My leisure time топик. Leisure Time

Leisure Time Activities

Some people say that it is very important for everybody to have a hobby. Others do nothing but watch TV or listen to music in their free time.
Our lives would be hard without rest and recreation. People have quite different ideas of how to spend their free time. For some of them the only way to relax is watching TV or drinking beer. But other people use their spare time getting maximum benefit from it.
I strongly feel that hobbies make our lives much more interesting. There are different kinds of hobbies such as reading, cooking, knitting, collecting, playing a musical instrument, painting, photography, dancing, travelling, sports and many others. So you can always find an exciting activity which you will certainly like. Personally, I am fond of camping. To my mind, it is a great opportunity to get away from town life. What is more, camping is a cheap way to rest, to improve your health, to train yourself physically and to enjoy nature.
Nevertheless, quite a lot of people have no hobby. Most of them say that they are too busy or too tired to do anything in their free time. But I am sure that such people are lazy and passive and their lives are dull and uneventful.
In general, having a hobby is very important for everybody because it is a kind of self-expression and the way to understand other people and the whole world. A hobby makes you stronger physically and mentally, helps you escape from reality, improve your knowledge, broaden your mind, develop your skills and gain a better understanding of how the world works.

Many teenagers enjoy playing computer games. Some people, however, believe that teenagers should spend their free time doing more physical activities.
Computer games are extremely popular nowadays. A lot of teenagers play computer games in order to escape dull reality and to fight with horrible monsters or to save the world from hostile aliens.
Personally, I am fond of playing computer games. They give me an opportunity to plunge into exciting adventures: to overcome obstacles, to fly an aircraft or to pilot a spacecraft, to solve different puzzles, to look after a virtual pet, to build cities, to play sport games and even to control the lives of people. Computer games are constantly becoming more life-like and complex. New styles and genres appear. That"s why I can"t resist the temptation to buy new computer games every month.
But according to experts, computer games can be rather dangerous and they can harm teenagers" health. They say that computer games make young people unsociable and passive. They are absorbed in games without speaking to each other for a long time. A lot of teenagers can play for hours without eating, sleeping or learning. They sit in front of the computer screen exercising their fingers instead of doing physical activities. That"s why the levels of obesity among teenagers are rising. Besides, computer games cause addiction.
To conclude, computer games have both advantages and disadvantages. Violent computer games make teenagers aggressive. But educational games help teenagers develop many skills. Anyway, it is necessary not to forget about sports as it helps teenagers to be healthy and to stay in good shape.

Some people prefer eating out. However, many people still like cooking meals at home.
Different people have different tastes. Some of them prefer eating out, while others enjoy tasty food at home. In the past people went to cafes and restaurants only on special occasions. But they are eating out more frequently now.
Personally, I enjoy eating out. Firstly, the choice of restaurants is great nowadays. You can try different foreign cuisines and you can always find something to your taste. There are Italian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, Turkish and many other restaurants in every city. Besides, you can go to bars, cafes or pubs. Secondly, many people work too much and have no time to cook meals at home. Thirdly, they go to bars, cafes or restaurants to meet with their friends or to celebrate a holiday. Finally, at a restaurant you will be able to relax and enjoy tasty food, good service and the atmosphere of festivity.
However, a lot of people prefer eating at home. Some of them say that it is too expensive to go to a restaurant. Others just enjoy cooking meals. What is more, some people are sure that home meals are tastier and more nutritious than food which is served at a restaurant or a cafe.
To sum up, eating at home is cheaper and more traditional. But if you want to relax and to feel a holiday atmosphere, you will certainly eat out.

Ecotourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry today. Some people think that it teaches tourists to take care of nature and wildlife. Others say that ecotourism has a number of disadvantages.
Environmental pollution has disastrous effects on nature and wildlife. That is why nowadays many people try to damage the environment as little as possible. Ecotourism means travelling to natural destinations with rare flora and fauna. Its main goal is to conserve the environment and to improve the well-being of local people.
In my opinion, ecotourism gives us an opportunity to broaden our mind, to discover new ways of life, to meet interesting people and to improve our knowledge of history and geography It provides funds for conservation and jobs to local people because tourists use local transportation, inns and markets. Besides, ecotourism helps people understand the environment around them, makes them respect different cultures and be careful with nature.
However, ecotourism has some negative aspects. The increasing number of tourists can damage the local environment. Some tourists pollute drinking water, pick up rare flowers and disturb wild animals. They often purchase souvenirs made from the skin of endangered animals or leaves of rare plants and scare away animals.
In conclusion, I think that ecotourism is for environment-conscious people who love nature, understand the negative influence of conventional tourism on the environment and want to minimize it. I strongly feel that it is an unforgettable experience which is rewarding at the same time.

Some people are ready to risk their lives in order to establish a record, while others say that it is rather silly.
Every year hundreds of people do rather dangerous and silly things in order to set up a record and to become famous. They swallow bugs, climb skyscrapers, cross the ocean on a windsurfing board and what not. Are these people heroes or fools?
To my mind, all these activities are just a waste of time, efforts and money. If people want to escape everyday monotony and to get their portion of adrenaline, I think they would better do something useful. What is more, record breakers are often inexperienced and sometimes they get into trouble when they climb Everest, sail across the Atlantic or do something of this kind. Thus, adventurers risk both their lives and the lives of the people who try to save them. Helicopter and ship crews are often wounded or killed when they try to reach people who lost their way in the forest, were stuck in the mountain or crashed into the sea. Such rescue missions are not only difficult and time-consuming. They also cost much money.
But in spite of numerous warnings, people continue doing silly and dangerous things. Most of them think that they are extremely brave, strong and hardy. They want other people to admire them and to follow their example. But I"d rather call these adventures foolhardy. To my mind, if they want to get the adrenalin going, they should try such professions as rescuers, pilots or firemen.
To sum up, the adventurer should think twice before he makes up his mind to risk his life and health. It is always useful to think about all possible consequences of your actions.

Leisure or free time is a period of time spent out of work and domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational time before or after compulsory activities such as eating and sleeping, going to work or running a business, attending school and doing homework or housework. Leisure time is the time when you can forget about day-to-day stress and stressful activities and relax. These activities can be our hobby.

Nowadays people work all day long and rarely have spare time to rest and to do something they like. But if they have it they try to spend it in the way they prefer. And there are a lot of possibilities to do it perfect. There are plenty of things to do that can help you not to feel bored. Any activity is much better than doing nothing.

I"d like to notice that there are two main ways of spending free time: the one is to do some physical activities (often outdoors), for example, football, swimming, hockey, skiing; and another way is to enjoy something relaxing at home or in special places: reading, watching TV, knitting, engaging in hand-made. At any rate, hobby is a matter of taste, and everybody should choose it according to the personal preferences.

As for me, I like to pass my leisure time both in active and passive way. I really enjoy reading or watching films, because it"s always interesting, helpful and helps to relax, what is especially necessary after a long tiring day. Also I am fond of active sports, swimming, skiing or riding a bike from time to time, when it is possible. Sometimes you feel you need to escape from everyday worries and to do something no thought-provoking. In many cases I can"t let me doing anything very extraordinary, so I just go walking over long distances. It really helps to release the tension and refresh the mind.

To the point, the way how people pass their free time depends on the culture and social status. For example, American favorite leisure activity now is participating in experiences that they know aren"t real, they turn to imagination - to worlds created by others, such as books, games, movies and television. Also public researches show that the average amount of weekly free time of many people fell; while the average amount of time spent working is now up. It can be explained by the fact of extra time spent on mobile phones or computers, and infrastructure development (the problem of traffic gems in big cities). As well, preferences of people to spend their time have also changed over the past years: instead of team activities more and more people choose solo activities.

