Hobbies and leisure-time occupations

From the old English word hobby meaning horse, came the modern word hobbyhorse. This is a dummy horse at­tached to a performer who pretended to be riding a horse in a play or a dance. Hobbyhorse has been shortened to hobby to describe any favourite leisure time occupation. This word has become rather common in modern usage.

Leisure time occupations, or hobbies, can be divided into four groups: doing things, making things, collecting things and learning things. Of these four groups, doing things is perhaps the most popular. It includes a wide range of activities, from gardening to sailing and from chess to foreign travel. Some of these hobbies require very little equipment while others require considerably more. There is also a choice between mental and physical activities, indoor and outdoor pursuits, etc.

Leisure time occupations can be more or less active. A real hobby is usaully defined as something creative and individual, sometimes even as something obsessive, unusual or eccentric.

Exercise 10. Translate the text:

INDOOR ACTIVITIES OR HOME INTERESTS

Doing things: reading; listening to records or tapes or to the radio; watching television; entertaining friends;

playing games (e.g. chess or cards); painting; mending things.

Making things: models, needlework (e.g. knitting, cro­cheting, sewing, weaving, making carpets, making lace), making music, i.e. singing or playing musical instruments (e.g. the piano, the guitar, the violin), cooking and baking, home decorating and repairing.

Collecting things: collectings stamps, postcards, maps, coins, beermats, bottles, tins, old china, autographs, books, butterflies, shells, crystals and other things.

Learning things: learning foreign languages, learning to play a musical instrument, studying music, art, literature or other subjects.

Even if one's hobby does not solely consist of the study of particular subjects, a real hobbyist wants to learn more about his chosen subject and its history, so that he can become a real expert at it.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OR ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE HOME

Sports activities: athletics, gymnastics, cycling, swim­ming, sailing, rowing, canoeing, racing, skiing, moun­taineering, climbing.

Playing games: football/soccer, handball, volley-ball, tennis, table tennis, basket-ball, baseball, water-polo, golf, badminton, bowling, judo, fencing, boxing and taking part in competitions.

Other activities: gardening, fishing, travelling (e.g. visiting the country-side/the seaside/museums/art ex­hibitions/historical buildings), walking, driving a car, car maintenance, visiting a choir, watching outdoor sports, betting on matches or races.

Exercise 10. Role-play ''Friend's Birthday''.

Role 1	Role 2.
Your friend has got a birthday. Choose a present for him. Remember: his hobbies are reading, listening to records and fishing. Turn to your elder sister for a piece of advice.	You are a sister. Go to the Souvenir Shop and the Sports Goods Shop together with your brother. Help him to choose a present for his friend.

.

Exercise 11. Role-play “Receiving guests”

Role 1.	Role 2.
You have invited your English-speaking friend to your place. You are a host. You have a visitor at your home. He is admiring your family’s collection of books, plants, etc. Tell him about the things you are especially proud of.	You are a foreigner. You are at your friend’s home. You are admiring his family’s collection of books, plants, etc. Ask him questions about them.

Topic 7. ART

Text 1.Music

Speaking about art we first of all think of music, painting, theatre and cinema. It is not an easy task to deal with all aspects of art. That is why we have decided to speak briefly about some of the most outstanding representatives of arts. We will start with a famous Russian composer, Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840— 1893). Almost everybody knows his "Nutcracker Suite" with its "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and "Waltz of the Flowers". The "Nutcracker Suite" was written as a ballet, but many more people have heard the music than have seen the ballet. Tchai­kovsky wrote music of many kinds - operas, songs, symphonies, ballets and piano concerts. Not all his music is gay, some is sad. Some of his other compositions are almost, if not quite, as well-known as the "Nutcracker Suite". Among these are "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" (ballets), "Romeo and Juliet" (an overture), "Eugene Onegin", "Mazzeppa", "The Queen of Spades" (operas), the "Piano Concerto in B-flat minor", and the Symphony No 6, called the "Pathetique".

Many of Tchaikovskiy's compositions are very tuneful. Several popular songs have tunes borrowed from them. Two of Taras Shevchenko's poems were set to music by Tchaikovskiy.

Tchaikovskiy was born in a small town in the Urals. His father was a mining engineer. As a boy Tchaikovskiy loved music, but did not think of devoting his life to it. He planned to be a lawyer. When he was old enough, he began to study law. But at 21 he decided that music was much more interesting and entered the conservatoire at St.Petersburg. After he graduated five years later, he was made a professor at the Moscow Con­servatoire. As well as teaching, he wrote a great deal of music.

His compositions are so popular now that it is hard to believe that at first they were not popular at all. For ten years his operas were failures and no one paid much attention to anything else he wrote. His home life, moreover, was not happy. Because of his unhappiness and lack of success, he became ill and had to give up his teaching.

At last his music won the praise it deserved. Tchaikovskiy was only 53 when he died, but he lived long enough to know that his music was being played far and wide across the world.

