Lesson 3: Reference Skills
Pre-Reading Discussion Questions • Are you a lucky person? How can you tell? • Why do some people seem luckier than others? • What brings people good luck?
The Teacher's Guide provides pre-reading discussion questions for each reading passage.
Reference SkillsLesson 3
Making Your Own Luck R
ichard Wiseman, who conducts research at a college in England, decided to find out what makes some people lucky—or unlucky. Wiseman studied about 400 people. Some of these people considered themselves to be very lucky, while others thought of themselves as very unlucky. In his study, he discovered that people have more control over their lives than they think. In fact, Wiseman believes that we make our own luck.
Wiseman found that unlucky people like for things to stay the same and are annoyed by new ideas—they want no part of them. But lucky people enjoy trying new things and like to learn, explore, and make new friends. This increases their opportunities to experience good luck.
Unlucky people often have one goal, and they work hard to reach it. Their dedication is noble. However, when these people cannot reach their goal, they end up in misery. In the meantime, they have ignored precious opportunities to find happiness. By thinking only about their goal, they have missed out on marvelous experiences.
170 UNIT 8 Good and Bad | Lesson 3 14 UNIT 8 Good and Bad | Lesson 3
Are some people really luckier than others? Can you make your own luck? Researchers have wondered about this for many years.
Unlucky people also focus on what is wrong, not what is right. If an unlucky person has a car accident, he or she might say, “Look at my car! I can’t believe my horrific luck!” After the same accident, a lucky person might say, “I am so glad that no one was badly hurt! Aren’t we lucky?” Lucky people face problems, but they
aren’t tormented by them. They look for something that is favorable about the experience; to them, nothing is that bad. They deal with the problem and know that things will get better. Lucky people create their own opportunities and do not wait for miracles. They do not expect any charity from others. They are relaxed about life and open to new experiences, and they turn bad luck into good luck without even being aware of it. It seems that luck, good or bad, is a matter of attitude. It’s a compliment to be told you are lucky. Being lucky says good things about your approach to life. Maybe you are already a lucky person. If not, work on it!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
