handle and use, must be
5)________________ and 6)_________________ into small parts. Finally, money
must have 7)_______________________ value and be 8)_________________ to
withstand normal use.
Certain items such as furs or minerals used in barter are referred to as
9)____________________ money. Currency backed by some 10)___________________

such as gold is called 11)__________________ money. In the United States and

other countries, government decree creates 12)____________________ money,
also known as 13)________ _________. This type of money is backed mainly by
societys trust in its value.
Exercise 4. Read the following text and summarize the notion of money and
its basic types:
TYPES OF MONEY IN THE UNITED STATES
Money Is More Than Cash
When you think of money, you may think only of paper bills and coins. What
does it mean to have money in the bank?
Money and Near Moneys
Money in use today consists of more than just currency. It also includes deposits
in checking and savings
accounts in banks and
savings institutions, plus
certain other investments.
Currency. All United
States coins in circulation
today are token coins.
The value of the metal in
each coin is less than its
exchange
value.
A
quarter, for example,

consists of a mixture of copper and nickel. If you melted down a quarter - which is
illegal - the value of the resulting metal would be less than 25 cents. The Bureau
of the Mint, which is part of the Treasury Department, makes all coins. Of the
currency in circulation in the United States today, about 9 percent is in coins.

Most of the nations currency is in the form of Federal Reserve notes. Federal Reserve
banks issue these notes. The Bureau of Printing and Engraving, also part of the Treasury
Department, prints all Federal Reserve notes. They are issued in denominations of $1,
$5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. The Treasury Department has also issued United States
notes in $100 denominations only. These bills have the words United States Note printed
across the top and can be distinguished from Federal Reserve notes by a red Treasury
seal. United States notes make up less than 1 percent of the paper money in circulation.
Both Federal Reserve notes and United States notes are fiat money or legal tender.
Checks. A checking account is money deposited in a bank that a person can withdraw
at any time by writing a check. The bank must pay the amount of the check when it is
presented for payment, that is, on demand. Such accounts used to be called demand
deposits. Today we call these checkable deposits, and a variety of financial institutions
offer them. Commercial banks used to be the only financial institutions that could offer
checkable accounts. Today all thrift institutions - mutual savings banks, savings and loan
associations (S&Ls), and credit unions - offer checkable deposits.
Credit Cards and Debit Cards. Even though many people use their credit cards to
purchase goods and services, the credit card itself is not money. It does not act as a unit of

accounting nor as a store of

value. The use of your credit
card is really a loan to you by
the issuer of the card, whether it
is a bank, retail store, gas
company, or American Express.
Basically, then, credit card
money represents a future
claim on money that you will
have later. Credit cards defer
rather
than
complete
transactions that ultimately
involve the use of money.
The debit card automatically withdraws money from a checkable account.
When you use your debit card to purchase something, you are in effect giving an
instruction to your bank to transfer money directly from your bank account to the
stores bank account. The use of a debit card does not create a loan. Debit card
money is similar to checkable account money.
Near Moneys. Numerous other assets are almost, but not exactly, like money.
These assets are called near moneys. Their values are stated in terms of money,
and they have high liquidity in comparison to other investments, such as stocks.
Near moneys can be turned into currency or into a means of payment, such as a
check, relatively easily and without the risk of loss of value.
For example, if you have a bank savings account, you cannot write a check on
it. You can, however, go to the bank and withdraw some or all of your funds. You
can then redeposit it in your checking account or take some or all of it in cash.
Time deposits and savings-account balances are near moneys. Both pay interest,
and neither can be withdrawn by check. Time deposits require that a depositor notify
the financial institution within a certain period of time, often 10 days, before
withdrawing money. Savings accounts do not usually require such notification.
The Money Supply
How much money is there in the United States today? That question is not so easy to
answer. First, the money supply must be defined and agreed upon. Currently, two basic
definitions are used, although others exist. The first is called M1 and the second M2. Both
definitions include all the paper bills and coins in circulation. M1, the narrowest definition of
the money supply, consists of moneys that can be spent immediately and against which
checks can be written. It includes currency, travelers checks, and checkable deposits. A

broader definition of the money supply, M2, includes all of M1, plus such near
moneys as money market mutual fund balances and Eurodollars.
Exercise 5. After reading the text in Exercise 4, fill in the missing word or words:
Most of the nations currency is in the form of (1)_____________________ and
(2)___________ ___________ _______ or_______ ________ _______. Money
is also in the form of (3)___________ __________ that a person can draw against
for purchases. Today, these accounts are also called (4)_____________
____________. Since the 1980s, commercial banks and (5)__________
____________ offer these accounts along with many other financial services.
Money can be represented by (6)______________ ________________, which provide
loans to users. (7)__________ __________, on the other hand, simply withdraw money
that a person already has in an account. However, most people do not like to lose the

