unit 14: Recreation - English 11

reading books/newspapers watching TV/videos playing sports shopping singing meeting friends listening to music watching sports spending time outdoors playing a musical instrument Before

watchin

g

g

2 meeting 3 friends 4 to music 5

listening

Work in pairs Which of the following leisure activities

do you think British people do in their spare time?

reading books/newspapers watching TV/videos

playing sports shopping

singing meeting friends listening to music watching sports spending time outdoors playing a musical instrument

Before you read

Recreation (n):

Dull (a):

Home-based (a):

Pursuit (n): Pursue (v):

Dart (n):

Rugby (n):

Sophisticated (a):

engrave (v):

= complex (a) Entry qualification (n.p): = entry procedure

Ex: My pursuits include listening to music, reading and gardening.

= at home

Ex: He is a dull student because he can’t understand anything.

= stupid (a)

a) Popular sports in Britain

b) Home-based activities

c) A new kind of

recreational activity

d) The importance of

recreation

Task 1: Match 4 paragraphs with 4 headings

Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

Read the passage again and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F)

1.People will become dull without recreation and

entertainment

2 Over percent of households in Britain have

two or more television sets

3 In Britain, people interested in listening to

music, reading and gardening for their pastime

4 The British like watching cricket and athletics

in summer

5 People who like arts can take a course in

6 Taking weekend or holiday courses has been

developing recently

T

Guess Correct

F F F F F F

T F F T F T

T T T T T

51

25

aren’t

are

karaoke singing painting and drawing

Work in groups Answer the questions

3 What sports do the British like watching in winter?

2 What sports do British people like taking part in?

1 How often do the viewers watch television?

4 Are there courses in shoemaking and glass

engraving for people with practical skills ?

Answer the questions

1 How often do the viewers

watch television?

 25 hours a week

3 What sports do the British like watching in winter?

 Football and rugby

2 What sports do they like taking part in?

 Walking and swimming

4 Are there courses in shoemaking and glass engraving for people with practical skills?

 Yes, there are

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, goes an

English saying Recreation and entertainment are important

to people everywhere in the world However, forms of

popular entertainment are different in different countries.

In Britain, the most common leisure activities are home

based Watching television is by far the most popular

pastime, and nearly all households have a television set

Over 51 percent of households have two or more television

sets and average viewing time for the population aged four

and over is 25 hours a week Other pursuits include listening

to music, reading, do-it-yourself home improvements, and

gardening.

British people are also very interested in watching and

taking part in sports Walking and swimming are the two

most popular sporting activities, being almost equally

undertaken be men and women Snookers, pool and darts

are the next most popular sports among men The most

popular spectator sports are football and rugby in winter,

and cricket and athletics in summer.

In the last few years in Britain, a new trend has been

developing, i.e., taking weekend or holiday courses There is

a enormous range of courses on offer The course can be as

simple as bricklaying or as sophisticated as making your

own stock market decisions For people who are interested

in art, there are courses in painting or drawing People who

like music can take a course in karaoke singing Courses like

shoemaking or glass engraving provide people with practical

skills they can do with hands Those who want to improve

their minds can take a course of “Living with more meaning”

Entry qualifications to weekend courses are generous, that

is, generally no qualifications are necessary, apart from an

ability to pay the fees, which may be quite high.

• Recreation and e ntertainment a re important to our life be ca us e without the m we ’ll e a s ily

be come dull / bore d.

• Some common leisure a ctivitie s in Britain a re:

wa tching te le vis ion, lis te ning to mus ic, re a ding,

ga rde ning, wa tching sports , pla ying s ports ,

s pe nding time outdoors , ta king we e ke nd or

holida y cours e s , ka ra oke s inging,

A sports people take part in

B beautiful sports

C sports people often watch

A Football B Walking C Cricket

A Popular B important C unnecessary

Work in pairs Close your books and choose the best answer

1 In Britain, the most common leisure activities are home based.

A at home

B outdoors

C in the basement of the house

2 Recreation and entertainment are ………… to people anywhere in the world.

3 ……… and swimming are the two most popular

sporting activities

4 Spectator sports are ………

A

B B

C

After you read (work in pairs)

Which of the Britis h le is ure a ctivitie s

me ntione d in the pa s s a ge a re a lso

popula r in Vie tna m? Which a re not?

 watching television

 listening to music

 reading

 gardening

 watching sports

 playing sports

 spending time outdoors

 taking weekend

or holiday courses

 karaoke singing

A : I think some popular leisure activities in Vietnam are watching

TV, gardening and karaoke singing.

B : You’re right There’s no doubt about that Besides, Vietnamese people like playing sports such as football, volleyball and swimming

in their free time, too.

Homework

Thank you for joining

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