UNIT 5 LEISURE ACTIVITIES

5.1 Study the definitions:

1 hobby – something that you enjoy doing when you are not working

2 recreation – things that you do to enjoy yourself

3 enjoyment – pleasure that you get from an activity or experience

4 pastime – something that you do regularly for fun in your free time

5 pursuit – an activity that you enjoy

6 leisure – activities you do to relax or enjoy yourself

 

 

LEISURE USA QUESTIONNAIRE

5.2 How often do you do these activities? Write often, sometimes or never.

● Aerobics                                 ● Going to the movies              ● Swimming

● Computer activities      ● Reading                        ● Dancing

● Cooking                   ● Shopping                      ● Watching TV

● Cycling                          ● Walking

 

5.3 Now number the activities that you do in order, with number 1 as your favourite.

 

5.4 Which other activities do you do in your free time that aren’t listed above?

 

5.5 Read the text Hobbies and do the exercises after it.

Hobbies

A hundreds years ago there was no problem of what working people could do with their spare time. Their hours of work were so long that they had hardly any leisure. Nowadays it’s even hard to name all the activities, entertainments and hobbies run by people in their free time. A growing number of people prefer watching films, performances, sporting events on TV to attending them. There exists quite a different sort of leisure activities, betting and gambling for example, which give thousands of people hope for a huge prize, and a sense of excitement and expectation. There are various pursuits that people choose to pass away their free time. Nowadays people spend ours watching different informational, educational or environment programs. Other popular occupations are listening to the radio, reading books, painting and so on. Many people prefer to go in for different kinds of sports and lead an active way of life. Sometimes they participate in competitions or contests and have a very good pastime. There are people that prefer calm way of spending their free time. They are fond of quite rambles or walks in parks or gardens. More serious people prefer to visit museums, art galleries or theaters. Aerobics and shopping are two of the most popular pursuits for women. Cooking is also very widespread activity among them. But nothing can be compared with the feeling of those who take got really interested in some field of activity, which has become something favorite and admired. A “hobby” is a special interest or activity that you do in you free time off. Some people have animals as hobbies. They keep rabbits or go fishing. They train dogs to do tricks or keep pageants to race and carry messages. Some are crazy about plants. They try to grow cacti or rare tropical flowers in their kitchens and sitting rooms. Others are mad about their cars or their motorbikes. They spend their Saturdays and Sundays washing them, painting them or buying new bits and pieces to make them go even faster. Children and teenagers are great collectors. They collect stamps or postcards or pictures of a favourite football or pop star. Many people make things as a hobby. I have several hobbies which occupy me after university, both in and out of the house. Sometimes I wonder how I fit them all into my schedule because I have a lot homework. Everyday I have not much time to relax. In that period I usually rest after hard university day, listen to music, watch TV and videos, read books and magazines. Computer is one of my main hobbies and interests. Every weekend I spend a lot of time in World Wide Web. I use Internet for educational process, for finding special literature in different subjects and of cause for fun. I have a great number of web friends and we like to spend a lot of time talking to one another. Moreover I have big collection of CDs and records. They include reggae, pop, classical, jazz, easy listening. My mum always telling me off for putting my hi-fi on too loud. Whenever I get spare time, I go in different sport clubs and complexes and play different team and single games such as tennis, football, volleyball, and basketball. It keeps me fit and happy. I can say with confidence that reading is my favourite hobby. Thanks to books we learn to express our thoughts and feelings more exactly and of cause books is the richest source of information. Sometimes my friends and I exchange opinions about books, speak about them, exchange books. Among my favorite gainers are fantasy, philosophy and technical literature. I think that hobbies and interests are an important factor of life. They help to form person, to relax and forget problems for a short while.

