Unit 3. Lifestyle: Leisure for pleasure

The more joy we have, the more nearly perfect we are.

B. Spinoza

Lead-in

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What ways of spending free time do you know?

2. What is a hobby?

3. What kinds of hobbies do you know?

4. Do you think hobbies make people’s lives more interesting?

5. How do young people spend their free time? What leisure activities do they prefer?

2. Look at the following list of hobbies and leisure activities. Arrange them in order of their popularity with your classmates. Work in small groups.

• Indoor as well as outdoor sports

• Surfing the Internet

• Learning the know-how of different gadgets

• Art and crafts

• Music (singing, composing)

• Dancing

• Social Networking

• Watching movies

• Computer games or programming

• Reading

• Going to cultural locations and events

• Learning new skills

3. Give personal information.

1. How do you prefer to spend your leisure time?

2. Do you spend much time surfing the Internet?

3. What is your favourite cultural activity?

4. What appeals to you most: theatre, opera, ballet, classical music or modern music?

5. Where do you like to listen to music?

6. Do you like to attend concerts?

7. Do you listen to music while you are working?

8. Do you play a musical instrument?

9. Has your taste in music ever changed over the years?

10. Are you fond of reading? If so, what kind of reading do you prefer: do you like reading books? newspapers? magazines?

11. Is reading only a pleasure or something special for you?

4. Read the following paragraph and answer the questions below.

It’s becoming easier to meet young people who know how to use computers or consult video encyclopedias, but who don’t know how to appreciate the fascination of reading. Some people say television is to blame as it offers attractive programmes which don’t require the “effort” of reading. For others it’s the fault of schools which don’t teach children to appreciate literature and its wonders. And what do you think?

1. What’s the reason, in your opinion, that young people today read so little?

2. Why is the number of people who aren’t reading increasing?

3. Why do you think reading is important?

5. Express your agreement or disagreement with the following quotes.

• A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. (Mark Twain)

• If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads. (Ralph Emerson)

• If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. (Oscar Wilde)

• In a good book the best is between the lines. (Swedish proverb)

• The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book. (Northrop Frye)