Additional study: Hobby

I. Read and translate the text “What is a hobby” What is a hobby?

Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting. Hobbies are divided 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 traveling and from chess to volleyball.

Gardening is one of the oldest of man’s hobbies.

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.

Almost everyone collects something at some period of his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, CDs, postcards, toys. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. Sometimes rich people collect paintings, rare books, and art and science objects. Often such private collections are given to museums, libraries and public galleries so that other people get the chance of seeing them.

That doesn’t matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things you are interested in, you add the information to the one you already know. So learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

Vocabulary

character – характер

taste – вкус

to divide into – делить, разделять

Variety – разнообразие

activity – занятие, деятельность

grown-up – взрослый

relatively – относительно, сравнительно

handicraft – ремесло, рунная работа

Value – ценность

Valuable – ценный

opportunity – возможность

II. Answer the following questions

1. Do hobbies differ like tastes?

2. How are hobbies divided?

3. What is the most popular of all hobby groups?

4. What does a hobby ‘doing things’ include?

5. What hobby is one of the oldest of man’s hobbies?

6. Who is fond of playing different games?

7. What does making things include?

8. What does everyone collect at some period of his life?

9. Do the collections have any real value?

10. What do rich people collect?

11. Where do the rich people bring their private collections?

12. What do you get by reading about the things you are interested in?

III. Find the equivalents in the text

1. И взрослые, и дети любят играть в различные игры.

2. Садоводство – одно из старейших увлечений человека.

3. Некоторые коллекции не имеют никакой ценности.

4. Увлечения настолько же различны, как и вкусы.

5. Самое популярное увлечение – заниматься чем-либо.

6. Практически все в определенный период своей жизни занимаются коллекционированием.

IV. Complete the following sentences

1. If you have chosen a hobby … .

2. … doing things, making things, collecting things and learning things.

3. It includes … .

4. Gardening is … .

5. This is a relatively new hobby but … .

6. … that they are housed in museums and galleries.

7. Often such private collections are … .

8. … he always has the opportunity of learning from it.