 

5.6 Kinds of hobbies. What hobbies are your favourite ones?

Martial arts         Stamp collecting Coin collecting Taking pictures Bird watching Making models Writing poetry Needlework Playing cards Hunting

Kung fu Tae Kwon Do Karate Judo Pottery Sculpture Painting Knitting Hiking Jogging

Rock collecting Postmark collecting Listening to music Watching movies Making movies Reading novels Gardening Embroidery Rock climbing Making clothes

Singing Dancing Ballet         Photography Woodwork Leatherwork Cooking Quilting Camping

 

5.7 Write down:

1 three things that people often play

2 three things that people often collect

3 five outdoor hobbies which include some physical exercise

 

5.8 Here are some people talking about their hobbies. Can you guess what the hobby is in each case?

1 I usually use colour, but sometimes you get a better effect with black and white. It really depends on the subject.

2 I really enjoy going round the shops and markets looking for a bargain.

3 I try to practise every day, but sometimes it’s difficult because I don’t like to disturb my neighbours too much. And one neighbour gets very angry if I play the same thing over and over again.

4 The great thing is you can do it when you like. I usually do it three or four times a week -either early in the morning, or after school. I only go for about 25 minutes but it really keeps me fit.

5 Obviously it saves me a lot of money; and in any case, I hate buying things in boutiques because so many things are badly made.

6 I joined a club because I wanted to get better, and I now play twice a week in the evenings. It has helped me a lot and I have a much better memory for all the different moves and strategies.

7 I think this is a very common hobby for people like me, who have a house but don't have much money. That’s why I started, but now I think I do a better job than many professionals.

 

5.9 Complete these sentences with a suitable verb.

1 How often do you ……… jogging?

2 She ….. hiking because she wanted to get more exercise. Unfortunately, she didn’t like it and she …….. it …….. about six months later.

3 She has always .... her own clothes; it’s much cheaper than buying them.

4 He …….. old coins.

5 I …….. quite a lot of rock climbing when I’m on holiday.

6 I learnt to …….. the piano when I was at school.

7 I wanted to improve my chess, so I …….. a chess club.

8 I don’t really …….. anything in my spare time.

 

5.10 Study some adjectives to describe free time and leisure pursuits

adjective	meaning	possible examples
rewarding fruitful lucrative therapeutic relaxing/calming time-consuming	gives you a lot of positive experiences produces good results makes a lot of money makes you healthy in body and/or mind reduces stress, gives a peaceful feeling takes a long time to do	doing voluntary work, helping charities collaborating/cooperating with someone in an activity selling your own arts or crafts, writing computer games gardening, yoga, meditation   reading, listening to music   being president of a club, being a member of a committee

 

● Now fill the gaps with a suitable adjective from the table in activity 5.10.

1 I find writing poetry very …….. . It helps me to get a truer under of myself and gives me a good feeling inside.

2 I enjoy selling the pictures I paint, but it’s not very ……... I only made £100 last year.

3 Gardening is very ……...It reduces stress levels and calms you down.

4 I’ve had a …….. partnership with Jane for several years: she plays the piano and I play the violin. It’s been very good for both of us.

5 Doing unpaid work at the hospital has been a …….. experience for me.

6 I would like to be on the club committee, but I’ve heard it’s very …….. and I don’t have a lot of free time.

7 I enjoyed being secretary or the sports club but it was very …….. . I had to give up two evenings a week to do it.

8 The conservation work I do is very …….. . I feel I’m doing something good and useful.

9  Photography has been a …….. pursuit for her. She often sells her pictures to magazines.

10 Painting is such a …….. activity. It makes me feel good, and teaches me patience.

 

5.11 Study some informal words describing the way people spend their leisure.

Bob’s a real culture vulture; he goes to every theatre and art gallery he can find, (big fan of anything cultural)

I am a bit of a couch potato: I spend hours every day just watching TV. (physically very inactive person)

Mary’s a bit of a dabbler: she does a pastime for a couple of weeks, then she gets bored and starts something different, (person who never keeps doing one activity for long)

Francis is a real doer. He never sits round for long and always has some project or other (person who believes in acting and doing things, not just thinking)

Laura’s a shopaholic. She buys all sorts of things she doesn’t need, (person addicted to shopping; compare alcoholic: addicted to alcohol)

● Solve these riddles, based on the words above.

