СПОРТ И ЗДОРОВЬЕ. СПОРТ В РОССИИ

Millions of people all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sport helps them to keep fit, healthy and makes them more organized and better disciplined in their daily activities.

But now, as official reports admit, violence, AIDS, drugs and alcohol are more and more associated with the young. For many children from poor families violence, drinking problems and all that is associated with poverty becomes more and more real.

The Government surveys show that every fifth teenager who was arrested for criminal actions, was younger than 14 and couldn't be sent to prison. Almost half of teenagers have an experience with drugs, alcohol and sex under the age of 16. A lot of teenagers who have drug or alcohol addiction almost never believe that they are dependent. These things are often combined with family and school problems.

What has gone wrong? Some specialists explain that the changes of our society, the system of our life force young people to choose their own lifestyle. On the one hand, our society agrees that 15 – 17-year-old people are old enough to be responsible for what they do and gives them quite a lot of freedom and rights. On the other hand, most adults think that teenagers are too young to be taken seriously. This misunderstanding has produced many problems. Actually, a lot of teenagers say that their parents let them do anything they want and are quite indifferent to their problems. Many teenagers get upset or depressed when they can't solve their problems. As a result, it makes them believe that there is only one way out – to stop living and commit suicide.

No doubt, the teens' problems will increase. And young people should feel that they are cared about.

Задание 2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What problems are associated with the young people nowadays?

2. Are the same problems associated with poverty?

3. What do the Government surveys show?

4. How many teenagers have an experience with drugs, alcohol and sex under the age of 16?

5. Do teenagers having drug or alcohol addiction believe they are dependent?

6. Do you agree with the statement that most parents are quite indifferent to their children’s problems?

7. Do your parents let you do everything you want?

8. What makes teenagers believe that there is only one way out – to stop living and commit suicide?

9. Do you think the teens' problems will increase?

10. Do you get depressed when you can't solve your problems?

During the 20^th century, the growth of mass media was driven by technology, including that which allowed much duplication of material. Physical duplication technologies such as printing, record pressing and film duplication allowed the duplication of books, newspapers and movies at low prices to huge audiences. Radio and television allowed the electronic duplication of information for the first time.

Mass media include the Internet media like blogs, message boards, podcasts, and video sharing.

Mass media can be used for various purposes:

1. Advocacy, both for business and social concerns. This can include advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations, and political communication.

2. Entertainment, traditionally through performances of acting, music, and sports, along with light reading; since the late 20^th century also through video and computer games.

3. Public service announcements.

As sociologists say news is not what happens, it is what you see or read about in mass media. In other words, mass media play a very important role in organizing public opinion. Millions of people watch TV and read newspapers in their free time. Most of commuters can’t do without a newspaper on their way to work. Some people read newspapers or surf the Internet during the lunch break. TV also dominates our life. It is a habit which is impossible to resist. The radio is turned on most of the time, creating a permanent background noise. In fact it does not interfere with your activities. You can easily listen to the radio while doing homework, cooking or washing the dishes. It’s not a secret that some of the TV and radio stations are owned by big corporations, so the owners can advertise whatever they choose. Commercial firms have to buy TV and radio time to advertise their products. Thus most of the new inventions and technologies become popular and well known with the help of mass media.

Задание 2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What term is used to denote a section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience?

2. When was the term coined?

3. What was the growth of mass media driven by?

4. What forms of mass media do you know?

5. What purposes can mass media be used for?

6. What allowed the electronic duplication of information for the first time?

7. Do you know any Internet media?

8. What is news according to sociologists?

9. What do people do in their free time?

10. Do commercial firms buy TV and radio time to advertise their products?

A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse (which was sometimes called a “Hobby”). From this came the expression “to ride one’s hobby-horse”, meaning “to follow a favorite pastime”, and in turn, hobby in the modern sense of recreation.

Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Examples include collecting, creative and artistic pursuits, making, tinkering, sports and adult education. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge and experience. However, personal fulfillment is the aim.

Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting. Hobbies are divided 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 traveling and from chess to volleyball.

Gardening is one of the oldest of man's hobbies. It is a well-known fact that the English are very fond of gardening and growing flowers, especially roses.

Both grown-ups and children are fond of playing different computer games. This is a relatively new hobby but it is becoming more and more popular.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, handicrafts. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill. Some hobbyists write music or play musical instruments. President Bill Clinton, for example, plays the saxophone.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, match-boxes, records, postcards, toys, watches. 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 that others might take pleasure in seeing them.

A “hobby” is usually something that a person does alone. But many American and British families like to do things together. They often spend a lot of money on their recreation. Many people enjoy their holidays somewhere in the country. National parks are very popular with most travelers. These magnificent areas of countryside include tropical forests, high mountains, dry deserts, long sandy coasts, grassy prairies and wooded mountains full of wild animals. There are camping places in the national parks as well as museums, boat trips and evening campfire meetings.

Americans really enjoy new “gadgets”, especially new ways of travelling. In winter the woods are full of " snowmobiles" (cars with skis in the front). In summer they ride their “dune buggies” across the sands or take to the sky in hang gliders.

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.

Задание 2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Tastes differ. Can you say the same about hobbies?

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

3. The most popular hobby group is doing things, isn’t it?

4. What do you know about gardening?

5. Do you like computer games?

6. Are you fond of making things?

7. Do you know any hobbies of the famous people?

8. Have you ever collected anything?

9. What can be collected?

10. Do American families like doing things together?

11. Where do they enjoy their holiday?

12. What do your parents think about your hobby?

13. Do you and your family like doing things together?

14. Do you travel together?

15. Are you a collector? What do you collect?

16. What is your friend’s hobby?

17. Do hobbies help us in our life?

Задание 3. Переведите на английский язык:

1. Хобби – это времяпровождение, которое человек выбирает по своему вкусу.

2. Четыре класса, на которые подразделяются хобби – это делать что-то, создавать что-то, собирать что-то и узнавать что-либо новое.

3. Люди, имеющие хобби создавать что-то, рисуют, создают скульптуру, костюмы и т. д.

4. Коллекции могут не иметь реальной ценности.

5. Коллекции картин, редких книг и других предметов искусства могут быть настольно ценными, что их размещают в музеях и художественных галереях.

6. Люди получают радость, осматривая коллекции, переданные в музеи.