Hobbies. Leisure activities. Olympiad (Form 8-9)

Leisure activities have changed very much over the last years because technology has given us new opportunities. In the past the most popular way of spending your spare time was reading books or watching TV, or going to the swimming pool. Today we have lots of other possibilities to spend our free time with pleasure. Water parks with water slides, wave machines and man-made rivers have taken the place of traditional swimming pools and computers have replaced books and TV. However these changes are not always positive. In the past people used to spend their free time together, they played different games or went together to the cinema or to the theatre. Today, modern teenagers would prefer to spend their free time with computers rather than with their friends.

Playing computer games is the most popular leisure activity among teenagers because it’s an exciting and rather convenient way of spending free time. Teens can play computer games any time they like and they can find lots of amazing games on the Internet. Moreover, they can discuss their success in games with their classmates and they even have different game competitions. However there are a lot of other leisure activities that are popular among teenagers. For example, a lot of teens go in for different sports, especially extreme sports such as BMX, in-line skating or snowboarding. First of all, sport helps them to keep fit. Besides, it allows them to find new friends who share the same passion. And finally, sport gives them real pleasure and helps to escape from everyday problems.

I don’t think that teenagers have enough leisure time nowadays because they have to study hard at school. They are always busy doing homework and revising for exams. In addition teens usually have to help their parents with chores, they clean their room, do the washing up and sometimes go shopping. What is more, some parents want their children to learn music or painting. That’s why adolescents today are under a lot of pressure. We have no time to relax and it’s bad for our health.

As for me, I have almost no spare time, but when I’m alone I prefer reading, because we have a large library at home with lots of fascinating books. Most of all I enjoy reading historical novels because History is my favorite subject at school and I think that every educated person should know it. I am interested to learn how people lived in the past and how they solved their problems. Sometimes it helps me in my life. I’m usually captivated by exciting story lines, so reading helps me to escape from my school problems. It’s a very relaxing and enjoyable leisure activity. For me it’s the best way to spend my free time and not to feel bored.

Leisure.

Some teenagers nowadays think that our life is boring. They don’t know how to occupy their free time. Speak to your bored friend. Try to persuade him that everyone can do something to enjoy in their life

Personally I think that there are a lot of ways of having a good time and it’s up to you to decide whether to enjoy life or to feel bored.

First of all there are people who want to broaden and enrich their knowledge during their free time. If you are among them, go to the library or reading hall where you can find a lot of books by your favorite writers and poets, or go to the museums and picture galleries where you can see the works by well-known painters and sculptors of all times. You shouldn’t forget the computer- your greatest helper in searching for knowledge

If you want to be strong and healthy go in for sports. Doing sports is a good leisure activity. It is popular with people of all ages. There are a lot of sports grounds for everybody who loves sport. Sport will make you not only healthier and stronger but more sociable and cheerful and even wiser. Sport will give you its strength and energy and you’ll become a greater admirer of life with all its problems and wonders.

Travelling is also a good way of spending your spare time. Visiting new places, seeing sights and meeting new people is a very exciting and useful relaxation. Those who prefer a quiet holiday can go hiking. Your family and your friends are the very people to go with to the river bank, to the forest or to the seashore. It’s really wonderful to put up a tent, make a fire and spend time in the picturesque place

And don’t forget about hobbies. You should have at least one. It will help you to relax, dream and enjoy life better. There are so many hobbies to choose. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character, taste you are lucky, because your life becomes more interesting and exciting

So it’s up to you to decide what is your life going to be like.

Hobbies. Leisure.

I.What is a hobby?

A hobby is an activity people enjoy doing in their spare time

2. What groups can hobbies be divided into?

Hobbies can be divided into four large classes: doing things (gardening, traveling, playing games), making things (drawing, painting, designing clothes, handicrafts) collecting things (stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, toys, watches), learning things. No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has an opportunity of learning from it. Learning things is the most exciting aspect of a hobby

3. Why are hobbies important?

Hobbies are important for many reasons. First a hobby can be educational. For example, if a hobby is stamp collecting, the person can learn about the countries of the world and even some of their history. Second engaging in a hobby can lead to meeting other people with the same interests. Third a person’s free time is being used in a positive way. The person has no time to be bored or feel depressed while engaged in a hobby. Finally some hobbies can lead to a future job. A person who enjoys a hobby related job is more satisfied with life