Anyway, in the life of any person there are periods of time when he feels extremely bored. It happens because this person doesn"t know what to do with his time and can"t find anything interesting to do, or because he doesn"t like what he is doing. Well, this problem has hundreds ways of solution. The simplest is to find something interesting to do. Here are some variants of activities to choose:
- Just tidy up;
- Try new recipes;
- Decide on making candles, knitting, cross snitching - in one word, create something new you can be proud of;
- Don"t let online games dominate in your life;
- Photography, drawing, painting, playing musical instruments are very special activities that you can do as a cure fore boredom;
- Communicate more with other interesting people;
- Read something exiting, encouraging, or anything that will enrich your knowledge;
- Join a health club or gum where you will be able to feel happy and keep fit;
- Go out with your friends;
- Set your aims and keep a diary.

Following these simple advices you will never have a time to think about such problem as boredom.

As we all know, leisure time is one of the most important thing people can"t live without. It is a big part of our life, and it actually shows the character and temper of person. I can"t imagine a person who doesn"t have any hobbies and favorite activities, because it is really impossible. Our hobbies and habits make our lives, filling it up with variety of feelings and emotions. Each person chooses his own way of spending time, either active of passive, and in any case in should be a refreshment and a source of inspiration.

Leisure and Activities

Schools provide American students with much more than academic education. Students learn about the world through various school-related activities. More than 80 percent of all students participate in student activities, such as sports, student newspapers, drama clubs, debate teams, choral groups and bands.

What are the favorite sports of American young people? According to the survey "The Mood of American Youth," they prefer football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, tennis, soccer, boxing, hockey, track and golf.

During their leisure time, students spend much time watching television. They also listen to music on the radio and tape players. The average American teenager listens to music on the radio about three hours every day. Without a doubt, rock-and-roll music is the favorite of teenagers in the United States.

America"s young people are mostly hardworking. Many have after-school jobs. One poll indicated that nine out of 10 teenagers polled said they either had a job or would like one.

Child labor laws set restrictions on the types of work that youths under 16 years old can do. Many youths work part-time on weekends or after school at fast-food restaurants, babysit for neighbors, hold delivery jobs or work in stores.

Many youths are involved in community service organizations. Some are active in church and religious-group activities. Others belong to youth groups such as Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. About three million girls aged six to 17 years old belong to Girl Scouts, for example. They learn about citizenship, crafts, arts, camping and other outdoor activities.

Thousands of young people volunteer to help take care of the elderly, the handicapped and hospital patients. Many help clean up the natural environment,

Список литературы

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• What do you usually do in your leisure time?

  Unfortunately, as I have not had much free time this year, I have done my best to spend it wisely. 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. In big cities people spend their free time by going to the theatre, cinema, museums, art galleries, concert hall, 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.

  A re you fond of collecting anything?

  No, I am not. I have not enough time to collect anything. My friend collects coins. His collection is rather rich. Coins of different countries are gathered there. Moreover, he has a lot of books devoted to numismatics and albums picturing the coin collections of different museums.

  What do you think about it?

  Everyone has the right to collect various, even the most unusual things, if it gives sense to his or her life. People collect paintings, stamps, match boxes, bottles, cans, buttons, books, etc. I know that girls are fond of collecting dolls. Some of them do not give it up even when they are of age. In their spare time people can read books, listen to their favourite music, invite their friends to a cafe or a park, or watch TV. Watching TV is also a popular leisure activity. Sometimes it is pleasant to be entertained without leaving the apartment. But excessive TV watching deprives a person of his initiative. Very often TV addicts are governed by television.

  Do you have the same problems?

  No, I don"t. We turn on our television to watch only selected programmes. In my leisure time I read books, go to the theatre or cinema.

  Do you like to go to the theatre?

  Do you often go to the theatre?

