完形填空

　　Salt, shells or metals are still used as money in out-of-the-way parts of the world today．Salt may seem rather a 　　1　　 substance to use as money, but in countries 　　2　　 the food of the people is mainly vegetable, it is often an absolute 　　3　　 Cakes of salt, stamped to show their 　　4　　, were used as money in some countries until recent 　　5　　, and cakes of salt 　　6　　 buy goods in Borneo and parts of Africa．

　　Sea shells 　　7　　 as money at some time 　　8　　 another over the greater part of the Old World．These were 　　9　　 mainly from the beaches of the Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean, and were traded to India and China．In Africa, shells were also 　　10　　 right across the continent from East to West．

　　Metal, valued by 　　11　　, preceded(先于……)coins in many parts of the world．Iron, in lumps, bars or rings, is still used in many countries 　　12　　 paper money．It can either be exchanged 　　13　　 goods, or made into tools, weapons, or ornaments．The early money of China, apart from shells, was of bronze, 　　14　　 in flat, round pieces with a hole in the middle, called“cash”．The 　　15　　 of these are between three thousand and four thousand years old－older than the earliest coins of the eastern Mediterranean．

　　Nowadays, coins and notes have 　　16　　 nearly all the more picturesque(画面)　　17　　 of money, and 　　18　　 in one or two of the more remote countries people still keep it for 　　19　　 use on ceremonial 　　20　　 such as weddings and funerals, examples of primitive money will soon be found only in museums．