Read the short text and find out what the origin of the word

Leisure time and hobbies

Unit 8

Open the brackets, using the correct form of the verbs (Past simple or Past Continuous).

Choose the correct form of the verbs in these sentences.

1. When I looked out of the window this morning, snow fell / was falling.

2. It rained / was raining all day, so we didn’t go out.

3. Many co-workers started / were starting work at 9 a. m. this morning.

4. Where did you see / were seeing this film?

5. I talked / was talking with my friend on the phone at 6 o’clock yesterday.

A. They think differently

One day in June two students (sit) in a beautiful place in a city park. They (read) for their examination. Suddenly one of them (look) at the scenery around them. “What a beautiful place to study in”, (say) one of them. “Oh, no!” (say) the other, “it’s a place where you forget that it is necessary to study.”

B. What a beach

A man dressed in a bathing suit (walk) along in the Sahara Desert. A stranger (stop) him and (ask), “Where are you going?” “Swimming,” (answer) the man. “Swimming! But where?” (ask) the stranger in surprise. “In the Mediterranean, of course.” “But the Mediterranean is 50 miles from here,” (say) the stranger. Looking at the sand around him, the man (exclaim), “Oh, what a beach.”

9. Say what you / your friend / relative, etc.

1. did last year;

Example: Last year I went to England.

2. were doing at some particular time in the past;

Example: I was walking with my friend on the phone at 6 o’clock yesterday.

“hobby” is.

In the 16^th century a favourite toy for children of all ages was the hobbyhorse. In appearance a hobbyhorse could be as simple as a stick, or it could have a decorated wooden framework with an imitation horses head attached. Whether simple or elaborate, children used them for the games of the time involving war and knighthood, much as children in the early part of the 20^th century played cowboys and Indians. In time the popularity of the hobbyhorse declined, but the pleasure of doing something outside the routine activities of daily life had brought a new word into the language, the word “hobby” which is a shortened form of hobbyhorse.

Hobbies today include a vast range of activities. The definition that best covers all these activities is probably constructive leisure-time activities. It excludes games and leaves out purely spectator activities like watching television. It also excludes schooling and work done to make a living. A hobby, like playing with a hobbyhorse, is an activity apart from the ordinary routines of life. It should encourage the use of creativity and imagination and bring the reward of learning. Some hobbies bring monetary rewards as well.

(from Compton’s Encyclopaedia)

Other time may be spent in leisure, activities that are freely chosen. Some consider leisure activities to be play and recreation. Leisure implies a less serious purpose without necessarily producing a product or skill. It implies joy, enthusiasm opportunity and energy. Some view leisure to be the opposite of work, i.e., “smelling the roses.”

“It’s not enough to be busy. The question is: What are we busy about?”
-- Henry David Thoreau

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