未命名-1_工作區域 1
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Unit 27 :
“Health is better than wealth”

Pre-advanced

Objective

To be able to know more about idioms and expressions.

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Vocabulary

Read and know the meaning of the words used in the article.

1. feat /fiːt/
something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, courage, etc. to achieve it

The Eiffel Tower is a remarkable feat of engineering.

2. lavish  /ˈlæv.ɪʃ/
large in quantity and expensive or impressive

The evening was a lavish affair with glorious food and an endless supply of champagne.

3. lorry  /ˈlɔːr.i/
a large road vehicle that is used for transporting goods

The stock is delivered by lorry from the huge warehouses.

4. restricted /rɪˈstrɪk.tɪd/
limited, especially by official rules, laws, etc.

Building in this area of town is restricted.

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Quick Reading

Read the short passage.

Good Health is extremely important, invaluable and indispensable.

A Healthy body paves the way for a healthy mind. When the mind is at peace a lot can be achieved in terms of name, fame and money. Having excessive wealth without good health is of no use.

No amount of wealth will be able to bring back a broken limb or handicap. At best wealth can only get the best treatments but cannot give back a healthy body. With a healthy body even impossible feats seem easy.

Sanjay and Prasad were good friends. Prasad was a very rich man who believed that wealth was everything in life. Prasad worked very hard to earn money and felt that since he was working hard, he had every right to enjoy life too.

Prasad led a lavish lifestyle and partied all night, paying scant attention to his health. Sanjay on the other hand believed that a healthy mind was far more important than money.

Sanjay exercised regularly and was very careful about timely and healthy meals.

As he grew wealthier, Prasad became addicted to alcohol and became a drunkard. When Sanjay tried to discipline him, Prasad brushed aside his concerns as being stupid.

One night as he was returning home from a party, Prasad was under the influence of alcohol and lost control of the car he was driving. An accident happened there and Prasad was taken to hospital in serious condition.

As a result the car crashed against a lorry and he was badly injured. After prolonged hospitalization Prasad recovered but he had injured his spine so badly that he was confined to a wheelchair for life.

Sanjay was pained to see his friend in this state but he had warned him enough number of times. Although Prasad had more than enough money and facilities to live a life of extreme comfort, his movements were restricted due to lack of health.

If he had paid attention to his friend’s words and taken them seriously, Prasad would not have been in this bed-ridden condition for the rest of his life. Of course, the best things appear only after the time is over for them.

No amount of wealth could bring his health to its old condition. He was very depressed and disappointed and only now realized the true worth of his friend’s advice – good health was always better than any amount of wealth.

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Discussion

Answer the questions with your teacher.

  1. Do you believe in the proverb “health is wealth”?
  2. How important is health to you?
  3. How do you measure someone’s wealth?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a lot of money?
  5. Would you choose to be rich or not? Why or why not?