1 I am a vegetable that sits where humans sit. What am I?

2 I seldom sit and talk, I always act. What am I?

3 I am a bird that eats the flesh of art. What am I?

4 I do some of this and some of that, but never all of this or all or that. What am I?

 

5.12 Answer these questions.

1 What kind of obsessions or addictions do you personally have?

2  What was the word in activity 5.11 that meant ‘a person who is obsesses with going out and buying things’?

3 Using the same construction as in question 2 above, what could you call a person who is obsessed with, or addicted to, the following?

      a) working all the time    b) sport          c) eating chocolate

4 What are you? Invent a word for your obsession(s).

 

5.13 Read the text and say what group your own hobby belongs to:

Numerous hobbies can be subdivided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things, and learning things.

The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball. Gardening is one of the oldest man’s hobbies, especially in some countries (Britain, for example). A relatively new hobby which is becoming more popular is computer games.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, and handicrafts. Some hobbyists write music. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches, etc. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. Many world-famous collections started in a small way with one or two items. People with a good deal of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to mu­seums, libraries and public galleries so the others might take pleasure in seeing them.

No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

 

5.14 Read this newspaper article, then find the answers to the following questions.

1 The most popular sporting activity in Britain is …… .

2 The second most popular sporting activity in Britain is …… .

3 Over the past 20 years, 1.300 private …… have been built in Britain.

4 Over the past 20 years ... public leisure centres have been built in Britain.

FITNESS OR FUN?

■ We British as a nation do all kinds of things in our spare time: we go shopping or jogging, we play darts or football, we collect records or stamps, we go to church or to the pub. The average working person has 40 hours of free time a week, sleeps for 49 hours, spends 45 hours at work or travelling to and from work. The remaining hours are spent on ‘essential activities’ (food shopping, housework, child care, cooking, etc.). Of course, some of our free time activities, like visiting relatives or taking driving lessons, may not be fun. but whatever we do, the way we spend our free time is probably providing other people with work. Leisure is our fastest growing industry.

■ According to the latest figures, during the past year, the most popular activity of all was walking: 35 million British people regularly walked two miles or more. More energetically, ten million people went to keep fit classes or took part in aerobics or yoga and half as many did some kind of weight training in a gym. Not only did nine million people go cycling but four million went jogging and the same number played football and played golf. Other popular sports were bowling (6mln), badminton (5mln), tennis (4mln) and squash (3mln). Less actively, twelve million people played snooker or pool, seven million played darts and three million went fishing.

■ Watching other people playing is also a popular leisure activity: the favourite sports among TV viewers are football, horse-racing, snooker, cricket and tennis. But although millions watch the matches on TV, not so many regularly go to watch football matches. ‘New’ television sports like American football, basketball and even darts are attracting loyal armchair experts.

■ The fitness boom of the eighties led to a big rise in the numbers of people participating in sports. To cater for this boom and provide the up-to-date facilities people want, over 1,500 private health and fitness clubs and the same number of public leisure centres have been built during the past twenty years. These modern centres, with their swimming pools (22 million people went swimming last year), squash courts, gyms and indoor courts for tennis and other sports, are competing with clubs, pubs and cinemas as places for people to go to spend their leisure time - and their money. Now practically every town has a leisure pool, often with a wave machine, water slides and tropical plants. Families can even spend their holidays at huge indoor water parks, where they can play or relax all day long in warmth and comfort without worrying about the weather outside. But this may not be helping us to get fitter: we may be becoming a nation of splashers, but not a nation of swimmers. The big question fitness experts are asking is: should sport be taken seriously or should it just be fun?

 

5.15 Fill the gaps in this chart with information from the article above.

Number of people who took part in sports and leisure activities in the last year:

walking ……………………… swimming …………………… snooker and pool…………… cycling……………………….. keep fit, aerobics and yoga…

weight training….. badminton………. squash………….. darts…………….. golf………………..

bowling………………… running and jogging….. football…………………. tennis…………………. fishing………………….