  No, I do not. I do not often go to the theatre. If I have a chance, I prefer to go to the Bolshoi Theatre, Mali Theatre or Art Theatre. I like conventional rendering of the classical ballets, op eras and plays. The tradition of Russian realist theatre was exemplified in the work of Konstantin Stanislavsky of the Moscow Art Theatre. The leading theatre companies of ballet are the Bolshoi in Moscow and Mariinsky in St. Petersburg. Russian ballet had a formative role in Western dance through a number of figures, such as Sergey Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky.

  Do you like ballet?

  Yes, I do. Once saw a ballet "Giselle". The performance with its beautiful music, designs and cast was perfect. My concentration and enjoyment were intense. I also saw some new ballets with music from "outerspace", with dancers resembling mysteriously lit sculptural images, and severely geometrical de signs, and I can not say that I delighted in them. I prefer classical performances.

  What do you expect when you go to the theatre?

  When I go to the theatre I expect more than just fun of it. I want to see some actors I"ve heard of or a new version of the classical play. Recently I"ve seen the theatrical adaptation of Oscar Wilde"s "Picture of Dorian Gray". It is excellent. If you want a thought provoking evening at the theatre, that"s the one you want to see. But most of all like to go to the cinema.

  Is it your hobby?

  Yes. It is one of my hobbies.

  What kind of films do you like to see?

  I delight in seeing all kinds of films: comedies, love-stories, thrillers, westerns, war films, and cartoons. I like films if they are exciting. I do not like horror films because of their frightening moments even if they are superbly made and the acting is marvellous.

  What are your favourite films?

  One time I liked films directed by James Cameron. When I was younger I saw his heavy-metal Sci-Fi "Terminator" and "Terminator 2" several times. The special effects were wonderful and important to the success of the films. I took pleasure in ferociously exciting "Aliens". I liked his "Titanic" too. "Titanic" was no mere disaster movie. It was an epic love story. Cameron"s "Romeo and Juliet" on a sinking ship became an international sensation.

  What other films have impressed you?

  I was really impressed by two movies - "Gladiator" and "Pearl Harbour". "Gladiator" is a very amazing movie. Well photographed and directed it is really the best movie of the past decade. It is really magnificent. The fight scenes were great, and the characters were well developed. The screenplay is excellent. It is a sweeping story of courage and revenge. Russell Crowe is fabulous as Maximus. His portrayal of the major character is superb. His leadership, confidence, skill and heart are persuasive. In the first minutes, I completely realized the utter devotion that Maximus secured from his men, and his Caesar. I am actually keen to see it again, just to catch those things I missed while trying to keep up with it all. I would love to see all those sweeping views of Rome and the wonderful statues through the city. As for "Pearl Harbour", unfortunately it tried to be a war movie and a love story at the same time, and whilst "Titanic" knew when to stop with the love story and focus on the tragedy, "Pearl Harbour" was not capable of achieving the same distinction. It does not mean that I did not enjoy "Pearl Harbour". I want to say that the movie had the potential to be so much more than it actually was.

  Do you like to read books?

  Yes, I do. I am fond of reading books.

  What books do you like to read?

  I am fond of science fiction.

  When did this form of fiction develop?

  This form of fiction developed in the 20th century. It deals with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. This term is used to refer to any literary fantasy that includes a scientific factor as an essential orienting component.

  What does such literature consist of?

  It consists of an extrapolation of scientific facts and principles, or it incorporates absolutely contradictory facts and principles. In either case, likelihood based on science is a requisite.

  Who were the precursors of the genre?

  In the 18th century they were Voltaire with his "Micromegas", Jonathan Swift with "Gulliver"s Travels". In the 19th century the precursors of the genre were Mary Shelley with her Gothic novel "Frankenstein", Robert Louis Stevenson"s with his "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

  When did science fiction begin?

  Science fiction began at the end of the 19th century with the scientific romances of Jules Verne, whose science was rather on the level of invention, as well as with the science-oriented novels of social criticism of H.G. Wells. They pioneered what may be properly termed science fiction.

