Text 1 hоbbies
Exercise 1. Read and translate the text.
Notes:
to make sculpture – заниматься скульптурой
to design a costume – разрабатывать модель костюма, создать костюм
a hobby painter – художник-любитель
to be housed in museums and galleries – размещаться в музеях и галереях
an item – предмет, пункт, экспонат
a rare book – редкая книга
an art object – предмет искусства
a private collection – частная коллекция
A hobby is a favourite pastime of a person. Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby to your liking, lucky you are: you have made your life more interesting.
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 playing 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. 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.
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.
Exercise 2. Answer the questions to the text:
1. What is a hobby?
2. What classes can hobbies be divided into?
3. What activities does doing things include?
4. What do hobbyists, who prefer making things, do?
5. What do people collect?
6. How do people learn from his or her hobby?
Exercise 3. Find a key-sentence in each passage
Exercise 4. Make up a plan of the text, using the phrases in a proper order:
Collecting things
Doing things
Making things
Classes of hobbies
Learning things
Exercise 5. Complete the sentences and say if you are one of them.
Book Lovers are interested in
Fishermen like to…
Musicians prefer…
Collectors are fond of
Sportsmen go in for…
Theatre-goers spend their time…
Philatelists devote their time to…
Tourists are keen on…
Painters take pleasure in…
Dancers enjoy…
Nature lovers take part in…
Text 2 what is hobby?
Exercise 1. Read the text, find the information to do exercise 2, following the text.
A hobby is what you can and like to do in your spare time. People choose a hobby according to their tastes, personalities and temper. With a hobby one’s life gets more interesting.
Some people are interested in music. They collect records, compact discs and tape recordings of their favourite musicians and singers or attend their concerts. Others like to collect books, postcards or stamps. City inhabitants often like to go hiking because they want to get closer to the nature. They spend their weekends and holidays in the forest and countryside. Some others like to work in their gardens and grow vegetables and fruit. Gardening and growing roses is quite popular among British. It is one of the most common hobbies there.
Both children and grown-ups are nowadays fond of computer games. With the development of new technologies such games became popular. Very often a hobby helps us to choose a profession and has a substantial influence even on the life style.
A lot of people are fond of sport. It is not only interesting, it helps you to keep yourself in good shape and be healthy. Many people like taking photographs, others prefer knitting or cooking. A lot of people like animals and have a cat, a dog or a parrot at home. They take care of their pets and spend much time with their animals. They read books about animals, watch films about them, like to see them at the Zoo.
Some newspapers write that there are more than 1000 hobbies in the world to spend one’s free time. It is very difficult to describe all of them. The main thing is that all of them must be useful and help your cultural development. My point of view is that leisure time as well as work must be thought over. In that case you will have a good and useful rest and you will forget what a bore is. Lots of people devote their free time to a hobby. Choose an interesting hobby for yourself and enjoy it!
Exercise 2. Complete the sentences, use the information from the text:
A hobby is what you…
People choose a hobby according to…
People interested in music…
The most popular hobby in Britain is…
Computer games are popular with…
A hobby can help you to…
Sport helps people to…
Some people like to take care of…
It is difficult to describe all hobbies because…
All hobbies must be…
Text 3
Exercise 1. Read the text and do the tasks