pleasure they enjoy when writing checks. Personal assets such as stocks and
bonds are called near money because they have high (8)___________ for their
owners. (9)_______________ deposits and (10)__________ ___________ are
two other examples of near money.
The money supply is designated as M1 and M2. M1 includes all currency,
(11)____________ __________, and checking accounts. M2 is a broader definition of
the money supply and includes all of Ml plus (12)________ _________ __________
________ and (13)_________________.
Exercise 6. Insert the following words in the appropriate space:
bonds

commercial

monetarist

prices

tight

velocity

Following the (1) ...........

argument that the average level of (2) ........... and wages is
determined by the amount of money in circulation, and its (3)........... of circulation, many
central banks now set money supply targets. By increasing or decreasing the money
supply, the central bank indirectly influences interest rates, demand, output, growth,
unemployment and prices. The central bank can reduce the reserves available to (4)
........... banks by changing the reserve requirements. This reduces the amount of
money that banks can create and makes money (5)........... or scarce.
Alternatively, the central bank can engage in what are called open market
operations, which involve selling short-term government (6) (such as
three-month Treasury bills) to the commercial banks, or buying them back.
Exercise 7. Now do the same with the paragraph:
credit
rate

inflation output
unemployment
aggregate
demand

interest rates

the exchange

When money is tight,

1. ........... rise, because commercial banks have to borrow at a higher rate
on the inter-bank market.
2. .............. falls, because people and businesses borrow less at higher rates.
3. .............. falls, because people and businesses buy less, as they have
less money.
6

4. .............. falls too, because with less consumption, firms produce less.
5. .............. rises, because companies are producing and selling less, and
so require less labour.
6. ........... falls, because there is less money in circulation.
7. ........... will probably rise, if there is the same demand but less money,
or if there is higher demand, as foreigners take advantage of the higher
interest rates to invest in the currency. Increasing the money supply, by
making more reserves, available, has the opposite effects.
Exercise 8. Choose the correct alternative to complete each sentence:
1. Money in notes and coins is called
a. cash
b. capital

c. reserves

2. The dollar, the euro and the yen are all

a. currencies
b. funds

c. monies

3. Money borrowed from a bank is a

a. deposit
b. income

c. loan

4. Borrowed money that has to be paid back constitutes a

a. debt
b. fund
c. subsidy
5. All the money received by a person or a company is known as
a. aid
b. income
c. wages
6. The money earned for a weeks manual work is called
a. income
b. salary
c. wages
7. The money paid for a months (professional) work is a
a. loan
b. salary
c. wages
8. Money placed in banks and other savings institutions constitutes
a. capital
b. deposits
c. finance
9. Money paid by the government or a company to a retired person is a
a. pension
b. rebate
c. subsidy
10. The money that will ultimately be used to pay pensions is kept in a
a. budget
b. deposit
c. fund
11. The money needed to start a company is called
a. aid
b. capital
c. debt
12. The money paid to lawyers, architects, private schools, etc. is called
a. fees
b. instalments
c. wages
13. Regular part payments of debts are called
a. deposits
b. loans

c. instalments

14. Part of a payment that is officially given back (for example, from taxes) is called a
a. gift
b. instalment
c. rebate
15. Estimated expenditure and income is written in a
a. budget
b. reserve
c. statement
16. A persons money in a business is known as his or her
a. deposit
b. fund
c. stake
17. Money given to producers to allow them to sell cheaply is called a
a. loan
b. rebate
c. subsidy
18. Money given to developing countries by richer ones is known as
a. aid
b. debt
c. subsidy
Exercise 9. Choose the right answer:
1. When you retire at the age of sixty-five, you receive a(n) ..from the government.
a) allowance
b) fine
c) grant
d) pension
2. If production in that factory exceeds the target, the workers get a .. .
a) bonus
b) donation
c) gratuity
d) premium
3. Income tax is ..... to ones annual income.
a) associated
b) based
c) dependent
d) related
4. The .. of living has risen by 25% in the last six months.
a) cost
b) expenditure
c) expense
d) price
5. The kidnappers demanded a .. of $ 1,000,000.
a) fine
b) penalty
c) ransom
d) reward
6. The World Bank has criticized the United States for not giving enough financial .. to
the East European countries.
a) aid
b) allowance
c) loan
d) premium
7. You can .. your basic wage by working longer hours.
a) effect
b) help
c) implement
d) supplement
8. A salesman is paid a .. on the goods he sells.
a) commission
b) percentage
c) provision
d) salary
9. The President admitted taking .. and had to resign.
a) bribes
b) fees
c) fines
d) premiums
10. In our country .. of $250 is paid weekly to a family with more than three children.
a) an allowance
b) a fee
c) an income
d) a wage
11. Mr. Mean cannot bear to .. even the smallest sum of money for a charity appeal.
a) give in
b) let out
c) part with
d) pay off
12. Mr. Rich earns $8,000 a month ..and $5,000 a month net.
a) bulk
b) gross
c) mass
d) wholesale
13. You can only .. this postal order at a post office.
a) alter
b) cash
c) exchange
d) pay
14. If they are not more careful with their accounts, they will go .. .
a) bankrupt
b) broken
c) penniless
d) poor
15. The Finance Minister will be making a .. today about new rates of income tax.
a) declaration
b) notice
c) statement
d) talk
16. If I had another $25,000 a year, I would consider myself .. .
8