  When did science fiction emerge as a mode of serious fiction?

  With the publication of stories and novels of such writers as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert A. Heinlein, science fiction emerged as a mode of serious fiction. Such writers as Aldous Huxley, C.S. Lewis, and Kurt Vonnegut, who were not de voted exclusively to science fiction, also added much to it.

  Whose works became paperback best-sellers during the postwar period?

  The works of such science-fiction writers of notable merit in the postwar period as A.E. Van Vogt, J.G. Ballard, Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, Harlan Ellison, Poul Anderson, Samuel R. Delany, Ursula K. LeGuin, Frederik Pohl, Octavia E. Butler, and Brian Aldiss became paperback best-sellers. These writers" approaches included predictions of future societies on the Earth, analyses of the consequences of interstellar travel, and imaginative explorations of forms of intelligent life and their societies in other worlds. Radio, television, and motion pictures have reinforced the popularity of the genre.

  What were the aims of the science fiction writers?

  Since the days of Wells"s "Time Machine" and "Invisible Man", the aims of science fiction were didactic. The works of contemporary writers opposed the utopianism that Wells built on the potentialities of socialism and technology. Aldous Huxley"s "Brave New World" showed how dangerous utopianism could be, since the desire for social stability might overlook techniques that would destroy the fundamental human right to make free choices. Toward the end of his life Huxley produced a cautious Utopian vision in "Island", but the dystopian horrors of his earlier novel and of his "Ape and Essence" remain more convincing. Orwell"s "Nineteen Eighty-four" showed a world in which a tyrannic unity is imposed by a collective solipsism, and contradictions are liquidated through the constant revision of history that the controlling party decrees. Anthony Burgess" "Clockwork Orange" and "Wanting Seed" portray ghastly futures that extrapolate, respectively, philosophies of crime control and population control out of present-day tendencies that are only potentially dangerous.

  Are there any science-fiction books without prophetic or warning intent?

  The fantasist who fantasizes without prophetic or warning intent is rarer, but works such as Nabokov"s "Ada", Tolkien"s "Lord of the Rings" cycle, and "Christine Brooke-Rose"s Out" rep resent legitimate and heartening stretching of the imagination, assurances that the novelist has the right to create secondary worlds, as well as characters, of his own.

  Who created secondary worlds?

  Only three masters became architects of a complete secondary world. The vast Middle Earth trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", by J.R.R. Tolkien, was not written for children. It reworks many of the motives of traditional romance and fantasy. It is essentially a structure of sheer invention. Tolkien"s fellow scholar, C.S. Lewis, created his own otherworld of Narnia. It is more clearly Christian- allegorical, more carefully adapted to the tastes of children. The seven volumes of the cycle are exciting. And the final scenes of "The Last Battle" are deeply moving. The third of these classic secondary worlds is in a sense not a creation of fantasy. The four volumes about the "Borrowers", with their brief pendant, "Poor Stainless", ask the reader to accept only a single impossibility, that in a quiet country house, under the grandfather clock, live the tiny Clock family: Pod, Homily, and their daughter Arrietty. All that follows from this premise is logical, precisely pictured, and carries absolute conviction. Many critics believe that this miniature world so lovingly, so patiently fashioned by Mary Norton will last as long as those located at the bottom of the rabbit hole and through the looking glass.

  Is it difficult for a person to have a hobby?

  No, I don"t think so. I can say that there are a lot of ways of spending one"s free time. I always have a lot to do in my leisure time. It is great to have some free time and do what is really pleasant.

  Список литературы

  Для подготовки данной работы были использованы материалы с сайта http://nota.triwe.net/

  - What do you usually do in your leisure time? - Unfortunately, as I have not had much free time this year, I have done my best to spend it wisely. It is known, that people can do all kinds of things in their spare time. They go shopping, play f