LEISURE TIME
1. Let’s talk about leisure time. What do you do in your free time?
To begin with I’d like to point out that there are a lot of different
ways to spend your free time. As a proverb runs: "Many men, many minds"
or Tastes differ". People can do sports, work out, play computer games,
surf the internet, read books, draw, paint, play musical instruments, dance,
design costumes, knit, sew or just watch TV.
Everybody knows that one of the most popular hobbies is collecting.
People can collect everything. The most popular items are records, postcards,
stamps, coins and stickers. Coins old and new have a special attraction for
many people. Coins can be seen as mirrors of history. Amateur collectors enjoy
collecting coins for their beauty, rarity, and the stories behind them.
Secondly, it is known, that people can do all kinds of things in their
spare time. They go shopping, play football, collect records or stamps. Of
course, some of the time activities, like visiting relatives or taking driving
lessons, may not be fun, nevertheless, this is the way to spend your free time.
If we are talking about the UK, the majority of teenagers in Great
Britain spend their free time as everywhere in the world. The average young
person spends about 19 hours in front of the television. Besides watching TV,
other activities like cinema going and sport remain popular. Listening to music
is also a part of time spending. Tape-recorders, CD- players and the concerts
of pop music are the subjects of every day talk of teenagers.
What about Belarusian people, they like everything that they can do. For
example if they have much money they can travel to different countries. But if
they don’t have enough money they can have a picnic, it is not a problem for
them because they are interested in everything they do. Belarusian people also
like to go to the cinema, theatre, exhibitions and museums. But if it is cold
outside they like to watch TV or play computer games.
In general, in big cities people spend their free time by going to the
theatre, cinema, museums, art galleries, concert halls, fitness or disco clubs.
When I have some free time I can choose any of them. But when the weather is
fine, I like to go for a walk along the boulevards and streets of the city with
my friends, enjoying its architecture.
In conclusion, I think that every person should have a hobby or hobbies.
If you have a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because
your life becomes more interesting!
2. Is cinema still important? Why (not)?
3. Many parents complain
that children don’t read books. Why do you think children are not interested
in?
I think that nowadays theatre, cinema and books are becoming less and
less popular. People don’t need to go to the cinema or to buy books. They can
do this with the help of the Internet. The Internet provides us with different
kinds of entertainment. It’s cheaper, more comfortable and you don’t need to go
out. But I think it can be very useful to go to the theatre or cinema with your
friends or to read the same books because later you can discuss what you have
seen or read. And I am sure that personal contact with art or books is more
useful and pleasant than surf the Internet.
4. What questions can you ask a British friend about his/her hobbies?
1. Have you got a hobby?
2. Do you collect anything?
3. Do you spend much time on your hobby?
4. Are you fond of reading?
5. Who is your favourite writer?
5. Can you recommend me to
watch one of the films you have seen recently?
Of course, everybody knows that tastes differ. And the choice of films
that you watch depends on what personality you are and what interests you’ve
got at this life stage. Frankly speaking, it is very difficult for me to choose
the one and only film that I can recommend you. But I’ll definitely try. I
strongly recommend you to watch "The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button".
It is a 2008 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by David Fincher. The storyline is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse and Cate Blanchett as the love interest throughout his life. So, if you are
interested in fantasy, this film is a must for you!
Summary
The story begins with a nameless, first person narrator who is ready to
share with you a rather remarkable tale. His story begins in the summer of 1860, with
Roger Button, a socially prominent man who owns a hardware company in
Baltimore. Roger heads to the hospital to meet his newborn son,
only to find that his "baby" is actually a 70-year-old man.
It turns out that Benjamin Button (as the
"baby" ends up being called) ages in reverse. He was born at 70 and
gets younger at the same rate that everyone else gets older. His parents are
filled with shame at their abnormal child and force him to act like a baby,
even though Benjamin has the body and mind of a much older man. (He ends up
being great friends with his grandfather.) Most people blame Benjamin for his
peculiarity – they wish he could just start acting normally – but Benjamin
takes the whole thing in stride. He’s a pretty easy-going guy.
When Benjamin appears fifty (and has actually been alive 20 years), he
meets and falls in love with the beautiful young Hildegarde Moncrief. Luckily for Benjamin,
Hildegarde has a thing for older men, and the two marry and have a son, Roscoe.
Unfortunately, as Hildegarde gets older, Benjamin gets
younger – he quickly loses interest in his wife.
Benjamin heads off to the Spanish-American War,
getting younger every year. By the time he returns, he and his son are pretty
close in apparent age, much to his son’s dismay. Benjamin continues to grow
younger and finally enrolls at Harvard when he looks about eighteen. By the time he graduates, he’s young enough to
go to prep school. Roscoe is increasingly dismayed with his father, especially
since Roscoe’s own son is approaching Benjamin’s apparent age. The two of them – Benjamin and his grandson – end up playing together as
children.
Eventually, Benjamin is young enough to go kindergarten, and finally too
young even for that. As
he gets smaller and smaller, he forgets all the things he’s ever done in life.
At last, Benjamin can sense only colors and the smell of milk, and finally even
those small sensations fade away into darkness.
References:
• Your English
Exam Support: Подготовка к экзамену
по английскому языку: пособие для учащихся учреждений общего среднего
образования / [сост. Н.А. Сергиенко]. – Мозырь: Белый
Ветер, 2015. – 97, [3] с.
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