a) well deserved b) well done

c) well-made
d) well off
17. All the workers in our firm get a Christmas .. of $100.
a) bonus
b) fine
c) prize
d) reward
18. Can you .. something for the orphans?, he asked, rattling a collecting-box.
a) give
b) leave
c) provide
d) spare
19. Before starting a business, you have to raise the necessary .. .
a) capital
b) currency
c) investment
d) savings
20. The usual reason for exemption from tax does not .. in this case.
a) apply
b) concern
c) impose
d) regard
21. Mrs. Unemployed is finding it difficult to pay the .. on her insurance policy.
a) bonuses
b) fees
c) fines
d) premiums
22. Our company made a record .. last year.
a) benefit
b) earn
c) profit
d) winning
23. While you are away from the office on business trips, you will be given a daily ..
$50 towards meals and accommodation.
a) allowance
b) fine
c) permit
d) reward
24. I hate the beginning of each year when all the .. start coming in and I have to find
the money to pay them all.
a) accounts
b) bills
c) estimates
d) receipts
Exercise 10. Give the names for the defined money expressions:
1. A fixed amount which is paid, usually monthly, to workers of
higher rank
2. An amount of money which you lend to someone
3. A sum of money which is owned to someone
4. Money which is in the form of coins and notes, not cheques
5. An amount of money you receive, usually weekly, in return for
labour or service
6. Money paid by divorced father to his former wife for the upkeep
of his children
7. Tax on imported articles paid to the customs
8. Paid at a restaurant after eating
9. Extra percentage paid on a loan
10. Money paid for professional services, e.g. to a doctor
11. Money paid by the state, usually to students
12. Money paid by a company or the state on your retirement
13. Paid as a punishment for breaking the law
14. Paid to the government for services that the state provides
15. Paid while traveling, especially on public transport, buses, train,
etc.

as_____
a l___
ad___
c___
aw___
a_ _ _ _ _ y
___y
a ___l
i_______
a f__
a g____
a p______
a f___
____s
a f___

Exercise 11. Put each of the following words or phrases into its correct place in
the text below:
banks beads buy
coins change currency depositing
earn exchange rate
goods investments money paper bills savings accounts sell shells value
Money is what people use to (1)... things. People spend money on (2)..
and services. Many people save part of their money by (3).. it in a bank. People
(4).. money by performing services. They also earn money from (5)..,
including government bonds, and from (6).. .
(7).. can be anything that people agree to accept in exchange for the things they
(8).. or the work they do. Ancient peoples used such varied things as (9),
(10) and cattle as money. Today, most nations use metal coins and (11).. .
Different countries (12).. and bills look different and have different names.
A person can (13)... his money for the money of any other country according
to the (14).. . Usually, such rates are set by the central (15).. of a country. The
(16)... of a countrys (17)... may change, depending on the economic and
political conditions in that country.
Exercise 12. Match the definitions with the correct money word:
1. an allowance
2. a bonus
3. commission
4. a deposit
5. a dividend
6. an investment
7. a legacy
8. maintenance
9. an overdraft
10. a premium
11. royalties
12. a share
13. a mortgage

a. money paid to authors or investors according to the sales of

their work
b. a sum of money used to make more money from something that
will increase in value
c. the money which a building society or bank lends to someone
to buy a house
d. the money that a person pays to an insurance company to
protect against loss or damage
e. money, usually from a relative, to live on
f. an additional payment which is a reward to those who work for
a company for their extra work
g. the amount of money borrowed from a bank, greater than that
which is in your account
h. money received from someone in his or her will
i. the amount of money that goes to a shareholder
j. money paid by divorced or separated people to support the
former husband or wife
k. part of the value of a company that you may buy
l. part-payment of money which you make to stop the seller from
selling his goods to others
m. an amount of money, related to the value of goods sold, which
is paid to a salesman for his services