4. Have you got any idea about leisure activities in the USA and in Great Britain?

Although the Americans believe in the old American ideal of the progress through hard work they lead full and active lives in their leisure time. They go in for all kinds of indoor and outdoor sports such as bicycling, golf, fishing tennis etc

The most common leisure activities in Great Britain are visiting relatives and watching TV, going in for aerobics and other sports. It’s a well-known fact that the English are very fond of gardening and growing flowers, especially roses. Many people give up their free time to work in voluntary organizations. They are also great pet-lovers and enjoy taking care of their dogs and cats

5. Did people spend their free time in a different way at the beginning of the 20^th century?

Social life was centered round the church. There were concerts and lectures. People used to spend more time in eth open air, many played musical instruments, they learned languages, went to parties, danced a lot…

What questions can you ask a British friend about his / her hobbies?

- What is your hobby? -How much time do you spend on it?

– Do you think it will be your favorite activity for a long time? Why? – Does your hobby make your life exciting?

- Is your hobby important in your life? – What other leisure activities would you like to try?

Hobbies

People spend their leisure time in a variety of ways. They pursue hobbies, take part in sport activities, attend sporting and cultural events, watch movies and television, and listen to music, and read books and magazines. They enjoy trips to museums, parks, playgrounds and zoos. They take weekend and vacation trips, eat at restaurants, go on picnics, and entertain friend at home. Films, plays, concerts, operas and dance performances attract large audiences in our country. Many people enjoy spending their leisure time outdoors. Some people like to spend their free time chatting with friends and relatives. These and other activities contribute to the richness and diversity of people’s life. A hobby offers a way to relax after periods of hard work. Hobbies offer broadened areas of interest and ways to pass time pleasantly. Hobbies can be important in helping patients to recover from physical or mental illness because they provide distractions from the patients’ problems. For people who are ill or bedridden, hobbies offer fascinating ways to pass the time

Mass Media.

Mass Media

Today’s teens are not really interested in any traditional media. Television, radio and newspapers are becoming less and less popular.

Teenagers don’t read newspapers. The only newspapers that are read are the cheaper tabloids. They are also not interested in listening to the radio.

What is more surprising teenagers still watch TV, often turning into a popular season of TV show or sporting events, but the group of regular TV watchers who tune into daily programmers is getting smaller. Teens watch less TV than ever thanks to online services. They use Facebook for social networking, they search and research topics with Google, watch videos on Youth tube and download music from file-sharing sites. Teens typically use their phones simply for talking and texting. However they use their phones for sharing music files with their friends.

Today’s teenagers have grown up surrounded by technology and the Internet, so naturally they’re not going to be as interested in old media as the older generations are

The Mass Media.

Everywhere, every day, exciting things are happening. Each day is filled with news. The Mass Media have done and continue doing much to excite an interest in every aspect of live. Public life is rich in interesting and important events, and there is nothing strange that these events receive full coverage on the pages of many newspapers and magazines. The press is often called a mirror of current events. That’s undoubtedly true. It plays an important role in reflecting the life of society and in shaping opinions

First of all, the press has great political influence. It helps people to understand the present-day world better. It educates people and makes them more competent in politics. Reports by political observes and commentators keep us well informed on all topical issues of the day, on home and foreign affairs

Besides, newspapers give serious accounts on business matters, industry and culture.

There is a great variety of magazines in our country. They cater for all tastes and interests. There are special magazines for the driver, the farmer, the gardener and what not

Some special magazines for teenagers are very popular with young people. They provide exciting reading material about fashion, clothes, cooking, diet, the life of pop-stars. Teenager can write to a magazine to get some advice on the problems they face or decisions they have to make. And there they can find answers to some eternal problems such as “how to overcome shyness’, ‘how to become sociable’, ‘how to avoid conflicts’

Television

I believe it’s quite surprising how much TV we normally watch. We don’t even notice it. We watch soap operas, entertainment programs, panel games and what not, all in one day. It’s next to impossible to imagine our life without our blue-eyed BIG BROTHER. What would we do without out tally? It tells us what to do, what to buy, how to dress, how to avoid trouble. Today’s variety of TV offerings is quite amazing. Actually they cater for all tastes Everyone seems to have a favorite daily or weekly chart show, a documentary, a soap opera, a serial or at least a news program. Television captivates our attention,stirs our imagination and stimulates our intellect. I personally consider it to be a wonderful way to relax and to switch off from every day problems.

