unit 14: Recreation - English 11

Pelmanism:
watchin
g
1
readin
g
2
meeting
3
friends
4
to music
5
listening
6
books
7
Playing
8
TV
9
sports
10
GROUP A
GROUP B
50
5040302010
0
403020100

Work in pairs. Which of the following leisure activities
do you think British people do in their spare time?
reading books/newspapers
watching TV/videos
playing sports
shopping
singing
meeting friends
listening to music
watching sports
spending time outdoors
playing a musical instrument
Before you read
Recreation (n):
Dull (a):
Home-based (a):
Pursuit (n):
Pursue (v):
Dart (n):
Rugby (n):
Sophisticated (a):
engrave (v):
= complex (a)
Entry qualification (n.p):
= entry procedure
Ex: My pursuits include listening to music, reading
and gardening.
= at home
Ex: He is a dull student because he can’t understand
anything.

= stupid (a)
a) Popular sports in Britain
b) Home-based activities
c) A new kind of
recreational activity
d) The importance of
recreation
Task 1: Match 4 paragraphs with 4 headings
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Read the passage again and decide
whether the statements are true (T) or
false (F)
1.People will become dull without recreation and
entertainment
2. Over percent of households in Britain have
two or more television sets
3. In Britain, people interested in listening to
music, reading and gardening for their pastime
4. The British like watching cricket and athletics
in summer
5. People who like arts can take a course in
6. Taking weekend or holiday courses has been
developing recently
T
Guess Correct
F
F

F
F
F
F
T
F
F
T
F
T
T
T
T
T
T
51
25
aren’t

are
karaoke singing
painting and drawing
Work in groups. Answer the questions
3. What sports do the British like watching in winter?
2. What sports do British people like taking part in?
1. How often do the viewers watch television?
4. Are there courses in shoemaking and glass
engraving for people with practical skills?
Answer the questions
1. How often do the viewers

watch television?
 25 hours a week
3. What sports do the British
like watching in winter?
 Football and rugby
2. What sports do they
like taking part in?
 Walking and swimming.
4. Are there courses in
shoemaking and glass
engraving for people with
practical skills?
 Yes, there are
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, goes an
English saying. Recreation and entertainment are important
to people everywhere in the world. However, forms of
popular entertainment are different in different countries.
In Britain, the most common leisure activities are home
based. Watching television is by far the most popular
pastime, and nearly all households have a television set.
Over 51 percent of households have two or more television
sets and average viewing time for the population aged four
and over is 25 hours a week. Other pursuits include listening
to music, reading, do-it-yourself home improvements, and
gardening.
British people are also very interested in watching and
taking part in sports. Walking and swimming are the two
most popular sporting activities, being almost equally
undertaken be men and women. Snookers, pool and darts
are the next most popular sports among men. The most

popular spectator sports are football and rugby in winter,
and cricket and athletics in summer.
In the last few years in Britain, a new trend has been
developing, i.e., taking weekend or holiday courses. There is
a enormous range of courses on offer. The course can be as
simple as bricklaying or as sophisticated as making your
own stock market decisions. For people who are interested
in art, there are courses in painting or drawing. People who
like music can take a course in karaoke singing. Courses like
shoemaking or glass engraving provide people with practical
skills they can do with hands. Those who want to improve
their minds can take a course of “Living with more meaning”.
Entry qualifications to weekend courses are generous, that
is, generally no qualifications are necessary, apart from an
ability to pay the fees, which may be quite high.
•
Recre ation and e ntertainment are importa nt to
our life be cause without them we’ll ea sily
become dull / bored.
•
Some common leisure activitie s in Britain a re :
watching te le vis ion, lis tening to mus ic, rea ding,
gardening, watching s ports, playing s ports ,
spending time outdoors, taking we eke nd or
holida y courses , ka ra oke s inging,
A. sports people take part in
B. beautiful sports
C. sports people often watch
A. Football B. Walking C. Cricket
A. Popular B. important C. unnecessary

Work in pairs. Close your books
and choose the best answer
1. In Britain, the most common leisure activities are home
based.
A. at home
B. outdoors
C. in the basement of the house
2. Recreation and entertainment are ………… to people
anywhere in the world.
3. …………… and swimming are the two most popular
sporting activities.
4. Spectator sports are ………………
A
B
B
C
After you read (work in pairs)
Which of the British le is ure a ctivitie s
mentioned in the pass age are also
popular in Vie tnam? Which a re not?
 watching television
 listening to music
 reading
 gardening
 watching sports
 playing sports
 spending time outdoors
 taking weekend
or holiday courses
 karaoke singing

A: I think some popular leisure
activities in Vietnam are watching
TV, gardening and karaoke
singing.
B: You’re right. There’s no doubt
about that. Besides, Vietnamese
people like playing sports such as
football, volleyball and swimming
in their free time, too.
Homework
Thank you
for joining
us !