مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت ب

Active Speaking Part B

There is no doubt that animal rights can stir people on an emotional level.

What can stir people on an emotional level? Animal rights can stir people on an emotional level.

Money itself can do this, too. Humans have had a long history with money, and its invention has been critical to the development of human society.

What have humans had a long history with? Humans have had a long history with money. Has it been critical to the development of human society? Yes, it has been critical to the development of human society.

In early societies, people agreed that certain things were useful as money because those things were inherently useful.

Why did people agree that certain things were useful as money? People agreed that certain things were useful as money because those things were inherently useful.

Things like livestock or salt could be used for food or to preserve food, so using them to trade for other things was natural.

What could things like livestock or salt be used for? Things like livestock or salt could be used for food or to preserve food.

But other times, people chose forms of money that had no inherent value, except for the fact that they were rare.

Did they choose things that had inherent value? No, they didn’t choose things that had inherent value.

Early societies have used beads and shells and later precious metals like gold as money.

Have early societies used beads and shells as money? Yes, early societies have used beads and shells as money. What else have early societies used as money? Early societies have also used precious metals like gold as money.

Besides looking pretty, throughout much of history, gold hasn’t been inherently useful. It was valuable because people agreed it was valuable.

Has gold been inherently useful? No, gold hasn’t been inherently useful.

At its core, money is a fiction that we all agree on.

Is money a fiction that we all agree on? Yes, money is a fiction that we all agree on.

Early societies needed to use things that were rare to help make the fiction of money a reality. If you couldn’t easily find it or make it, it was valuable.

What did early societies need to use to help make the fiction of money a reality? Early societies needed to use things that were rare to help make the fiction of money a reality.

The people of the island of Yap in the South Pacific used giant stones as money until the early 20th century.

Where is the island of Yap? The island of Yap is in the South Pacific. What did they use as money? They used giant stones as money.

These disc shaped stones were made from limestone and vary in size, but none of them will ever fit in your pocket.

What are these stones made from? These stones are made from limestone. Are they all the same size? No, they aren’t all the same size. They vary in size. Will they fit in your pocket? No, none of them will ever fit in your pocket.

The biggest ones are 3.6 meters in diameter and weigh up to 8,800 pounds.

What is 3.6 meters in diameter? The biggest stones are 3.6 meters in diameter. How much do they weigh? They weigh up to 8,800 pounds.

This stone money is not naturally found on Yap.

What is not naturally found on Yap? This stone money is not naturally found on Yap.

It has been brought from an island hundreds of miles away.

Where has it been brought from? It has been brought from an island hundreds of miles away.

In addition to the distance, carving these stones into discs and transporting them back to Yap on small boats made from bamboo was no easy feat.

Was carving these stones into discs an easy feat? No, carving these stones into discs wasn’t an easy feat? What else wasn’t easy? Transporting them back to Yap on small boats made from bamboo also wasn’t easy.

To make them easier to transport, the stones were carved into disc shapes with a hole in the middle.

Why were they carved into disc shapes with a hole in the middle? They were carved into disc shapes with a hole in the middle to make them easier to transport.

A bamboo pole was put through the hole so groups of men could carry it on their shoulders.

Who would carry it on their shoulders? Groups of men would carry it on their shoulders.

Sometimes hundreds of men were necessary to transport the huge stones to and from the boats.

How many men were necessary to transport the huge stones to and from the boats? Sometimes hundreds of men were necessary to transport the huge stones to and from the boats.

The rarity of these stones and the difficulty of bringing them home was all part of the story that made them valuable.

Was the rarity of these stones part of the story that made them valuable? Yes, the rarity of these stones was part of the story that made them valuable. What else made them valuable? The difficulty of bringing them home also made them valuable.

If someone died during the journey home, the stones would increase in value.

What would increase the stones value? If someone died during the journey home, the stones would increase in value.

Back home these stones were so large that once they made it to Yap, they seldom moved.

What seldom moved? The stones seldom moved.

They were used for large transactions such as a wedding dowry or payment of large debts.

What were the stones used for? They were used for large transactions such as a wedding dowry or payment of large debts.

Although the ownership of the stone would change with every transaction, the stones would stay where they were.

Would the ownership of the stone change with every transaction? Yes, the ownership of the stone would change with every transaction. Would the owners stay where they were? No, the owners wouldn’t stay where they were. The stones would stay where they were.

Everyone would just remember who owned which stone.

Who would remember who owned which stone? Everyone would remember who owned which stone.