Speaking about the role of television in our life one can’t but mention its great educational value. It serves as a nice medium for instruction. We have an opportunity of hearing well-informed talks on archeology, history, geography, science and technology. We hear critics talking about new books, films, plays, works of art. I am keen on watching educational programs dealing with animals and birds and all kinds of living creatures in their natural surroundings. Television made it possible for people who live far away from cultural centers to watch concerts, international and national sports events.

But like any other modern invention television has its week points. If you ask me, I’ll say that the worst thing about television is that it leaves so little time for serious study. School work…well, all kinds of work don’t get done properly. I myself used to do my lessons in front of the screen watching, writing, watching,reading, watching again. I don’t do that now. But most of my friends do.I’m sure that it’s pretty bad. But not only the quality of their work is affected, their health is ruined as well. Doctors keep reminding us that constant viewing inevitably leads to poor health through eyestrain, lack of sleep and lack of exercise. Nowadays psychologists are deeply concerned about the nervous system of teenagers. Well…I think all the killing and…and the violence you get on television now, not only in films but also on the news bulletins, all that has a terrible effect on young people especially children. They say that a child is being exposed to so much violence and crime that he is unable to differentiate between good and evil. Therefore he becomes aggressive and doesn’t feel safe and happy. Actually we don’t know how it affects their behavior. But I’m sure the effect is negative

A US poet Thomas Eliot wrote “ television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome” I think it means that people begin to forget the art of conversation, they sit glued to the television screen instead of visiting their friends and relatives.

In conclusion I want to say that television is surely one of the greatest inventions, but you shouldn’t get addicted to it.

Advertising

It’s a well-known fact that advertising is penetrating all spheres of our life. It’s so powerful that you just can’t avoid it. You can see adverts everywhere, they are all around you; on the television and radio, in magazines and newspapers. Adverts are everywhere on the streets, on big posters and bill boards. Watching a film on television is really like watching twenty commercials with a film sandwiched in between. When I sit down to watch the show and I’m really enjoying the story, suddenly the film stops and I have to look at beautiful and slim women wearing luxurious clothes or men driving their super-expensive cars. The things - that our family simply can’t afford. So my time is actually wasted. I don’t take advertising seriously. I don’t like ads for washing powders, which always say they get your clothes whiter than white, and show housewives testing them. In some ways consumers have become the victim of advertising. We are sold an image and we buy it even if it isn’t what we actually need. Sometimes we are sold things which are dangerous to us. Companies try to target the young and fashionable when they advertise alcohol and cigarettes. They try to make it look “cool” and trendy to smoke. Many people start drinking and smoking only because they want to identify themselves with the image of the product. You can’t but agree that it is morally wrong to advertise a product that has been proved, through medical research, to be so bad for your health. Of course there are people who think that advertising provides a valuable service as it brings to your attention many products that you really need or want, it makes much easier the problem of choice taking the load of responsibility off our mind. They also say that it is important for the development of trade. Well… I don’t know… I can agree that some commercials are really creative and informative. They are full of fun, humor and fantasy. But I think advertising is rather a curse than a blessing for our society.

1. What newspapers do you subscribe to?

Our family subscribes to “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. It’s a daily newspaper. I always try to find a spare minute to read it

I find the weekly supplement to “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, the so-called “tolstushka” especially interesting. It’s absolutely true, everyone can find here something to his liking. On the first page you can read the headlines of the most interesting articles published in the issue. The 3^rd and the 2^nd pages give a brief summery of some current events in our country and abroad. The paper also gives full attention to the most acute problems of our society such as unemployment, crime, violence, drugs, family conflicts. It also covers some topics dealing with history, nature, sport. A good thing about it is a large number of ads. The crossword puzzles and anecdotes on the last page make the newspaper amusing and entertaining. Besides it gives practical help to TV viewers by publishing TV programmers for the coming week. Taking all the facts into consideration, you can’t but agree that this paper is worth reading. It provides information on any subject under the sun and satisfies any taste.

2. What are the Mass Media?

The Mass Media is a collective name for newspapers and magazines, radio, television and the Internet. Newspapers and magazines are the oldest of the mass media.

3. What kinds of editions can you name?

There are different kinds of editions: daily, weekly, morning, national, local, serious (quality), popular (tabloids)

4. How can the information be presented?

In an issue of a paper you can find various information presented in articles, reports, comments, reviews, photographs, etc

5. Where can you get newspapers from?

You can buy them from newspaper stands and street-sellers, you can also subscribe to your favorite editions or go to public libraries to read them

Date: 2016-05-13; view: 10152; Нарушение авторских прав