Warning: Money
Pre-Reading Activities
A: Discussion
Work in pairs and answer these questions:
1.Do you think that having lots of money can make you become a nicer person?
2.If you became rich how do you think your personality would change?
3.Would you like to be rich?
4.Which of the things in this list is most important to you?
(Put them in order of importance from 1 - 6. 1 = most important, 6 = least important.)
a. peace of mind
b. self respect
c. wealth
d. good family relationships
e. excitement
f. good health
B: Vocabulary
Read these words and their meanings from today's article.
fascinated - very interested.
insensitive - someone who doesn't care about or realize how other people feel which makes them hurt
someone else.
respondents - people who answer questions in a survey.
superior - better or more important than another person.
suspicious - feel that something is wrong.
Reading Activities
A: True, False or Not Mentioned?
Read the statements below and compare them with the information in the article. Write 'T' if the statement is true,
'F' if the statement is false and 'NM' if the article does not have that information.
1.There are 2, 000 new millionaires in America every year.
2.Many Americans, according to a survey, do not want to be rich.
3.More than 80% of the people think that rich people are very greedy.
4.The survey looked at Americans' opinions about wealth.
5.The people in the survey were phoned and were asked questions.
6.They were also asked how much money they had.
Many Americans Wary of
Wealth
WASHINGTON Wednesday May 17
(Reuters) - Americans may be
fascinated by stories of newly minted
game show, lottery and Internet
millionaires, but many remain
suspicious of the moral effects of
wealth.
A survey, commissioned by Modern
Maturity magazine, found more than
80 percent of respondents believed
having a lot of money makes people
too greedy and feeling too superior.
Almost 75 percent think the rich are
insensitive to others.
And, putting their lack of money
where their mouth is, fully a third of
the almost 2,500 adults of all ages
contacted in a telephone poll
answered "no'' when asked whether
they, themselves, would like to be
wealthy.
That's not to say Americans don't
know the value of a dollar. According
to the respondents, money can buy the
freedom to live as you choose (71
percent), excitement in life (68 percent),
and less stress (56 percent).
But they also, apparently, know what it
can't buy. Respondents said it can't
give you peace of mind (52 percent),
good health (65 percent),
self-fulfillment (69 percent), self-esteem
(76 percent), family togetherness (76
percent) and love (92 percent).
B: Fill the gaps
Fill the gaps in these sentences with information from the article:
Modern _____________ magazine organized a survey of American _____________ and asked
them some questions about wealth.
A _____________ of the respondents said that they _____________ want to be wealthy. Most of
them believe that being rich makes you _____________ and insensitive.
They also think that if you are _____________, you can live wherever you want and you can have
plenty of _____________. A little over half of the respondents believe that rich people have less
_____________.
C: Reading for Detail
Answer these questions by choosing the correct answer:
1. Almost 75 percent think the rich are insensitive to others.
'Almost 75 percent' in this sentence means:
a.exactly 75%.
b.a little more than 75%.
c.a little less than 75 %.
2. 'a third of the almost 2,500 adults of all ages contacted in a telephone poll answered "no'' '
'All ages' in this sentence means:
a.some of the people were teenagers, some were much older.
b.some men and some women.
c.a mixture of adults of different ages--some young, some middle-aged, some older people.
D: Thinking Carefully - One
'To put your money where your mouth is' - is an idiom. It means that you give support to activities or causes
you think are right or good.
Read these examples of this idiom to see if you understand it:
Example 1
Person A: `I think it's time our company had a woman as President.'
Person B: You do? Then you should put your money where your mouth is and come to our meeting
this Thursday. We're going to speak to the Board of Directors.
Example 2
Parent A: Our school really needs a swimming pool. I think every student should learn to swim.
Parent B: I'm pleased you agree. So will you put your money where your mouth is and buy a
T-shirt? The money is for the school swimming pool fund.
'A lack of something' means that there is not enough of something
Now look at this sentence from the article:
"And, putting their lack of money where their mouth is, fully a third of the almost 2,500 adults of all ages
contacted in a telephone poll answered "no'' when asked whether they, themselves, would like to be wealthy."
What does the bold part of the sentence mean?
E: Thinking Carefully - Two
Look at this sentence from the article:
'That's not to say Americans don't know the value of a dollar. '
What does this sentence mean?
Post-Reading Activities
You may do one or more of these.
A: Short Discussion - One
Answer this question in small groups:
"Money can't buy love." What does this mean? Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
B: Short Discussion - Two
Answer this question in pairs:
Do you behave differently when you are talking to rich people? Why or why not?
C: Idioms
1. Here are some idioms about money. Match them with their meanings:
Idioms
1.He is throwing good money after bad.
2.The love of money is the root of all evil.
3.You can't get it, not for love nor money.
4.Money talks.
Meanings
a.Rich people have power and can get whatever they want.
b.You think someone is silly because they spend money to try and get back money they have already lost.
c.Something is very difficult to get.
d.Greed causes a particular problem or is the cause of problems for society.
2. Using Reading Activity D as a model, choose one of these idioms and write a dialogue using the idiom.
Produced by cmercer
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Produced by cmercer
[email protected]
Warning: Money
TEACHERS' NOTES AND ANSWER KEY
Reading Activities
NOTE: Paragraph 1 of the article refers to 'newly-minted game show, lottery and Internet millionaires'. These millionaires have
earned their money recently. The word 'minted' is normally used for coins. ('Mint' is to make a coin by stamping metal.) The word
is used here as a pun to make a connection between coins and millionaires. You can choose to ignore this pun or tell your
students that the millionaires mentioned here are newly made millionaires.
A: True, False or Not Mentioned? - Answers
1. NM; 2. T; 3. T; 4. T; 5. T; 6. NM.
B: Fill the gaps - Answers
Modern Maturity magazine organized a survey of American adults and asked them some questions about wealth.
A third of the respondents said that they didn't want to be wealthy. Most of them believe that being rich makes
you greedy and insensitive.
They also think that if you are rich, you can live wherever you want and you can have plenty of excitement. A
little over half of the respondents believe that rich people have less stress.
C: Reading for Detail - Answers
1. c; 2. c.
D and E: Thinking Carefully - One and Two - Notes
These activities will be quite challenging for students. Put them in pairs or small groups or do it as a class.
D: Thinking Carefully - One - Answers
Americans in the survey have said negative things about being rich. They say it makes you selfish etc. Now when asked
whether or not they would like to be rich they show support for their belief (that being rich can have a negative effect on your
personality) by answering 'no'. They don't want to be rich. i.e. They say they think that being rich can be bad for you, and they
also say they do not want to be rich.
E: Thinking Carefully - Two - Answers
Americans have said they don't want to be rich but they do know that money is useful for certain things. Money can buy you or
give you the freedom to live where you want to live, as well as excitement and less stress.
Post-Reading Activities
C: Idioms - Answers
1.He is throwing good money after bad - You think someone is silly because they spend money to try and get back money
they have already lost
2.The love of money is the root of all evil - Greed causes a particular problem or is the cause of problems for society
3.You can't get it here, not for love nor money - Something is very difficult to get
4.Money talks - Rich people have power and can get whatever they want