Reading

1. | GW. Read the article about a woman who lives without money and answer the questions.

1. What was Heidemarie’s job?
2. What possessions does she have now?
3. How did the experiment start?
4. Where has she lived since the experiment started?
5. What does she do when she needs something?
6. What is she trying to show with her experiment?
7. What did she do with the money she earned from her book?
8. How do you think she survives?
9. Is it possible to live without money?
Life Without Money

At the age of 54 Heidemarie Schwermer (a famous German writer) gave up her job as a psychotherapist, gave away all her money and her flat and threw away her credit cards. Today, apart from a few clothes (three sweaters, two skirts, two pairs of shoes, and a coat) and a few personal belongings, she doesn’t own anything. It all began as a one-year experiment. In her home city of Dortmund she set up a swapping circle where people swap services without using money, for example, a haircut for a mathematics class. To prove that this could work, she decided to give up using money for a year. At first she stayed at her friend’s house in return for watering the plants and looking after their animals. At the moment she is staying in a student residence where she can sleep, have a shower, or use a computer in return for cooking for the young people who live there. She also works as a psychotherapist. “Before I treated very wealthy people but now I help anyone who turns up. Sometimes they give me something in return, but not always,” she says.

Heidemarie Schwermer says, “I can live thanks to my contacts. A lot of people who know me understand what I’m doing and want to help me. When I need a bus ticket, for example, or a new tube of toothpaste I think, “Who can I ask? What can I give them in return?” If I want to go to the cinema, I might offer to look after somebody’s children for the afternoon. Sometimes some people judge others according to how much they earn and how they spend money. In my opinion, all jobs are equally important. You may not earn a lot of money but you may be worth a lot as a person. That’s my message.”

So what did she do with all the money she earned from the sales of the book “My Life without money?”. She gave it all away... .