Reading and speaking

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1606.

Life without money

MODULE 3

Writing

20. Write quiz questions about the Central Bank of Russia. Ask your partners.

1. Which of these sentences best describes your attitude to money? Give reasons.

1. All I want is enough money tо enjoy life.

2. Money is very important to me. I'd like to earn as much as possible.

3. I would be happy to live with less money and fewer possessions.

2. You're going to read an article about a wоman who lives without money. Why do you think she does it? How do you think she survives? Read the article to find out.

At the age of 54 Heidemarie gave up her job as а psychotherapist, gave away all her money and her flat and threw away her credit cards. Today, apart from а few clothes (three sweaters, two skirts, two pairs of shoes, and а coat) and а few personal belongings, she doesn't own anything.

It all began as а one-year experiment. In her home city оf Dortmund she set up а “swapping circle” where people swap services without using money, for example, а haircut for a mathematics class. То prove that this could work she decided to give up using money for а year. But when the year ended she continued and has not used money since then.

At first she house-sat for friends who were on holiday. She stayed in their house in return for watering the plants and looking after their animals. At the moment she is staying in а student residence where she can sleep, have а shower, or use a computer in return for cooking for the young people who live there. She also “works” as a psychotherapist. “Before I treated very wealthy people but now I help anyone who turns up. Sometimes they give me something in return, but not always.”

Heidemarie says, “I can't live thanks to my contacts. А lot of people who know me understand what I'm doing and want to help me. When I need а bus ticket, for example, or а new tube of toothpaste I think, “Who сan I ask? What сan I give them in return?” If I want to go to the cinema, I might offer to look after somebody's children for the afternoon.

It is one of the mistakes of our society that most people do something they don't like just to earn money and spend it on things they don't need. Many people judge you according to how much you earn. In my opinion, all jobs are equally important. You may not earn a lot of money but you may be worth а lot as а person. That's my message.”

So what did she do with all the money she earned from the sales of My life without money?

“I gave it all away …”

3. Read the article again and answer the questions.

1.What was Heidemarie's job?

2.What possessions does she have now?

3.How did the experiment start?

4.Where has she lived since the experiment started?

5.Does she still work?

6.What does she do when she needs something?

7.What is she trying to show with her experiment?

8.What did she do with the money she earned from her book?

4. Discuss in pairs.

1.Do you agree with Heidemarie that … ?

• all jobs are equally important

• most people don't like their jobs

• people judge you according to how much you earn

2.What do you think of Heidemarie? Would you like to have her as a friend?

5. Match the underlined phrasal verbs with their definitions. Write the verbs in the infinitive.

1.throw away put into the rubbish bin.

2. stop doing something.

3. arrive, appear

4. give something to somebody without wanting anything in return

5. start a new company or organization

6. be responsible for somebody or something

6. In pairs, answer the questions.

1.Do you agree that … ?

• money always makes people happy

• the more money you have, the more you want

• it's better to have a lot of friends than much money

• you can buy everything you want with money

• it's very important to become rich

2.What do you think of this quote said by the US boxer Joe Louise

“I don't like money, but it quiets my nerves”? Discuss it.