 

5.16 Answer these questions.

1 What is hobby? What kinds of hobbies do you know?

2 Have you got a hobby? If so, what is it?

3 Does your life become more interesting if you have a hobby?

4  How long have you had this hobby?

5  Is it an expensive hobby and why do you like it?

6 How much time do you spend on your hobby?

7 Will your hobby help you in your future life?

8 Is it a common hobby in your country?

9  Are you fond of playing computer games?

10 It is a matter of taste. How do you understand this proverb?

11 Have you chosen a hobby according to your character and taste?

12 What do you know about gardening?

13 What is the most popular hobby among Englishmen?

14 Are you fond of making things?

15 Do you know any hobbies of the famous people?

16 What can be collected? Have you ever collected anything?

17 Do you know of any private collections that were given to museum or art galleries?

18 Do you agree that learning can be the most exactly aspect of a hobby? Why?

19 You like cooking, don't you? What do you like to cook?

20 What do you want to be?

21 Name three other common hobbies in your country.

● Ask another person these questions.

 

5.17 Read and discuss the hobbies of famous people.

1. Michael Jackson was crazy about animals. Many of them travelled with Michael during his concert tours. He was also fond of travelling and Walt Disney films. He was a good rollerskater and excellent dancer.

2. Linda McCartney goes in for riding. She says; “If I’m lucky during the day I go for a ride on my stallion called Lucky Spot. He’s got a lovely temperament. Horse riding is a marvellous form of exercise, both physically and spiritually. One interest we share closely is football. We rarely get to see matches but we always watch it on television. Paul is a great Liverpool fan, so we support Liverpool.

If I’m working or going out I have a woman in to do the cleaning. But I always do the cooking because I enjoy it. I cook for six every day.”

3. A classic example is Mikhail Lomonosov, an outstanding Russian scientist who made a great contribution to science, literature and art. A talented physicist and poet he made a mosaic panel depicting the Poltava Battle.

4. Dmitriy Mendeleyev, a great chemist, was a skilful bookbinder and also took pleasure in making suitcases. Once, when he came to a shop, the shopkeeper was asked “Who is that?” “Why, don’t you know? Everybody knows Mr. Mendeleyev, the famous suitcase-maker!” answered the shopkeeper.

(bookbinder – переплетчик; suitcase – чемодан; skilful – искусный)

5. Nikolai Lobachevsky, a great mathematician, was Rector of Kazan University. He considered his main calling in life to keep and protect the University library. He personally selected and bought books for it and started a systematic catalogue, in 1842 there was a fire in Kazan in which over 1,300 buildings were burnt down. Lobachevsky was responsible for protecting the University building and saved the library books, while his flat was set on fire.

(calling – призвание; fire – пожар; to burn (burnt) down – сгорать; responsible – ответственный).

6. Academician Alexander Arbuzov, a chemist, was also remarkably versatile. An expert glass-blower, he produced many of the devices used in experiments. The so-called Arbuzov’s bulb is now made at a factory near Kazan. When free of scientific work he was fond of playing the violin.

(versatile – многосторонний; bulb – колба, лампа; violin – скрипка)

 

5.18 It’s interesting to read.

UNUSUAL HOBBIES

Tea Bag Covers

I’m Geert Vinck, 29 years old and I live in Belgium. Since 5 years I collect teabags and now my collection exceeds 12000 teabags. Perhaps you think it’s strange to collect teabags, but if you take a look around, then you’ll see there are a lot of people collecting teabags. In Belgium and The Netherlands there are more then 200 people who share this hobby. I also exchange teabags with people from France, Germany, The Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Poland, Greece, Danemar, Sweden, Iceland, The United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Israël, etc. If you are also collecting teabags, and we haven’t exchanged yet, please let me know.

I’m always looking for some new contacts. Of course I do something else then only collecting teabags. A lot of time I spend at the Red Cross community. I’m an active member of a team of nurses and ambulance people in the Antwerp region who will help people on big and / or risky events in the province Antwerp. We also give medical support to persons who are a victim of a disaster. To earn some money, I work as a nurse on an Intensive Care unit, something I really like to do.

