How to become a billionaire 如何成為億萬富翁

我們都聽過這樣的一個成功富豪的故事，他們從學校輟學，在沒有完成學業的情況下創造出上百萬甚至是上億的財富。但是這是常規嗎？《隨身英語》關註世界頂級富豪的成功路。你也會成為他們中的一員嗎？

課文內容

詞匯：success 成功

Have you ever fancied sailing around the world in your own yacht or buying a holiday home in the Caribbean? Well, before you get too excited, it may help to find out if you have what it takes to become a billionaire.

We’ve all heard stories of school drop-outs who have made their fortune, but are they the norm or an exception to the rule? Do they tend to be university graduates or self-made entrepreneurs? Are they married or single?

Thanks to a recent analysis of people in Forbes Top 100 Billionaires List, we can now find out what the world’s mega rich have in common. We know which star sign is the most popular amongst multi-millionaires, what percentage wear glasses and even how many are bald!

If you are deciding whether or not to go to university, it may help you to know that 76% of the richest people in the world have a degree. According to this study, of those 76%, 47% have a bachelor’s degree, 23% have a master’s and 6% have a doctorate. Don’t lose hope if you aren’t very academic though. It’s worth noting that many of those on the list did not pass all their exams with flying colours. Microsoft founder Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard University after two years of study. And Chinese business magnate Jack Ma, failed his university entrance exams three times before going on to complete his degree and make his millions.

Another interesting trend is that the world’s high-fliers are much more likely to be married – only 12% of billionaires are unmarried. You are also more likely to make it if you were born under the most popular star sign, Aquarius, than if you are a Cancer – the least popular sign on the zodiac. Finally, the percentage of billionaires who are bald is quite high – so don’t worry if you’re losing your hair, you may get to sail that yacht around the Caribbean after all!

詞匯表

a billionaire 億萬富翁
a school drop-out 一個中途退學的人
make ones fortune 靠個人努力發財致富
university graduate 大學畢業生
self-made 靠自己努力的，白手起傢的
entrepreneur 企業傢
mega rich 巨富
pass your exams with flying colours 優異成績通過考試
founder 創始人
drop out of (school, university) 離開，退出（學校，大學）
magnate 富豪
high-flier 抱負極高的人，成功人士
to make it 功成名就

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. What was the purpose of the analysis of billionaires?

2. True or false? About one quarter of the billionaires analysed are not university graduates.

3. How did Bill Gates make his fortune?

4. According to the study, why does when you were born affect how likely you are to become rich?

5. What do Bill Gates and Jack Ma have in common?

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Well done! You passed your driving test with __________ .

high fliers colours flying flying colours flying high

2. Steve Jobs was the __________ of Apple.

founder finder starter builder

3. You should think carefully before you __________ school. You may regret it when you’re older.

drop off drop over drop in to drop out of

4. He’s a __________ millionaire: his family were too poor to help him start his business.

magnate self-made drop-out entrepreneur

5. He’s made a __________ from selling oil.

money millions billionaire fortune

答案

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. What was the purpose of the study? To find similarities between the top 100 richest people in the world

2. True or false? About one quarter of the billionaires analysed are not university graduates. True

3. How did Bill Gates make his fortune? He started the computer company, Microsoft.

4. According to the study, why does when you’re born affect how likely you are to make lots of money? They found that certain zodiac signs are more common than others in the rich list.

5. What do Bill Gates and Jack Ma have in common? They went on to become very successful even though they didn’t excel in their academic lives.

2.請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Well done! You passed your driving test with flying colours.

2. Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple.

3. You should think carefully before you drop out of school. You may regret it when you’re older.

4. He’s a self-made millionaire: his family didn’t have any money to help him start his business.

5. He’s made a fortune from selling oil.