Sam Thank you for your very interesting question, Riley. When they are adjectives, they all simply mean 'having a lot of money or things' but there is a slight difference between how we use them.
Sam Let's hear some examples now, and notice the nouns that 'affluent' is describing in each sentence.
Jiaying 请听三个例句。注意听例句中 “affluent” 修饰的名词。
Examples My aunt and uncle just moved to a very affluent neighbourhood – there are lots of big houses with fountains. （我的姑姑和姑父刚搬到一个非常富裕的社区，那里有很多装了喷泉的大房子。）
Education levels tend to be higher in more affluent countries. （富裕国家的教育水平往往更高。）
This used to be a very affluent area, but it's changed in the past few years. （这里曾是一个非常富裕的地区，但在过去几年发生了变化。）
Sam So, you will often hear 'affluent' used with nouns like 'nation', 'country', 'society', 'area' or 'neighbourhood'. And because it's a little more formal, we tend to see this word more in newspapers or academic writing.
Sam Exactly! If you're 'wealthy', you don't just have a lot of money, you also have a lot of valuable things, like property, jewellery, cars, art, etc.
Sam Ah, good question, Jiaying. No, we can use 'wealthy' for individuals, but also for groups of people, organisations, countries… Let's listen to some examples now.
Examples Mina is a very wealthy entrepreneur. She runs two successful businesses! （米娜是一位非常富有的企业家。她经营着两家成功的企业！）
The country has become wealthy thanks to its growing economy. （该国因经济增长而变得富有。）
I didn't realise how wealthy Rupert was until he invited me to his family home. （直到鲁伯特邀请我去他家做客，我才意识到他是多么富有。）
Examples Do you know how Miles made his money? He got rich through clever investing. （你知道迈尔斯是怎么赚钱的吗？他是通过聪明的投资致富的。）
Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world. （瑞士是世界上最富有的国家之一。）
Jiaying 在上面的两个例句中，形容词 “rich” 的意思都是 “有钱的”。
但在形容某物时，“rich” 的意思是 “富含…的” 。
Sam Yes, such as coal, oil, or precious metals. And we can also use this meaning when something contains anything good or useful. Like when we talk about nutrients in food, for example, 'vitamins'.
Jiaying 比如：“（富含维生素）rich in vitamins”。注意，要用介词 “in”——“rich in something”。听两个例句。
Examples The northern regions of the country are rich in copper and minerals. （该国北部地区盛产铜和矿产。）
