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UNIT V

LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT

Section I. Let’s speak about …

A.Time off

1.Work in pairs. Look at these words for leisure activities. Which do you enjoy?

Baseball basketball bowling camping cycling dancing

2. Read about leisure activities in the USA and Australia and complete the chart (below) with information about the culture you read about.

Baseball, basketball, American football and ice-hockey are the most popular spectator and participation sports in the USA, but Americans enjoy an enormous range of activities, including soccer, cycling, racket-ball (a hybrid of squash and handball), tennis, swimming, fishing, golf, bowling, walking, jogging and aerobic exercise. Schools, cities and other organizations sponsor team sports for young people, and professional sports are an important part of the culture. In general, most Americans spend a large amount of their leisure time socializing or watching television. Other leisure activities include going to the movies or concerts, picnicking, and traveling. Many Americans volunteer for a wide range of causes, from raising funds to helping those who are less fortunate, tutoring students or leading youth sports.

Australians have passion for sport, and outdoor activities are an important part of Australian life. Australian Rule football is the country’s main spectator sport, followed by rugby and cricket (Australia’s national teams are among the best in the world). Association soccer and horse-racing are also popular. Australians enjoy a wide range of other sports, including basketball, netball (similar to

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basketball, but played almost exclusively by women), cycling, golf, tennis and lawn bowls. With the majority of Australians living on or near the coast, there is a great enthusiasm for sailing, surfing, swimming, and fishing. Australians watch a great deal of television and movies are also popular.

Sports

Indoor activities

Outdoor activities

Cultural activities

Weekend and vacation activities

3. Think of the leisure activities which are popular in your country and complete the column about Russia in the chart.

4. Listen to the interview with Jessica from Canada, and decide where these questions go.

a.How do you like to relax personally?

b.What would you say is the most popular leisure activity in your country?

c.What do people do in summer and winter evenings?

d.Is there any particular custom of going for a walk to a special place in the evening?

e.What do people do on Friday or at the weekend?

f.What is the next most popular?

Interviewer: Let’s talk a little a bit about leisure activities.

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(1) …………………………………………………………

Jessica: Hockey.

Interviewer: (2) …………………………………………..

Jessica: Soccer, then swimming, then maybe basketball. Interviewer: (3) ……………………………………………

Jessica: We watch TV all together, and in the summer we go out. Interviewer: Would you go out every summer evening?

Jessica: Yes.

Interviewer: (4) …………………………

Jessica: Parents go to a movie or eat a pizza. On Sunday nights my friends and I go out to the city or a main square and meet up. There are lots of bars to have a drink and chat. Later you might go clubbing or to a private party. Afterwards we might go for a pizza or have breakfast.

Interviewer: (5) …………………………

Jessica: Personally I like to do a lot of things. I used to play for the volleyball team for my town but then I quit. I used to play tennis and basketball and I quit. Then I did theatre for a long time. I like performing.

Interviewer: (6) ………………………….

Jessica: The city center.

Interviewer: How long do they spend in the city center? Jessica: Hours, walking around and talking to people.

5. Practice the dialogue with another student, then take turns to talk about your time off using questions a-f in 4.

B.A day out

1.Read a newspaper article from the English magazine about Blackpool, the popular holiday resort in Britain. Find out what a day out in one of the top tourist spots has got to offer.

The beach beckoned but thoughts of the seaside were miles away. A traffic jam has seen to that. It wasn’t the most promising start to a summer’s day out in

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sunny Blackpool. But for many people determined to enjoy a sun-soaked day out the pleasure eventually outweighed the pain.

Alan Tennanty, his wife Susan and their six-month-old baby James chose one of the hottest weekends of the year to visit Blackpool. And it seemed as though the rest of the South Yorkshire had hit upon the same idea! This time last year the couple were touring China but the arrival of James put paid to exotic foreign trips for the time being. They plumped for a day out in Blackpool.

But what has a day out in one of Britain’s top tourist spots got to offer? Blackpool scored Brownie points straight away – parking was thankfully easy. Alan, Susan and James enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Golden Mile browsing in souvenir shops, stopped off for a fish and chip lunch, played on the beach, went for a paddle, tucked into a cooling ice-cream, visited the Pleasure Beach and enjoyed the panoramic view from the South Pier.

Susan, aged 37, a teacher in a secondary school, said, “It was never a place I would have thought about spending a holiday but since having a baby it seemed an ideal spot. It’s not too far away and not too expensive. It’s value for money. There are lots of places to eat and stay and I was really impressed by the way the resort accommodates young children. I had heard some worrying things about Blackpool beach and its cleanliness which were off-putting, but the sand itself seemed clean although I wouldn’t want to try the water.

Husband Alan, 39, a NHS manager, was more cynical about visiting the resort – but was won over by the end of the day. “I came fearing there would be donkeys, slots machines, fun pubs and hotdogs. There were but it was still enjoyable,’ he said.

But would they come back? The answer is an unhesitating yes. The family plans to return later for an overnight stay.

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FACTFILE

Blackpool has 16, 8 million visitors a year.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the most popular free entrance tourist attraction in Britain.

The equivalent of 47, 5 miles of hot-dog sausages are eaten each year at the Pleasure Beach.

