Text “Hobbies”

Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according you character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting.

Hobbies are divided into four large groups: 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, from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball. Gardening is one of the oldest 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, matchboxes, books, 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. Such private collections are sometimes given to museums, libraries and public galleries so that others might take pleasure in seeing them. No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning much from it. By reading about the things he is interested in he is adding to what he knows. Learning new things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

I have many hobbies because there are many interesting things to do. I like doing different things such as reading detective novels, listening to the music, playing tennis with my friends. But my favourite hobby is solving crossword puzzle. It’s not only interesting, but also useful. When you try to solve the puzzle, you find out and learn a lot of different facts. Because in puzzles there are questions about famous people, geographical places, countries, scientific achievements and so on. You also train your brain. There are different types of crossword puzzles. They are Scandinavian, English, Hungarian, Japanese, ordinary. The crosswords are published in newspapers and magazines, and there are special newspapers that contain only crosswords. All the members of our family like to take part in solving the puzzles and this unites us very much.

Vocabulary

taste – смак

variety – різноманітність

activity – вид діяльності

gardening – садівництво

grown-up – дорослий (про людину)

relatively – порівняно

drawing – малювання

painting – живопис

to design – моделювати

handicraft – рукоділля

hobbyist – людина, яка має щось за своє хобі

to collect – колекціонувати

stamp – марка

coin – монета

matchbox – сірниковий коробок

postcard – поштова листівка

value – цінність

valuable – цінний

to house – розміщувати

in a small way – (починатися) з малого

item – предмет

a good deal of – багато

rare – рідкісний

to take pleasure in – отримувати насолоду від

no matter what kind of hobby a person has – чим би людина не захоплювалася

opportunity – можливість

to add – додавати, поповнювати, доповнювати

exciting – захоплюючий

aspect – аспект, сторона

to solve – вирішувати, розв’язувати

crossword puzzle – кросворд

useful – корисний

to find out – виясняти, виявляти

scientific – науковий

achievement – досягнення

brain – розум, мозок

Hungarian – угорський

Japanese – японський

ordinary – звичайний

to contain – містити в собі

to unite – об’єднувати

Exercise 1

Answer the questions

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

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

3) Which hobby groups do you know?

4) The most popular hobby group is doing things, isn’t it? What kind of activities does this group include?

5) What do you know about gardening?

6) Do you like computer games?

7) Are you fond of making things?

8) Do you know any hobbies of the famous people?

9) Have you ever collected anything?

10) What can be collected?

11) Do you know of any private collections that were given to museums or art galleries?

12) Do you agree that learning new things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby? Why?

13) What is hobby?

14) What hobbies do people have?

15) Are children and teenagers great collectors?

16) What is your hobby?

17) Does your family support you in your hobby? What do your parents think about it?

18) Does your family like doing things together?

19) Do you travel together?

20) Are you a collector? What do you collect?

21) What is your friend's hobby?

22) Has your family a car? What does your father do with it on Sundays? Is it his hobby?

23) Do you have pets as a hobby?

24) Do hobbies help us in our life? Do they make it more interesting?

Exercise 2

Find English equivalents in the text.

Обирати захоплення, ставати цікавішим, чотири великі групи, широке різноманіття, найстаріше людське захоплення, добре відомий факт, різні комп’ютерні ігри, порівняно нове захоплення, моделювання костюмів, художники–аматори, грати на саксофоні, колекціонувати щось, не мати справжньої цінності, розміщувати у музеях, всесвітньо відомі колекції, багато грошей, рідкісні книги, отримувати насолоду від споглядання, можливість щось дізнатися, найбільш захоплюючий аспект захоплень, читання детективів, розв’язування кросвордів, виясняти і дізнаватися, наукові досягнення, друкуються у газетах і журналах.

Exercise 3

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.

Exercise 4

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 practice 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.

Exercise 5

Complete these sentences with a suitable verb:

do, play, joined, collects, made, go, took up, gave it up.

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.

Exercise 6

Write down three other common hobbies in your country and describe them.