You can't do without this vocabulary:

the "Nutcracker Suite"— "Лускунчик"

"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" — "Танець феї драже"

"Waltz of the Rowers" —"Вальс квітів"

a ballet — балет

a gay dance —веселий танець

an opera —опера

a symphony — симфонія

a piano concerto —концерт для піаніно

if not quite —якщо не зовсім

"Swan Lake" — балет "Лебедине озеро"

"Sleeping Beauty" — балет "Спляча красуня"

"Romeo and Juliet" overture — увертюра "Ромео i Джульетта"

"Eugene Onegin" —опера "Євгеній Онегін"

"Queen of Spades" — опера "Пікова дама"

"Pathetique" — "Патетична"

tuneful — мелодійний

the Urals — Уральскі гори

a mining engineer —гірничий інженер

to be made a professor — стати професором

to be a failure — зазнати невдачі

to pay attention to — приділяти увагу

to give up — припинити

to win the praise — завоювати похвалу

to deserve — заслуговувати

far and wide across the world — в усьому світі

Exercise 1. Read and memorize the following words:

Theatre - театр

e.g. I like to go to the theatre.

applause - оплески

(to) applaud- аплодувати

curtain- завіса

e.g. When curtain fell the house burst into applause.

circus- цирк

e.g. The children went to the circus. They saw the elephants and the clowns there.

performance/show- вистава

matinee - ранкова вистава

play - п’єса

ballet- балет

e.g. The ballet seemed to me a fairy-tale.

ticket ['tіkіt] квиток

e.g. We paid money for the ticket. spare зайвий

e.g. Have you a spare ticket? gangway прохід

stalls- партер

boxложа

sircle ярус

dress-sircleбельетаж

e.g. How much are the seats in the dress-circle?

galleryгальорка

pitамфітеатр

cloak-roomгардероб

actor актор

actдія, акт

e. g. Running, singing and all the things you do are acts.

Amateur аматор

companyтрупа

castсклад дійових осіб

e.g. Do you know the cast in this play?

roleроль

e.g. Who is in the leading role?

stage сцена (y театpi)

scene сцена

production постановка

composerкомпозитор

conductorдиригент

overture- увертюра

e.g. The conductor appeared and the overture began.

scenery декорації

e. g. The scenery was beautiful.

intervalантракт

e.g. During the first interval we went to the refreshment room (buffet). .

usher білетер

program( me) програма

Exercise 2. Learn the following word-combinations:

theatre goer/fan- театрал, аматор театру

Opera/Play House - оперний/драматичний театр

the first night- прем’єра .

variety show- естрадна вистава

(to) pick up a ticket- купити квиток з рук

touring company- гастрольна трупа

(to) play the leading- грати провідну роль

The title) - role

(to) stage (to produce) a play- поставити п’єсу

stage manager/producer/director- режисер-постановник

artistic director --художній керівник

to check the coat (U.S)- залишати пальто в гардеробі

opera-glasses- театральний бінокль

theatre-guide / /program( me)- театральна програмка

(to) be on the repertoire - бути в репертуарі

(to) be in the program(me)- бути в програмі

(to) sell out- продавати

(to) have a long (a short) run - йти давно(недавно)

the hit of the season - окраса сезону

music-hall - мюзик хол

Exercise 3. Fill in the blanks with the necessary words in brackets:

1. If you are fond of music you must go to the ... . (cloak-room, Opera-House, box-office)

2. We bought in advance two ... for a matinee performance. (opera-glasses, theatre-programmes, tickets)

3. The musicians in the or­chestra were tuning their .... (instruments, composers, conductors)

4. The ... are over at about eleven o'clock. (roles, tickets, performances)

5. When ... fell the house burst into applause. (theatre, curtain, balcony)

Exercise 4. Answer the questions. Begin your answers with:

I believe (suppose, guess); in my opinion; as for me; as far as I know (remember); as a matter of fact; frankly/strictly speaking:

1. What theatre is considered the best in your town?

2.What kinds of plays are there on the repertoire?

3.Is the standard of its production high?

4.Is it possible to pick up a ticket at the entrance if you couldn't book it at the box-office?

5.Is there any difference in the price of tickets for morning or evening performances?

6. Which seats are most expensive?

7. Would you care to go to the Opera House or to the Play House?

8. Would you rather go to a symphony concert or to a music-hall show?

9. Do you mind having a seat on the balcony or in the gallery?

10. What plays by English or American playwrights have been staged in your town lately?

Exercise 5. Translate into Ukrainian:

1. If you are fond of music you must go to the Opera House.

2. She likes to see both classic and modern plays.

3. Usually we book tickets beforehand.

4. When we came to the theatre we saw a sign at the entrance saying "House Full".

5. Many people were standing at the entrance ask­ing for a spare ticket.

6. When the curtain fell the house burst into applause.

7. The actor got many curtain calls and was presented with flowers.

Exercise 6. Express surprise on what you have just heard ( use interrogative sentences)

(Make the following sentences interrogative):

1. The play begins at half past seven.

2. There are some people talking loudly in the theatre.

3. Some people smoked cigarettes in the cloak-room.

4. Nick is speaking quietly to Ann.

5. Ann and Nick will come home from the theatre before twelve o'clock.

6. There is a girl in a green dress on the stage.

7. Ann and Nick like to go to the theatre.

8. I met my friend in the interval.

Exercise 7. Translate into English:

1. Ви часто відвідуєте театр?

2. Вам сподобалася п’єса?

3. У цьому театрі ви можете побачити уславлених акторів.

4. Коли починається вистава?

5. Декорації тут дуже гарні.

6. Хто сьогодні грає?

7. Ось програмка (вистави)

Exercise 8. Make the following sentences negative:

1. There is a chance of getting tickets to the theatre.

2. This play is a tragedy.

3. Our seats are in the sixth row of the stalls.

4. Those are very fine seats.

5. We shall have to show our tickets to the usher.

6. There are some people that smoke in the theatre.

7. Ann goes to the theatre every week.

8. We buy tickets to the theatre at the box-office.

9. They enjoyed the performance very much.