UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL HERMILIO VALDIZAN

CENTRO DE IDIOMAS

READING 01 (F4-III)

Student´s name: Juan Cirilo Merlin Runco

HOBBIES

What is a hobby?

In the 16th century a favorite 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 horse's 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
20th 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-timeactivities.
Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and
taste you are lucky because your life becomesmore 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.
Sport has always been popular in our country. There are different sporting societies and
clubs in Russia. Many of them take part in different international tournaments and are
known all over the world. Our sportsmen take part in the Olympic Games and always win a lot of
gold, silver and bronze medals.
Millions of people watch figure skating competitions, hockey and football matches, car
races, tennis tournaments and other sports events. Certainly watching sports events and going in
for sports are two different things. Now everybody knows that sport can be a profession and a
business. But sport can be fun as well. Besides, it helps to stay in good shape, to keep fit and to
be healthy. Doing sports is becoming more and more popular. Some people do it occasionally -
swimming in summer, skiing or skating in winter - but many people go in for sports on a more
regular basis. They try to find time to go to a swimming pool or a gym at least once a week
for aerobics or yoga classes,body building or just work-out on a treadmill.
Gardening is one of the oldest of man's hobbies. It's a well- known fact that the English
are very fond of gardening and growing flowers,especially roses.
Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling, they travel to enjoy
picturesque places, or just for a change of scene. It's always interesting to discover new things,
different ways of life, to meet different people, to try different food, to listen to different
musical rhythms.
 Those who live in the country like to go to a big city and spend their time visiting museums
and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at exotic restaurants. City-dwellers
usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe
and laze in thesun.
Most travellers and holiday-makers take a camera with them and take pictures of
everything that interests them - the sights of a city, old churches and castles, views of mountains,
lakes, valleys, plains, waterfalls, forests; different kind of trees, flowers and plants, animalsand
birds.
Later, perhaps years later, they will be reminded by the photos of the happy time they have
had.
People travel by train, by plane, by boat and by car. All means of travel have their advantages
and disadvantages. And people choose one according to their plans and destinations.
If we are fond of travelling, we see and learn a lot of things that we can never see or learn
at home, though we may read about them in books and newspapers, and see pictures of them on
TV. The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to get to know and
understandpeopleistomeetthemintheirownhomes.
Both grown-ups and children are fond of playing different computer games. This is a
relatively new hobby but it's becoming more and more popular.
Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes,
handicrafts. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston
Churchill. Some hobbyists write music or play musicalinstruments.
Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes,
books, records, postcards, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become
so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. Many world- famous
collections started in a small way with one or two items. People with a good deal of money often
collect paintings, rare books and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to
museums, libraries and public galleries so that others might take pleasure in seeingthem.

No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning
from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows.
Learningthingscanbethemostexcitingaspectofahobby.

1.1. Comprehension.
Answer the questions
1) What is the origin of the word “hobby”?
The word hobby is a shortened form of hobbyhorse, the favorite toy for children of all ages
in the 16th century, a hobbyhorse could have a decorated wooden framework with an
imitation horse's head attached with. Now the pleasure of doing something outside the
routine activities of daily life its call a HOBBY.
2) What is the definition of the word “hobby”?
A hobby is also called a pastime, but the exact definition of the word HOBBY is probably
constructive leisure-time activities.

3) What are 4 large classes? Hobbies are divided into?

Hobbies are divided into four large classes:
 Doing things
 Making things
 Collecting things
 Learning things

4) What is the most popular of all hobby groups?

Doing things is the most popular of all the hobby groups. It includes a wide variety of
activities, from gardening to travel and from chess to volleyball.

5) What can sport be? (Can sport be fun as well?)

Sport has always been popular in our country. There are different sporting societies and
clubs. Many of them take part in different international tournaments and are known
all over the world. But sport can be fun as well. Be sides, it helps to stay in good shape, to
keep fit and to be healthy. Doing sports is becoming more and more popular.
6) What is one of the oldest of man’s hobbies?
The oldest hobbies of the man is Gardening.

7) Why are people fond of travelling?

They travel to enjoy and know places so they take a camera with them, and take pictures of
everything that interests them, or simply to change of scene.

8) What is a relatively new hobby, which is becoming more and more popular?
Playing different computer games is becoming more and more popular.

9) What famous and well-known personalities were 2 of the most famous hobby
painters?
Two of the most famous amateur painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston
Churchill.
10) What do people usually collect?
People with a good deal of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects.