Hobbies25

Today people have more time for leisure activities than they did in the past, mainly due to shorter working hours. People also have higher incomes2 and more paid holidays3, so they are now able to follow a wider range of

As a result, the leisure industry has become very commercialized and caters to a wide range of tastes. Mass entertainment, including spectator sports, television, music, computer games and the cinema, the travel industry and "do-it-yourself" industry are now very big businesses.

People also do much sport. They do it for many reasons. Most people are amateurs and do sport just for fun, for the exercise and to keep fit. There is some difference between sport in Britain and in other countries. For example, skiing is not very popular in Britain as there are not many mountains. They don't play much basketball and volleyball either, but many people play rugby. The British play many sports that are unknown in most other countries, for cricket, squash and netball.

Cricket is a typically British sport which foreigners have difficulty in understanding. There are two teams of eleven players. Matches last from one to five days. Many people think it is a slow and boring game, but it can be very exciting and rather dangerous. The ball often travels at a speed of 160kph!

Squash is another British invention. It is a form of tennis. There are two players and use rackets similar to tennis rackets and a small, black rubber ball. They play indoors. It is a very fast and tiring sport!

Netball is similar to basketball There are seven payers {usually girls or women) in each team and the object of the game is the same as in basketball: to throw the ball through a net at the top of a three-metre post.

Among young people extreme sports become more widespread. Parachuting and mountaineering have been popular with people looking for thrills and adventure. It is a chance to express their individuality, it is also an alternative to traditional sports.

Extreme or action sports include inline skating, skateboarding, hang gliding, surfing and many others. Unlike many other types of sport, there are often no official rules. But the main thing is not to take unnecessary risks!

Megacities: two views26

Megacity is a city with a population of five million and more

The world's population is not only growing, it is also becoming more urbanized. An increasing number of people are moving to cities in the hope of having a better life. The cities promise steady work and higher salaries. With more money, people think they can provide for their families more easily.

As the population becomes more urbanized, megacities are created. Yes, there are more jobs in urban areas, but is the quality of fife better in these megacities? A quick survey of several major cities reveals some of their problems: pollution from auto emissions is poisoning the air; landfills are overflowing with garbage. With declining resources and growing competition, sometimes there is not enough food. These are all very serious problems.

We cannot get rid of megacities - they are here to stay. What we should concentrate on, however, is building "villages" inside the cities. These "urban villages" could be self-sufficient and grow their own food. The members of these villages would recycle and do very little damage to the environment. The villages would serve the needs of the local people, not big business. We need to limit large-scale development, not encourage it.

It's true that megacities have problems, but these have been exaggerated. The truth of the matter is that people move to cities to escape the hard life in the country. Urban areas, even

with their problems, offer people a better life than in rural areas. The old ways of life in rural areas have broken down, and it is now very difficult to make a living as a farmer.

People live longer in the cities. Medical care is better there. And of course, employment opportunities can be found everywhere in city. We should continue to develop city services so that people can enjoy their lives in the world's urban centers.

Rather than limiting development, we should encourage it. People transportation systems need to be developed so that people can travel to and from work and school easily. The more we clean up and develop our megacities, the more life will improve for residents of those cities.