ADDITIONAL READING
7
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Read the article and analyse the statements below the passage.
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Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist, was one
of the world’s richest men. He made a fortune
in the oil and steel industries, but spent most
of his life giving his money away. Carnegie
was born in Scotland in 1835.
When he was 13, his family immigrated to the
US. When he was 14, he started to work for
$1.20 a week. He was intelligent and
hardworking, and it didn’t take him long to
become rich. But Carnegie always
remembered the day he wanted to use a
library in Pittsburgh, but he was not permitted to enter. He was disappointed
to learn that the library was for members only. As Carnegie’s fortune grew, he
started to give his money away.
One of his biggest desires was to build free public libraries. He wanted
everyone to have access to libraries and education. He believed that education
was the key to a successful life. In 1881, there were only a few public libraries
for the people. Over the doors of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, carved in
stone, are his own words, “Free to the People.” By the time Carnegie died,
there had been more than 2,500 public libraries in the English-speaking world.
But building libraries was not his only contribution. In his book, “The Gospel
of Wealth”, he tried to persuade other wealthy people to donate their money.
Here are some of the ideas he wrote about in his book:
• To give away money is the best thing rich people can do.
• It’s good for a rich person to set an example for others.
• It’s not good to have money if your spirit is poor.
• It is the mind that makes the body rich.
By the time he died in 1919, Carnegie had given away more than
$ 350 million that time which is $ 3.7 billion today.