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Unit 10 The Money Lesson 1 A Material World "Who wants to be a Millionaire? I don't," says Charles Gray Angus Deayton interviews ex-millionaire Charles Gray A lot of people are determined to become a millionaire. They spend half their time dreaming up ways of getting rich,and the rest of their time thinking about all the enjoyable things they would do once they got rich. But do all millionaires find the happiness that they thought they would get when they achieve their goals? Some millionaires continue to be concerned about money when they become millionaires. They are hardworking to get all that money. Then they are hardworking to make sure they never lose it! But there are people who have turned their backs on their millions and found different ways to be happy in their lives. Charles Gray is one example. Sixteen years ago, Charles was a college professor with a huge six-bedroom house and $2 million. Today he lives in a small dormitory room where there is only second-hand furniture. There are certainly no signs that Charles was a rich man! There is a small garden outside with a few fruit trees.Charles grows some vegetables and a few flowers. He gets his clothes and a lot of other things from charity shops. But Charles appreciates this change. He was pleased to give up the lifestyle of a rich man. He was tired of being a person who had everything in a world where many people had nothing. He made the choice to give all his money away. And this, he said, brought him happiness. "A few years ago," says Charles,"I was a millionaire, but was aware there were a lot of hungry people in the world." Therefore he gave away all his money to charities. When he had two thousand dollars left,he gave away small bank notes in the streets of local poor areas. Did he feel like Father Christmas? "It was a lot of fun," says Charles. Charles believes that many people want to earn a lot of money so that they will not have any worries. However, most people never make much money. Charles Gray decided to drop out and has discovered that having only a little money makes you free. Are there any things he misses? "No, I'm much happier now. I wouldn't go back to being rich for anything - no way." 第10单元 金钱 第1课 物质世界 查尔斯o格雷说：“谁想当百万富翁？我不想。” 安格斯o戴伊德采访前百万富翁查尔斯o格雷。 很多人一心想成为百万富翁。 他们花一半时间梦求致富的方法，另一半则在琢磨一旦阔绰起来要做些什么。 但是是否所有的百万富翁真正得到了他们实现目标前所期盼的幸福呢？ 有些人成为百万富翁后还继续为钱烦恼。 他们拼命努力才获得财富。 他们继续拼命以确保不再失去这笔钱！ 但是也有人把自己的百万资产置于一边，寻求不同的人生幸福。 查尔斯o格雷就是这样一个人。 十六年前，查尔斯是大学教授，住着有六个卧室的房子，有两百万资产。 而现在住的则是小宿舍房间，家具全是二手的。 没有任何迹象表明查尔斯曾是个富人！ 房间外有个小花园，花园里种着几棵果树。 查尔斯自己种蔬菜和花。 衣服和家居用品大都是从福利店买的。 但是查尔斯喜欢这种改变。 他对放弃富人的生活方式感到高兴。 他不再想做在很多人一无所有的情况下自己却拥有一切的那种人。 他选择了把自己的钱财送给别人。 他说这会给他带来快乐。 查尔斯说：“几年前， 我曾是个百万富翁，但我意识到世界上还有许许多多忍饥挨饿的穷人。” 因此他把所有钱财都捐给了慈善机构。 当他只剩两千美元时，他把小额纸币散发给当地贫困街区的穷人。 难道他真的觉得自己像是圣诞老人吗？查尔斯说：“这么做充满乐趣。” 查尔斯相信很多人盼望着挣一大笔钱以解除烦恼。 然而，大多数人根本没挣过那么多钱。 查尔斯o格雷决定放弃，他发现只有少量钱会带给人自由。 难道真的没有什么让他依旧怀念的吗？ 查尔斯答道：“没有，我现在更快乐了。什么也不可能让我再回到富人行列了—决不可能！” |
