Objectives:
• to practise reading for gist and then for more intensive reading
• to develop students' listening skills
• to practise writing a draft
Warm up
Questionnaire
THE HOBBY FOR YOU...
1. Which of these is true for you?
a) I enjoy being alone.
b) I hate being alone.
c) I like being alone sometimes.
d) I don't mind being alone.
2. If you have a day off school, where do you prefer to spend it?
a) At an art gallery.
b) In the country.
c) By the sea or lake.
d) At home.
3. Do you enjoy watching sport on television?
a) Yes, very much.
b) Yes, sometimes.
c) No, I hate it.
d) Only if there's nothing else to watch.
4. What sort of things frightens you?
a) Nothing.
b) Anything from a spider to a horror film.
c) Only very dangerous situations.
d) Situations where you feel you are not in control.
5. Which of these adjectives best describe your personality?
a) Tidy and careful.
b) Adventurous.
c) Artistic.
d) Energetic and livery.
6. Are you a person who:
a) throws absolutely everything away?
b) never throws anything away?
c) sometimes keeps things like souvenirs but never knows where they are?
d) just keeps the things which are important to you and knows exactly
where they are?
Give yourself the following scores:
Ialb4c2d3
2a2b3c4dl
3a4b3cld2
4a4blc3d2
5alb4c2d3
6a4b2c3dl
QUIET AND THOUGHTFUL
if you scored 6—10
You are probably a quiet thoughtful person who is tidy and organized.
You are quite happy to spend time on your own. You always remember to do your
homework. You don't like doing things which involve any kind of danger, but
tend to stick to what is safe. Hobbies which would suit your personality
include stamp collecting, reading, Ustening to music, chess, cookery or
photography.
ARTISTIC AND MAYBE ACTIVE if you scored 11—17
You are probably not a very active person bit like the occasional walk
in the country. You like being with friends, but are just as happy alone. You
tend to stick to hobbies which are fairy safe. You remember to do your homework
but may not finish doing it. You are probably interested in artistic pursuits
and would be happy spending an afternoon painting or doing some other creative
activity.
Other hobbies which would suit your personality are cycling, going to
the theatre or cinema, playing a musical instrument, or dancing.
VERY ACTIVE AND OUTGOING If you scored 18—24
You are very outgoing, like doing things with other people, and probably
enjoy team sports or activities which involve working closely with other
people. You don't like staying indoors, but prefer to be out where the action
is. You probably often forget to do your homework. You like
excitement and danger. The ideal hobbies for you include windsurfing, canoeing,
rock climbing, and drama playing or playing in a band or orchestra.
Introducing the Topic
Work in pairs
Discuss these questions with a partner. Do you have a hobby? What about
your family and friends? Why do you think it is good / bad to have a hobby?
Some people have strange hobbies which make us ask "Why do you do it?"
Do you know someone who has a strange hobby?
Listening
Listen to the text and answer the questions.
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.
It is a relatively new hobby but it is becoming more and more popular.
Making things includes drawing, painting, designing costumes, and handicrafts.
Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston
Churchill. Some hobbyists write music or play musical instruments. President
Bill Clinton, for example, plays the saxophone.
Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps,
coins, matchboxes, books, records, CDs, toys, watches. Some collections have no
real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in
museums and galleries. People with a lot of money often collect paintings, rare
books and other art objects.
No matter what kind of hobby a person had, he always has an 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.
Questions:
1. Tastes differ. Can you say the same about hobbies?
2. Have you chosen a hobby according to your character and taste?
3. Which hobby groups do you know?
4. The most popular hobby group is doing things, isn't it?
5. What do you know about gardening?
6. Do you like computer games?
7. Are you fond of making things?
8. Do you know any hobbies of the famous people?
9. Have you ever collected anything?
10. What can be collected?
11. Do you know of any private collections that were given to the
museums or art galleries?
12. Do you agree that learning can be the most exciting aspect of a
hobby? Why?
Reading
A) The students in Class 3A at Banbury High School discussed hobbies and
then made a book called "Hobbies and interests". Each student in the
class wrote a page describing his / her hobby.
