Question 1

I don't really know any wealthy people. I know quite a few people who seem to have better finances than I do but I don't know that I'd call them "wealthy". Most of the people I know are generous with the money, resources and time that they have to share. I like to think I can include myself in that group.

Question 2

Bruce Wayne, the secret identity of the superhero known as Batman. It's hard to say how old he is as he is a fictional character who has been played by many different actors. However, Batman was first created in 1939. If we say he was "born" then, that would make him 82 years old today. He is American, living in Gotham City. He inherited his wealth from his parents and is worth an estimated $80 billion dollars today.

Question 3

Batman is yet again being rebooted. Robert Pattinson will be playing him in the upcoming movie "The Batman", which is scheduled to be released in 2022. He looks pretty good for an 82 year old!

Question 4

I like to think that my life would carry on in much the same way it does now. No fancy mansions. No private jets. No trips into space. I would like to build my own home; two actually – one in Japan and one in Australia and I would divide my time between the two countries. I would make sure my family is well taken care of. Take a nice holiday every now and again. And I'd hire a team of professionals to manage my finances for me, to make sure that I never have to worry about money again. Other than that though, I hope I'd still be the same old me.

Question 5

I think the idea of trying to save the planet is a noble pursuit to be sure but I think it's a little too ambitious. I think it would definitely be possible to make a difference on a smaller scale though. It would probably mean getting involved in local politics, making sure I knew the right people who were also interested in making a change for the better. I'd want to help the unhoused people in the area and make sure that the schools were not underfunded. I'd sponsor local clean up programs to go out and pick up trash in the area. Basically I would let people come to me with ideas and if I thought the ideas had merit, I'd give them some money to make it happen.

Question 6

I do. I think there comes a point when a person can have too much money. At that point, you need to give some of it back. After all, you can only spend so much and you can't take it with you when you're gone. You might as well try to leave the world a better place than when you found it.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
finances	財源
I like to think so	私はそう思いたい
secret identity	シークレット・アイデンティティ
inherit	継承
reboot a movie	映画の再起動
divide my time	私の時間を分ける
the same old me	昔のままの自分
a noble pursuit	崇高な追求
unhoused people	住居のない人
underfunded	資金不足
to have merit	使える
you can only spend so much	使っても使っても
you can't take it with you	持っていけない

Question 1

I know a few people who are quite weathly, but it is inherited wealth. They gained it from their parents or grandparents. They are pretty normal people and you would not know that they have a lot of money and investments.

Question 2

I remember reading an article about Bill Gates where he said that there are so many problems on earth, so why are people trying to fly to space when that money could be spent on helping people?

Question 3

He was asking a very important ethical question.

Question 4

I hope that it would not change me too much. I would keep it a secret as best I could. I would have a part time job, just so I had something to do.

Question 5

I would donate to certain charieties, such as the SPCA,

Question 6

I think they should be able to spend their money how they like but it would be nice if they wanted to help others.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
inherited wealth	相続財産
investments	投資
ethical question	倫理的問題
as best I could	出来る限り

Question 1

The wealthiest person I know is one of my clients from my previous job whom I had a very good professional relationship with him. He is the owner of a big air conditioning company. He is very generous with his wealth when giving rewards or bonuses to his employees.

Question 2

One of them is Mark Zuckerberg. He's 37 years old and from America. As everyone knows, he became rich by founding Facebook.

Question 3

He was in the news recently because Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp was down for several hours on Oct 5. It was suspected to be some sort of problem with their servers.

Question 4

I would make sure that I had enough money to ensure my business remains successful and my employees are paid well. I would use my money to buy comfortable but not overly ostentatious houses in some places that I really love and travel all over the world. I would also give money to my parents and family members that I really liked. I would also spoil my closest friends with gifts or treating them out to meals and travels with me. I would also spend my money improving my health and learning new things. The rest of my money I will definitely give back to charities involved with education, food, and science.

Question 5

I would use my money for education. I believe that many under developed countries, like the Philippines, stay that way because quality education is only available so such a small amount of people. I understand the privileges I enjoyed by being able to go to the best schools there, but I believe that everyone should have the same experience.

Question 6

I think billionaires should ensure they have enough money to run and grow their businesses and increase their own quality of life, but I also think that they should give all their excess money back to the community. Currently, they have no obligation to do so but would just make the world a much better place if everyone agreed on an acceptable percentage of their profits to go back to helping communities via taxes or charities and that the money is being properly used.

Tough Vocabulary