Beads， stones， seashells， paper， precious metals such as gold and silver， base metals such as iron have <br /> all been used as money. Today， money is printed on paper. A lot of countries use their own currency， with n<br /> ames such as dollar， pound， franc， ruble， yuan and so on. Since 2002， 18 of the EU members have <br /> replaced their national currencies by Euro notes and coins. <br /> If you want to pay for something in another currency, you have to change your money into the other money.<br /> If you want to travel outside your native country, you need to change your own country's money for the<br /> money of the country you are visiting. Most large banks sell foreign currencies. You can exchange money<br /> at a bank or at an office of a tourist agency Wherever you go, exchanging money puts you in touch with <br /> international finance, which is concerned with exchange rates between different currencies. Deciding the<br /> rate for the international e