The students in the class are divided into two groups. The students of
the first group read the first two texts and the students of the second group
read the other two texts. As they read they look for information about:
Why the speaker likes it.
If it needs special equipment.
What it costs.
If it needs other people.
If it takes up a lot of time.
What your ambition is.
Your opinion of the hobby: is it good, bad, interesting, enjoyable,
useful..? Group 1
A. I like drawing cartoons I think it started when everyone laughed at
my efforts in Art lessons about three years ago. You see, I'm not particularly
interested in drawing portraits or landscapes. Why not use a camera? I want to
make a drawing to tell a story. I've always loved reading cartoons. My heroes
are Ralph Steadman and Mel Caiman. Perhaps, I'll be incredibly famous like them
one day. I'm certainly going to try.
You don't need much to start drawing cartoons. I borrow books of cartoons
from the library, and all I need to draw my own cartoons is an ink pen and some
paper. So it's certainly not expensive!
My hobby gets me into trouble sometimes because I draw cartoons all the
time — at home, at school, even on the bus! English essays and French translations
often turn into drawings. "Scribbling again, I see Foster" and
another masterpiece ends up in the waste bin. They'll be sorry some day.
B. My hobby is doing magic tricks. I do tricks with coins and with
drinks, with paper and pencils... even with my fingers. I can take a rabbit out
of an empty hat. I can take somebody's glasses, put them under my magic hat...
the glasses disappear and then appear... in the person's pocket.
I practise as often as I can. "Practice makes perfect" is a
magician's motto: you have to do a trick again and again... an again before you
do it in public. Of course, I always practise by myself — so no one knows my
secrets.
I started about a year ago, and at the moment I can do eight different
tricks and I'm learning another six. I get my new tricks from a book called
"How to be a magician". It didn't cast me anything. I borrowed the
book from the library again and again... and again!
I love doing tricks because they keep people happy and interested...
interested in me partly, I suppose. Six months ago, I put an advertisement in
the local newspaper "Magician for Children's Party" And now I often
appear at the parties: I charge three pounds a party. One day I hope to be on
TV.
Group 2
C. My hobby is writing short stories — really short stories (the longest
is 800 words and one is about 50 words — it's shorter than this paragraph!) I
have stories where the last paragraph, the last sentence contains a big
surprise — my heroes are writers like O'Henry, Saki, Dahl. About two years ago,
I decided that the world needed more stories like theirs and I started writing.
You don't need any expensive equipment — just a pen, paper, and a quiet
place. I only write on Saturdays and Sundays. I write a story fairly quickly,
say on Saturday afternoon, and then I spend another 6 or 7 weekends correcting
and re-drafting and improving it. My brother, who teaches literature, says I've
got a lot better recently. Next year I'm going to try selling one of my
stories.
D. My hobby is hiking and mountaineering. I joined the local club two
years ago and now I go out with them almost every weekend. I love being outside
— All week I'm inside, in the classrooms and at home — I find the mountains
are extremely beautiful. When I'm up there, I feel very small but very good,
too. I've seen lots of interesting birds and plants — and, of course, I've met
lots of charming people — my boyfriend for instance.
My parents gave me the climbing boots and rucksack I needed for my
birthday and Christmas presents. They were quite expensive but they were happy
because I was happy. Next year, we're going to Scotland to climb Ben Nevis.
B) The students complete the table according to the text.
Hobby I
Why do they do it? How long does it take? Where do they do it? When do
they do it?
Hobby
What equipment do they need?
Is it expensive?
What is their ambition?
C) Find words in the texts which mean the following:
Text A: untidy writing; a brilliant example of something.
Text B: in front of a group of people; ask someone to pay some money.
Text C: making something better;
Text D: very nice; for example.
Writing
You are going to write about your hobby or how you spend your free time.
First complete the chart (see above) and then write a first draft.
Work in groups
Read about your hobby to other students. Ask questions about other students'
hobbies. Which seems the most interesting?
Homework
To write a final draft "My Hobby and Interests" | 
