1. Bill Gates' donation
2. number of billionaires now
3. number of billionares in 1996
Find numbers in the article to match the following
Read the article again and answer the questions.
1. What American companies does the article talk about?
2. What currencies does the article mention?
3. What do rich people in the USA often give money to build?
4. What problems can rich people help find solutions to?
Reading
Charity from the rich
Today, many rich and famous people give money to charity. Technology billionaire Bill Gates recently gave $31 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Other technology leaders also give away money. Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, and Jeff Skoll, eBay's first CEO, want to use their billions to help "make the world a better place".
Why do charities receive so much money? One reason is that there are more rich people than in the past. The world now has 691 billionaires, compared with 423 in 1996. Rich people in many different countries give millions of euros, riyals, yen and other currencies to charity.
What can the world of charity learn from the world of business? Michael Porter, a management guru at the Harvard Business School, believes that the rich need to think about how their charitable foundations spend money. In the USA, it is traditional for the rich to give money to hospitals, libraries and universities. These are very important, but some people think that this does not always help the very poor.
People with a lot of money often have useful social connections. They usually know how to market ideas and how to interest the media in a subject. So, some people think that the rich can give more than money. They can also use their time, social connections and skills to help find solutions to some of the world's problems, such as poverty and the environment.
The business of giving
Glossary
Charity (n) money or gifts that people give to help people
recently (adv) a short time ago
charitable foundation (adj + n) an organisation that uses money to help people
management guru (n) someone who knows a lot about business
poverty (n) not having enough money for food or housing
environment (n) the world and the peoplem animals and plants that live in it.
Speaking and Writing. Think of some ways for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to spend the $31 billion.
Who should find solutions to world problems - billionaires or governments? Give reasons for your answers.
My Notes
Reading. Does the writer think that money is the only thing that rich people can use to help the world?
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