I have a cousin who’s a farmer. If you saw him on market day with his old boots and worn hat, you might think he was a tramp (流浪汉). But he’s either buying or sellingfor thousands of pounds. He doesn’t have a luxurious lifestyle, but the farmhouse, dozens of acres of land, machinery, cattle, chicken and crops must be worth a fortune. You might describe him as aman, but he doesn’t look like that.
My father owned a shop selling newspapers, cigarettes, birthday cards, toys, books and magazines. The shopa comfortable life for us, but we weren’t rich. The only luxury was that my father owned a car when most people in our town couldn’t afford one,professionals such as doctors and lawyers.
My point is thatcan be misleading. You often can’tthe rich from the way they look.
I once met Richard Branson, the Virgin Airlines tycoon (巨头).He’da hot balloon across the Atlantic and landed in the Irish sea. When he was rescued, he was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a sneaker. You’dhave guessed he was a multimillionaire.
Andrew Bruce, the 11th Earl (伯爵) of Elgin,a group of press people to his luxurious home in Fife, Scotland. His, the 7th Earl of Elgin was famous for removing and transporting to Britain priceless sculptures from the Parthenon, a very famous temple in Greece. The so-called Elgin Marbles can be seen in the British Museum. The Earl’s castle wascold, despite a fire burning in the hearth (壁炉). He explained to us,“I’m sorry it’s so cold, but you should know that a gentleman’s house is always cold.”
There you have it:doesn’t always bring comfort.
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