CURSO

1
Departamento de Educacin
y Ciencia

Escuela Oficial de Idiomas n 2

de Zaragoza

C.E.
INGLS

ACTIVIDAD

SOPORTE

N FICHA

COMPRENSIN
ESCRITA

10

AULA DE
AUTOAPRENDIZAJE

BIG WINNER IS A BIG LOSER

Before you read
1 Would you like to win a lot of money?
2 Do you think people who are very rich are also very happy?
Read Big Winner is a Big Loser and answer the questions.
Elaine Walsh bought her first and only lottery ticket in July 1999. That evening she won
12.5 million. It was a dream come true, said Elaine. I thought I could do everything I
wanted.
Elaine, a single mother, took her parents and two children on a cruise around the world. It
was beautiful, said Elaine. We travelled on a fantastic cruise ship. We went to the
Caribbean, Hawaii, Sydney, Singapore. It was incredible.
Things went well until Elaine returned home. I just wanted to be me. I worked in the local
primary school as a cook. When I got back to work my friends were very different. They
didnt speak to me in a normal way. They didnt understand why I wanted to work. I had
the feeling that they didnt like me any more.
Elaine left her job and moved with her two children to a large house in the countryside.
There was a swimming pool and a stable for their three horses. It was a beautiful house,
said Anne, Elaines twelve-year-old daughter. For a few weeks I was a very popular girl.
Suddenly I had a lot of friends, said nine-year-old Tom, Elaines son. They often came
round and swam in our pool or rode our horses.
But Elaine, Anne, and Tom soon found out that their friends were not real friends. They
only wanted us for our money, said Elaine. I got about 100 letters a week asking me for
money. I wanted to be a normal woman but it simply wasnt possible. Elaine Walsh had
lost her job and her friends.
It was in January 2001 that Elaine, Anne and Tom took the biggest decision of their lives.
They decided to sell their house and give away all their money to charity. It was such a
relief, said Elaine, who now lives in a small flat with Anne and Tom. Now I am a normal
woman again. I got my job back at the school. My colleagues think Im crazy, but I am
happy I dont have the money any more.

Comprehension check: True or False?

After Elaine won the lottery

1 she went on a dream holiday with her family.
2 she bought a new house. __
3 she got married. __
4 her friends stopped talking to her. __
5 she lost all her money. __

__

Answer the questions.

1
2
3
4

How many lottery tickets did Elaine buy?

How many people did Elaine take on the cruise?
How long was Elaine Walsh rich?
Why did she give the money away?

Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right.

1
2
3
4
5

a cruise
relief
a stable
a charity
colleagues

a
b
c
d
e

the place where horses sleep

an organization which helps poor people
what you feel when you stop worrying
a holiday on a ship
the people you work with

After you read

1
2
3

Do you think Elaine was crazy to give her money to charity?

Do you think their friends will accept Elaine, Anne and Tom as normal people again?
Are you going to buy a lottery ticket today? Why / Why not?

KEY
Comprehension check: 1T; 2T; 3F; 4F; 5F
Questions: 1 One; 2 Four; 3 16 months; 4 Because she wanted to be normal again
Definitions: 1d; 2c; 3a; 4b; 5e
From English File 1, extra reading material
O.U.P. This material may only be used for individual study; multiple copying and distribution are prohibited