Elongated Coins

Elongated coins (so-called because of their shape after they are rolled) are part of what's known as “exonumia” - that is, they fall outside the usual numismatic interests. But rest assured, if you have a few, a few hundred, or a few thousand of them, you are not alone!

Founded in 1966 as a non-profit organization, The Elongated Collectors (TEC) now has over 650 members in several countries. Our purpose is to 1. encourage the study, acquisition, and exhibition of elongates and related items, 2. research and publish articles in TEC News and elsewhere, 3. assist new collectors, especially youth, and 4. promote the realistic and consistent valuation of elongates. Basically, we care for and foster interest in these marvelous souvenirs from every source and every era!

If you love elongates, then TEC is the club for you! We gather for our annual meeting at the American Numismatic Association’s World of Money convention. In addition, many of our members gather throughout the year at ‘mini-meets’ in various parts of the country to visit with one another, compare collections, trade duplicates, and go on ‘squishin’ missions. And many of us also participate in various internet discussion groups, sharing our latest discoveries and helping each other out in any way we can. More information is available all over our website. We welcome any and all questions you have!

Carving Egg Shells

Egg art is one of the earliest forms of art. There is something fascinating about the shape of the egg, and the idea of making this into art. Many early civilizations regarded the egg as a fertility symbol and decorated it as part of their fertility rites. But modern man still values egg art, possibly because it has become ingrained in our nature, or because we are amazed that art can be made from something as fragile as an empty eggshell. Whatever the reason, there are many artists throughout the world that paint, decorate, and even carve shapes into eggshells.

In a previous article, I discussed how to empty an eggshell and paint the surface. These tips are necessary because they make sure you are working with a surface that is free from diseases which are carried by birds. But after cleaning the egg and painting it, you may want to decorate it in other ways. Here are some tips that will help you learn to decorate your own egg art for Easter and other occasions.

First, your eggshell will be much easier to work with if you lightly sand a small spot where the beads will be applied. Eggshells have a naturally smooth surface, and they need to be made rough so the glue can cling. Also, you will have much more luck with a two-part epoxy or superglue than normal craft glue. For things such as ribbon, fabric, or anything else where you would be able to see an epoxy behind the fabric, use a hot glue gun very lightly. These can be peeled off an eggshell, but using the sandpaper to rough up the edge will make it stick better.

Another trick is to use a toothpick to pick up the beads and flatback crystals. Place the crystals with the right side facing down. Apply the glue to the back and then lightly touch the toothpick to the glue. Flip it over and transfer it to the eggshell. If you need to apply two-part epoxy, this can still be difficult, and you may need to use some large tweezers or needlenose pliers to hold the crystal still while you are applying the epoxy.

Noodling

For those of you not familiar, noodling is basically fishing with your hands. A noodler feels around the snake infested water with his hands and feet for a large hole. Then usually goes underwater to ram their fist down a catfish’s throat. The catfish (the largest of which can be 50-70lbs.), will latch on to the fisherman’s hand, trying to protect it’s comfy home. The noodler then has the task of dragging their catch (still latched onto their arm) out of the water and either onto shore, or into a boat. On the plus side, if they manage do all of this before they run out of air, and then retrieve their arm from the grip of the catfish’s many teeth… well, they’ve got dinner for a week.

● Do you know any unusual hobbies? What are they?

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 McCarthy Michael, O’Dell Felicity. English Vocabulary in Use. Upper-intermediate. Cambridge University Press, 2004.

2 Redman Stuart. English Vocabulary in Use. Pre-intermediate and Intermediate. Cambridge University Press, 2004.

3 Greenall S. Reward (Pre-intermediate) Student’s Book and Practice Book. Heineman, 2000.

4 Sharman Elizabeth. Across Cultures. Longman. 2004.

5 Латфуллина И.Д., Мельникова Л.В. Практикум по формированию навыков чтения и устной речи для студентов I-II курсов неязыковых факультетов. Часть II. Издательство Тюменского государственного университета, 1998.

6 http://www.enhome.ru

7 http://www.ramnek.ru/index.html

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