Blackpool Tower, 110 years old, is 518ft 8 ins tall. Friday is donkey day off.

2.Complete the following sentences using information from the article. Develop the idea.

1) Alan and Susan decided to spend the weekend in Blackpool because … 2) They couldn’t avoid … .

3) Blackpool has got … .

4) They enjoyed … .

5) The seaside resort provides kids with … .

6) Blackpool Beach turned out to be … .

7) The family will definitely … .

8) If you want to ride the donkeys come to … !

3.Role play. One of you plays Alan (or Susan), the other his/her colleague who is asking him/her questions about the weekend. Discuss the way to the resort, the sights, the activities, good and bad points.

4.Fill the gaps with a suitable word. Answer these questions and discuss your answers with a partner.

1) Would you prefer a holiday in a seaside … or a holiday in the country? 2) Would you prefer to rent an apartment or … in a hotel?

3) Would you prefer to eat in a restaurant or have a … in the open air? 4) Would you prefer a lively place or would you rather go to a … place?

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5) Would you prefer to spend your time … on a beach or would you rather go for long walks?

5. Write a description of ‘An ideal day out’. Choose freely the place you would like to be in, your activities and the company you would like to have. Compare it with your partner’s description. What are the differences and common things?

Here are some suggestions

1)for a place: a visit to the beach, a picnic in the country, a visit to a historical building, a visit to some friends, a walk in the mountains, etc.;

2)for activities: to swim, to lie in the sun, to windsurf, to play badminton (tennis, volleyball), to go fishing, to take photographs, to go on a tour of the castle, to go sightseeing, to buy souvenirs, to climb, to enjoy hiking, etc.;

3)for a company: friends, relatives, group-mates, class-mates, family

C.Art Rendezvous

1.Read the adverts and find an event for someone who likes:

A. Lucia di Lammermoor: July 25, 7 pm,

Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre

Khibia Gerzmava as Lucia and Alexei Dolgov as Edgardo – two lovers caught up in an old family feud

Wallow in the pain of love and death as you enjoy a classical Italian tragic opera Catch one of the very last opera performances this season at the Stanislavsky Musical Theatre – “Lucia di Lammermoor”. Internationally acclaimed star soprano Khibia Gerzmava returns to reprise the role of Lucia. The production is classical and Donizetti’s music is poignant.

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B.Daniil Kramer’s Trio July 29, 8.30 pm

Igor Butman’s Club

Daniil Kramer’s Trio – consisting of the virtuoso jazz pianist with contrabass player Sergey Vasiliev and drummer Pavel Timofeyev – are to perform their “Jazz Games” show at Igor Butman’s Club next Thursday.

The band plays all kinds of contemporary and traditional jazz, jazz-rock, funk and blues. Kramer often experiments with styles – from classics to avant-garde – and does it brilliantly. The audience will experience a very talented jazz performance.

C.Wu Tang Clan

July 29, 9 pm, Arena Moscow

This legendary New York hip hop group – which came to prominence in the mid-1990s and to this day remains among the most influential acts on the international hip hop scene – is for the first time coming to Moscow with a line-up featuring all the main stars.

D. The European Design Show 13 May-28 August

Free

Millennium Galleries, Sheffield

Open every day Mon-Saturday 10 am-5pm Sunday 11am-5pm

Challenge your perception of how design affects every aspect of our lives at the European Design Show, touring directly from the Design Museum, London. The exhibition explores every area of design ranging from furniture, graphics and multimedia to the latest rapid proto-typing technology. Compelling innovations include beautiful designer books, and magazines, ingenious lighting, amazing video games and even a newly discovered shade of black.

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Qgo to the cinema and see an action film

Qread a good book

Qplay Monopoly with friends

Qinteract in the social net

Qsurf the Internet

2) What would you like to take a course in?

3) Which would you like to have a lot of money for?

Qto travel a lot

Qto be independent

Qto buy things you like

Qto spend freely on your hobbies

Qto help others in need

4) Which would you most like to improve?

Qyour social life

Qyour attitude to studies

Qyour looks

Qyour relations with your friends

Qyour relations with your family

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4b. Share your results with the whole class.

5. Work in pairs and discuss the following questions:

1)What are the most popular leisure activities among your friends?

2)How do you relax after a hard day studying?

3)Do you have any special hobbies?

4)Do you play any sports?

5)Do you collect things (stamps/coins/antiques)?

6)What music do you listen to and why?

Section II. Reading Comprehension

Text A. “Science as Entertainment: MythBusters”

1. Read and translate the text.

Science as Entertainment: MythBusters

MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced for the Discovery Channel. The show's hosts, special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, use elements of the scientific method to test the validity of rumours, myths, movie scenes, Internet videos and news stories.

Filming is based in the city of San Francisco, California, though some elements of production are done in Artarmon, Australia. Planning and some experimentation takes place at Hyneman's workshops in the city of San Francisco; experiments requiring more space or special accommodations are filmed on location, typically around the San Francisco Bay Area and other Northern California places, but the show will go to even further locations when required, such as Florida to do some alligator experiments or Africa for some shark and elephant myths.

Each MythBusters episode focuses typically on two or more popular beliefs, Internet rumours, or other myths. The list of myths tested by the series is compiled from many sources, including the personal experiences of cast and

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