27671 talking about hobbies

HOBBIES

Talking about hobbies and leisure time.

At weekends I sometimes go to a disco or to the cinema.
I listen to bands like ...
I'm interested in history.
While listening to hard-rock I can get everything off my chest.
In summer I like to go swimming.
In winter I go skiing.
I like visiting friends and talking about this and that.
My friend and I do lots of word puzzles.
Playing football is fun.
One of my hobbies is writing letters to my pen-friends.
Sometimes I read so much that I forget the housework.
When the weather is bad, I read books or watch TV.
I enjoy working on the computer.
Once a week I do some handball practice.
I go training every evening.
When we are on holidays I like walking in the mountains.
Now and then I do babysitting.

 Let’s read the texts.
1) Mary has a lot of hobbies and interests. She usually gets up early so she can run before
work. She doesn't often have time to ski, but she occasionally goes on Saturdays during
the winter. Mary often rides a horse at a stable near here home. She sometimes goes
after work, but she usually goes horse riding on Sundays. She loves music. She always goes
to choir practice on Wednesday evenings and sings in church on Sundays. She doesn't have
much extra money, so she rarely goes to concerts in the city. She seldom watches TV
because she likes doing things outside. She usually goes to the gym if it's raining outside.
She isn't often alone because she has a lot of friends. She occasionally does something

alone, but she usually does her activities with one of her friends. She's a happy woman!

2) My hobby is reading. I read story books, magazines, newspapers and any kind of material


HOBBIES
that I find interesting.
This hobby got started when I was a little boy. I had always wanted my parents to read fairy
tales and other stories to me. Soon they got fed up and tired of having to read to me
continually. So as soon as I could, I learned to read. I started with simple ABC books. Soon I
could read simple fairy tales and other stories. Now I read just about anything that is
available. Reading enables me to learn about so many things that I would otherwise not know.
I learned about how people lived in bygone days of magic and mystery. I learned about the
wonders of the world, space travel, human achievements, gigantic whales, tiny viruses and
other fascinating things of our world.
The wonderful thing about reading is that I do not have to learn things the hard way. For
example, I do not have to catch a disease to know that it can kill me. I know the danger so I
can avoid it. Also I do not have to go deep into the jungle to learn about the tiger. I can read
all about it in a book.
Books provide the reader with so much information and facts. They have certainly helped me
in my daily life. I am better equipped to cope with living. Otherwise I would go about
ignorantly learning things the hard way.
So I continue to read. Besides being more informed about the world, I also spend my time
profitably. It is indeed a good hobby.

I currently have two hobbies. They are collecting coins and skate boarding. Collecting coins is
my indoor hobby while skate boarding takes me outside to experience the fresh air. I find
that they provide a nice balance of going out and staying in during my free time.
Since I began collecting coins two years ago, I have met many others who share the
same burning interest. It started when my father, who is an airline pilot, brought home his

unused coins from his trips around the world. I thought some of them looked exotic. They
looked very different from our Singapore coins. I had a liking for the various coins
immediately and began collecting them. Now, whenever my father goes on his trips, I beg him
to bring home as many different coins as he can. Today, I have over two hundred coins from
twenty-four different countries.
My interest in skate boarding, however, grew differently. I started three years ago, when I
was in primary four, when a classmate of mine introduced skate boarding to me. At first, I


HOBBIES
found it difficult to balance on a plank of wood on wheel. I also thought it was silly. But after
two weeks of skate boarding every afternoon, I began to love the wind blowing in my hair and
the thrill I got going places with it. Today, my favourite skate boarding area is the park by
the beach where it's safe and I do not bump into people while skating.
My two hobbies are important to me because they help me relax from studying too much. I
make sure that I do my homework before I even think about my coin collection or skate
boarding.

4) Since I'm a student, I go to school weekdays and so I don't have too much free time. I
usually spend six or seven hours at school then I have lunch at the school cafeteria. After
that I either go downtown for some shopping or I go home and study. If I have some free
time during the week I might also read a book or watch some TV. Lately my evenings have
been spent preparing for my graduation examination which takes up a lot of time.
Even though I have a lot to do, I still have some free time for leisure activities. On the
weekends during spring and autumn I like to go with my family to our cottage. I like taking
long walks around the countryside and I like watching the seasons change. Also I am
interested in rock collecting and mineralogy so when I get some free time I like to look for
interesting rocks to improve my collection. In the winter I enjoy sports like skiing, skating or
playing ice hockey. I'm not very good at skating or hockey but I think I've become a pretty
good skier.

I have the most free time during the summer months. One of my favorite activities is to go
canoeing with my friends. It's really nice. We borrow a couple of canoes and choose a nice
spot on the river to begin. We spend the day floating and paddling down the river. Sometimes
if it gets hot we jump in the water and go swimming. Of course we take breaks during the
day; we stop along the river to prepare some food or to visit a local pub. In the evening we
set up our tents and make a campfire. We spend the evening talking, singing songs, and
enjoying nature. One of my favorite things to do is to cook some sausages over the campfire.
We also like to wrap potatoes in foil then cook them in the hot ashes. These wonderful trips,
just like summer, always end too soon.

Question1: Match the following words with their explanation.
Bygone

a small house made of wood.

Spot

gathering.

Exotic

to deal successfully with a difficult situation.

Cope with

place.


HOBBIES
Burning

different and beautiful.

Collecting

happening in a past time.

Cottage

strong.

Question2: Label the following pictures:
Gym / canoeing

/ watching TV /

camping

/

playing hide-and-seek

/

painting / horse-riding

knitting

/

acting /

/

cooking

playing basketball / taking photos /
shopping / collecting coins
choir

playing chess

/ cycling / skiing

/

/ playing football / collecting stamps /

playing cards /

golfing

racing / skate boarding

/ chatting with friends

/

/ reading books / doing the

/ playing computer games / doing the housework / dancing /

/ fishing / gardening.

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HOBBIES
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1. What is your favorite color?

Purple.

2. What's your favorite kind of music?

I like pop music.

3. Favorite sport?

Kung fu.

4. Do you have a lucky number?

Yes. It's eight.

5. What kind of food do you like best?

I like Cantonese food.

6. How about movies?

Action.

7. Who is your favorite movie star?

Jackie Chan.

8. What city do you like most?

Hong Kong, of course!

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colors

sports
(school) subjects movies

Conversation Practice
1. Tell about your favorite things (food, colors, sports, school subjects, movies, etc.)

My favorite color is red.

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Speaking Situations: Talking about Favorites

Example,

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HOBBIES
My favorite subject is biology.
I really like horror movies.
2. See if you can guess your partner's favorite things.

For example,
I think your favorite color is green.

No, it isn't. It's blue.
And your favorite sport is swimming.

That's right!
3. Ask questions to find out about your classmates.

What kind of food do you like best?

I really like Vietnamese food.
I like Thai food best.
Types of movies:
Action /horror /romantic /comedy /drama /western /science fiction