Retell the text and say whether people entertain themselves better in the past or nowadays. Give your reasons.

III. Spare time

 

1. Spare time of a student of a top class at school*

Every day I go to school. I get up early, do homework, and have piano lessons twice a week.

But on weekends I like to do something different. I like to relax. I watch TV or videos. If it rains, I prefer indoor activities: to read books or newspapers, to play chess, draughts or table-tennis, to practice woodcraft, to play records, to write some letters on E-mail, to draw. Besides, I have some duties about the house – to clean the flat, to go shopping, to wash my clothes. Of course, I can cook something but, frankly speaking, I don't like it. The only thing I do well is baking the cake "Prague".

In spring and summer I prefer outdoor activities. I do some gardening, ride a bike, and go roller-skating. I like sports. In summer I swim in our lake and play football or basketball. But best of all I like badminton. I like to go boating too. I don't like fishing and hunting. But ''silent hunt'' is one of my favourite pastimes. I have a lot of pictures taken in different places and different seasons. In winter it's so pleasant to go skating. But I can't stand skiing.

As for my younger sister she likes to knit and sew. She takes an aerobics class on Sundays. She also likes figure skating very much.

During the school year I try to find time to go to the theatre or to the cinema sometimes. Though I can't say that I'm a keen theatre-goer I like comedies and musicals. When speaking about films I like action films, fantasies and horrors. As I can't dance I practically don't go to the disco. I prefer to browse the net on my computer.

But, of course, the greatest part of my time is busy with my lessons, homework, and preparatory courses. As I am in my top class I have to work very hard to get ready for my exams at school and entrance exams to the university. The competition is very hard.

  

1. Say the same the other way using words and word combinations from the text:

On Saturday and Sunday; to have a rest; to prefer some activity at home; to play table games; to make food; the activity in fresh air; out-of-door games; the process of taking pictures of nature; winter kinds of sports; handicraft of the girl; the love for theatre; films with a lot of fights; films with unreal events and places; films with frightening events and heroes; the place for dancing; the last form at school; the tests to any institute.

 

Retell the text. What can you say about your spare time?

Quite recently you were a school student. And of course you remember that time very well. I don't think you have a very different schedule being a student. Read this text and tell how your life now differs from the life of that school-leaver.

2. Monologue of a school-leaver*

It's simply funny to speak about free time of a school-leaver. I hadn't had it the whole last year. How could you imagine your visit to the theatre when you had to write the next composition or to get ready for a test in Algebra? I can’t say I did everything, every task that we had to do, but I'm not a lazy-bone. Sometimes I was so e xhausted that I could hardly drag myself to the bed. We had to have a rest. And we did it – we simply missed the classes from time to time – Astronomy, Geography or something else, but never Math or Literature, Physics or Computer Science.

An only Sunday was a too short period of time for relaxation. Of course, on Sunday I could sleep till nine or ten (on weekdays I had to get up at half past six). By the time I got to the kitchen after a shower my Mum, my guardian angel, made breakfast for my Daddy, my younger sister and me. Sunday brunch was the only time when the whole family got together. We discussed the events of the week, played jokes at each other and laughed. After brunch my sister washed up and Daddy and me went shopping. I liked those trips around our shops. But most of all I liked the talks with my father, the talks of two men. My Mum had never brought a bag heavier than two kilos in her life. It's our duty to drag all heavy things. In the afternoon I usually was free. So I went to see my friends or to the sport centre situated nearby. I spent my evenings in different ways. Sometimes I went to the disco or played the guitar together with my friend, or watch some film on video, or simply lay on the sofa and twiddling with my thumbs.  

I had no any special hobby. I didn't collect anything like my sister with her posters of singers, I didn't go in for any kind of sports, I didn't study Spanish or Chinese like some of my classmates and I didn't make anything with my own hands but only small repairs at home. The only thing I liked to do in my free time was reading of fantasy. It helped me to relax.

 

1. Find in the text the following expressions:

Просто смешно говорить; выпускник; весь прошлый год; вам надо писать очередное сочинение; готовиться к контрольной; не могу сказать, что я делал все; я не лентяй; быть настолько умотанным; едва быть в состоянии дотащиться до кровати; прогуливали уроки; время от времени; единственное воскресенье; слишком мало для отдыха; ангел-хранитель; воскресный поздний завтрак; мыть посуду; походы по магазинам; никогда в жизни не носила сумки тяжелее, чем в два кг; шел навестить друзей; расположенный по соседству; валялся на диване и плевал в потолок; нет какого-то особого хобби; плакаты с певцами; мелкий ремонт по дому; единственное, что я любил делать.