健康与财富

　　Wealth brings happinessDirections: In this part, you are to write an essay entitled “The Relationship between Wealth and Happiness”. You can agree or disagree, completely or partially to the above statement. But whatever position you take, you should give sound supporting reasons. At the end of your composition you are required to draw your own conclusion.

　　Wealth has always been what some people long for. It is true that most of them try to acquire wealth by means of honest labor. Their efforts contribute to the welfare of the society and at the same time to the accumulation of their wealth, and hence to their happiness.

　　There is no doubt that wealth brings happiness, especially in the modern society. Various kinds of up-to-date household appliances, latest fashions and recreations make their appearance with each passing day. All this makes our life more comfortable and colorful. Therefore, without money we cannot turn admiration into reality.

　　Wealth, however, can also lead to disasters, if we have an inappropriate approach to it. Wealth may tempt weak-willed persons to be addicted to harmful habits, such as drug-taking and gambling, and result in their own ruin. Besides, a person may lose his reason and go astray if he intends only to seek wealth and indulges himself in leading a luxurious life. For example, there are some government officials who take advantage of their positions to take bribes from the people turning to them for help . Obviously, wealth may bring us disasters if we don’t take a proper attitude to it. In my opinion, on no account can we equate happiness with wealth. I also believe that one should never reckon only on wealth to achieve happiness.

Health or Wealth?

　　Which is more important, health or wealth? When given this question, different people have varied answers. Some insist that health plays a more important role in our life, while others see more advantages arising from wealth.

　　The first group of people quote the old saying “Health is above wealth” to prove their idea. They argue that, on the one hand, a strong person can do almost anything as long as he/she tries hard. On the other hand, however, rich people will not be able to enjoy the wealth if their days are numbered.

　　In contrast, the advocates of wealth have such arguments as follows. For one thing, wealthy people will be able to buy more healthful foods. For another, they can enjoy better facilities to improve their health. (Take my neighbor, Lao Wang, as an example. He had a heart attack and is in hospital. However, he cannot afford the expensive operation, which costs as much as 100,000 yuan. Therefore, he has to lie in bed hopelessly. If he were a rich man, his life could be saved.) (括号中的部分同学们自己可以在别的文章中发挥。)

　　As far as I am concerned, both health and wealth are important to our life. We should try to strike a balance between them and gain wealth with a healthy body.