Text B. British and American families

British and American families are usually small. In fact the populations of both Britain and the USA have stopped growing. The typical family has a father, mother and two children.

Grandparents come to visit, but do not usually live with their children. Most people get married between the ages of 20 and 23 but many marriages end in divorce. This means that both countries have a large number of "single parent families", one father or mother looking after their children alone.

The typical British family has a car, a colour TV set, a washing machine, and a cat or dog as well. They start the day at about 7 o'clock, have breakfast at 8 and are off to work by 8.30.

More and more women now go out to work as well as men. The children have lunch at school at about 12.30, and come home at 4 in the afternoon. Their parents are usually home by 6 o'clock, and the family eats together at 6.30 or 7.

In the evenings, father may go to the pub for a drink, or stay at home and watch TV with the others. Children go to bed early, at about 8 o'clock, two or three hours before their parents.

The typical American family has more money than a British family. Many have two or three cars, large modern kitchens and more electrical goods. They eat more meat and spend more on clothes. But their daily programme is nearly the same. Like British children, American children eat lunch at school, come home mid-afternoon, and go to bed earlier than their parents.

 

Lesson 2. Hobbies.

Pre-reading

Task 1. Answer the following questions.

· What is a hobby?

· Why is it important for people to have a hobby?

· What kind of hobbies do you know?

 

Task 2. Ask your partner about his/her hobby and tell him/her about yours. Be ready to describe your partner’s hobby to your group-mates.

 

Task 3. Read and translate the text given below.

Hobbies

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 travelling and from chess to volleyball.

Gardening is one of the oldest of man’s hobbies. It is a well-known fact that the English are very fond of gardening and growing flowers, especially roses.

Both grown-ups and children are fond of playing different computer games. This is a relatively new hobby but it will be more and more popular.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, handicrafts. Some hobbyists paint, some – write music or play musical instruments.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are held in museums and galleries. Many world-famous collections started in a small way with one or two items. People with a good deal of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to museums, libraries, and public galleries so that others might take pleasure in seeing them.

No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby. So, it is important to have a hobby: just try one and you will like it.

 

Vocabulary

Task 4. Find the English equivalents for the following phrases in the text.

1.широкое разнообразие,

2.возможность учиться,

3.всемирно знаменитые коллекции,

4.редкие книги,

5.сравнительно новый

6.предметы искусства,

7.играть на музыкальных инструментах.

 

Task 5. Find the synonyms for the following words in the text:

1. an adult,

2. to like something,

3. a diversity,

4. an enjoyment,

5. an occupation,

6. a worth,

7. a chance.

 

Word Formation

Task 6. Find and translate the words with suffixes and prefixes given in the text. Fill in the table. The first line is done for you.

Word	Prefix	Base word (Root)	Suffix
interesting	---	interest	ing

Which prefixes and suffixes are common for nouns? For verbs? For adjectives? For adverbs?

 

Grammar

Task 7. A. Find the sentences in which Present Simple is used. Translate the sentences.

B. Explain the use of Present Simple in each case. Check yourself consulting the following rule:

Present Simple (настоящее простое)образуется с помощью глагола в основной форме или глагола с –s для 3го лица единственного числа. V / Vs Present Simple используется для выражения: - регулярного действия - He goes to Washington every summer. - общих устоявшихся фактов - The sun rises in the east. - запланированных действий и событий (расписание) - The plane arrives at 8.30. - в анекдотах, спортивных репортажах - A husband and wife walk into a restaurant.

For more detailed rules see Unit III. Lesson 5.

A. Find the sentences in which Future Simple is used. Translate the sentences.

B. Explain the use of Future Simple in each case. Check yourself consulting the following rule:

Future Simple (будущее простое)образуется с помощью вспомогательного глагола will и смыслового глагола в основной форме. Will V Future Simple используется для выражения: 1.запланированного, ожидаемого действия. - Next week he will go to the USA 2.Согласия, желания или отказа - I will help you if I have time

Task 8. Choose the correct sentences from each pair.

1a. He enjoy painting. 2a. They need to grow flowers.   3a. I want to tell you about my hobby. 4a. He will stays here. 5a. We not will play football. 6a. It will be nice to see your drawings.