Exercise 13. Choose the correct answer:

1. The going .. for the job is $7 an hour.
10

a) pay
b) price
c) rate
d) wage
2. When you buy a house you can claim tax .. on the mortgage.
a) aid
b) assistance
c) benefit
d) relief
3. Inflation is the first problem that the new government will have to ..
a) clasp
b) grasp
c) seize
d) tackle
4. Mr. Teenagers .. will be held in trust for him until he is 21. Then he will be free to
spend it.
a) dowry
b) heirloom
c) heritage
d) inheritance
5. When the company was declared bankrupt, all its fixed .. were claimed by its
creditors.
a) assets
b) benefits
c) funds
d) sums
6. Our country has never had a large .. in its balance of payment.
a) abundance
b) addition
c) overflow
d) surplus
7. Miss Cheating is in trouble because she has not paid her National Insurance .. for ten

years.
a) contributions
b) subscriptions
c) subsidies
d) tributes
8. People in financial difficulties sometimes fall .. to unscrupulous money lenders.
a) fool
b) prey
c) sacrifice
d) scapegoat
9. Because Mr. Sacked has just lost his job, his aunts legacy came as a useful .. .
a) advantage
b) benefit
c) profit
d) windfall
10. The government has introduced .. currency controls which will make it more
difficult to holiday abroad.
a) extreme
b) striking
c) stringent
d) strong
11. If you dont complete your income tax .. , you may have to pay more than is
necessary.
a) account
b) document
c) report
d) return
12. As a result of increased productivity, the workers received a .. pay increase.
a) fundamental
b) palpable
c) substantial
d) tangible
13. $150? $250? Lets .. the difference and say $200.
a) agree
b) avoid
c) decrease
d) split
14. Newly .. coins always look clean and shining .
a) minted
b) moulded
c) pressed
d) printed
15. For some jobless people, joining the .. queue is a humiliating experience.
a) benefit
b) dole
c) grant
d) ration
16. If a man is legally separated from his wife, is he still for her debts?
a) answerable
b) bound
c) chargeable
d) liable
17. The two men .. a coin to see who should take care of the business on the weekend.
a) hurled
b) lobbed
c) threw
d) tossed
18. No-one knows precisely how much she earns a month, but $4,000 cant be very .. of
the mark.
a) broad
b) distant
c) far
d) wide
19. The .. between the rich and the poor is very evident in the Western World.
a) deviation
b) differentiation c) difference
d) distance
20. The salary is $35,000 per annum, with annual .. of $2,000 for five years.
a) annexes
b) bonuses
c) increments
d) prizes
21. The governments policy is to .. firms in trouble to prevent unemployment.
a) contribute
b) endow
c) grant
d) subsidize
22. Being a teacher, I shop at stores which offer a .. to teachers.
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a) deduction
b) discount
c) rebate
d) subsidy
23. Share prices on the Stock Exchange plunged sharply in the morning but .. slightly in
the afternoon.
a) recovered
b) regained
c) restored
d) retrieved
24. The firm will go bankrupt if it cannot meet its .. .
a) charges
b) duties
c) liabilities
d) promises
25. Mr. Businessman needed $10,000, but as his capital was .. up in shares, he
borrowed it from his bank.
a) bound
b) knotted
c) locked
d) tied
Exercise 14. Complete the following sentences. Each ( - ) represents one letter:
1. I spend about $1,5 a week on bus _ _ _ es.
2. I had to pay _ _ _ _ on the Turkish carpet I brought in through the Customs
yesterday.
3. Now that Mr. Old had retired, he lives partly on his _ _ _ s _ _ _ and partly on
the _ _ t_ _ _ _ _ from his post office savings account.
4. In spite of its size his family was quite _ _ _ _ off, because he brought in a
good _ _ l _ _ _.
5. Gold would be a good _ _ v _ _ _ _ _ _ t; its bound to increase in value.
6. Due to inflation the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of living went down by fifteen
_ _ _ - c _ _ _.
7. I couldnt buy the house because the bank refused to let me
have a m _ _ _ _ _ g _.
8. If you borrowed money from him, you are under an _ _ l _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to give it
back.
9. You must stop wasting your money on silly things and start _ _ v _ _ _. This is
the only solution to your _ _ n _ _ _ _ _ _ troubles.
10. One dollar is _ _ u _ _ to over 20.000 zl.
11. The main advantage of a _ _ _ _ u _ book or _ _ _ d _ _ card is that you dont
have to carry cash around with you.
12. I carry loose change in my pocket and _ _ _ _ s in my leather
_ _ l _ _ _.

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