1b. He enjoys painting. 2b. They needs to grow flowers. 3b. I wants to tell you about my hobby. 4b. He will stay here. 5b. We will not play football. 6b. It will nice to see your drawings.

 

Task 9. Make up your own sentences using Present Simple and Future Simple.

 

Comprehension

Task 10. Answer the following questions:

1. How many classes of hobbies are described in the text? What are they?

2. What is the most popular hobby group?

3. What kinds of activities are included into “making things”?

4. All collections are of great value, aren’t they?

5. What is the most exciting aspect of any hobby?

Task 11. Finish the following sentences:

1. You are lucky if you …

2. Doing things, making things, collecting things and learning things are …

3. Collections are held in museums in case they are …

4. Hobbies help us to …

Task 12. Say whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:

1. Making things is considered to be the most wide-spread and popular hobby.

2. Painting, playing musical instruments, sculpture, gardening and handicrafts form a “making things” class of hobbies.

3. The Spanish are very fond of growing roses.

4. Computer games are exciting and captivating either for children or for grown-ups.

5. All people are fond of collecting different things – at least at some period of their life.

6. If a collection is expensive and rare it is given to the National Gallery.

7. Every hobby brings people pleasure and excitement.

Task 13. A. Match each passage from the text with a title. One is not needed:

A. Collecting things.

B. Making things

C. The role of hobbies

D. A new kind of hobby

E. Valuable collections

F. Classes of hobbies

G. Learning things

H. Doing things

I. An English typical hobby

B. Write out one key sentence to each passage.

Task 14. Put the sentences into the correct order:

1. Well-to-do people usually collect expensive things.

2. Gardening is a typical English hobby.

3. Hobbies and tastes vary according to people’s characters.

4. Every activity can teach us something new.

5. Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, handicrafts.

6. Hobbies are divided into doing things, making things, collecting things and learning things.

7. Doing things is the most popular group of hobbies.

8. All people collect stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards or toys at different periods of their life.

Task 15. Retell the text, using Tasks 13 and 14 as a support.

Additional reading

History of the term “Hobby”

A hobby horse is a wooden toy made to be ridden just like a real horse (which was sometimes called a "Hobby"). From this came the expression "to ride one's hobby-horse", meaning "to follow a favourite pastime", and in turn, hobby in the modern sense of recreation.

Hobbies are practised for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Examples include collecting, creative and artistic pursuits, making, tinkering, sports and adult education. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfilment is the aim.

What are hobbies for some people are professions for others: a chef may enjoy cooking as a hobby, while a professional game tester may enjoy playing computer games. Generally speaking, the person who does something for fun is called an amateur (or hobbyist), as distinct from a professional.

In the UK, the noun “anorak” is often applied to people who are keen on a particular hobby that is considered boring, such as train spotting or stamp collecting.

While some hobbies are trivial and boring for many people, hobbyists find something compelling and entertaining about them. Much early scientific research was a hobby of the wealthy; more recently, some fields of science began as a student's hobby. Furthermore, the hobby of aircraft spotting probably originated as part of a serious activity designed to detect arriving waves of enemy aircraft entering English airspace during World War II. In peacetime it clearly has no such practical or social purpose, but many people still adore this activity.

Task 16. Match each word with its definition:

1. a toy 2. a pastime 3. a reward 4. to acquire 5. substantial 6. an experience 7. to test 8. particular 9. to originate 10. social

A. important or valuable B. relating to or considered as one thing or person as distinct from others; individual C. to gain for oneself; to come into possession of D. of society or its organisation, esp. of the relations of people or classes of people E. a thing which provides amusement F. to examine G. to begin, to initiate H. a recreation or a hobby I. an observation of or practical acquaintance with facts or events J. a compensation

Task 17. Fill in the gaps with an appropriate word:

1. In the past the word “hobby” denoted a wooden … which children could ride as a real one.

2. The primary aim of any hobby is personal …

3. Hobbies can bring both … and enjoyment.

4. A person does something but not professionally is an …

5. People who like train spotting are often called …

6. … research was a hobby for rich people in the past.

7. Aircraft spotting has no … nowadays but many people still enjoy it.