Lesson 22
　　Tell Us About Your Hobbies
　　Text A
　　JOHN：   What I like most, I suppose, is the fact that it's so unusual. I mean, when I tell people  what I do,they just look at me usually as if I'm mad.Maybe I am, anyway what I do is  this. I get up about a quarter past six every morning. I leave my wife in bed because she's not as mad as me - and I put my trunks on under under tracksuit and drive down to the park with my clothes in a case. It only takes about five minutes .because there's no traffic of course at that time in the morning. So, when I get there I leave the car in the car park and run round a bit.I usually run for about ten minutes till I'm nice and warm, then comes the interesting bit. I run over to the car,get my case and then over to the pool. I take my tracksuit off and -in I jump. It's pretty cold I can tell you especially in the middle of winter-but I do a coupte of quick lengths and then I climb out, get changed and drive home, I just get back in time for breakfast - and I normally¹ feel I've earned it too.
　　JACK：   Well, it's very detailed² work you see, but I find it very relaxing. It's strange I suppose that something like this where you have to concentrate a lot can be relaxing ing, but you see in my job I'm always making decisions and telling people what to do but I never actuplly see what I've done. This is completely different. You see, here I'm actually making something myself. I start with a kite, usually it's got all the basic materials in it. Then you have to cut out all the shapes from the wood and stick them together. When you've made the frame³, the wings and the fuselage, that is, you cover them with special paper and paint. Of course if it's going to fly properly, everything has to be properly balanced, you know…… I must say really though. I think I enjoy actaually making them more than flying them.
　　JANE：   Well in a sense I suppose I do it to save money. I mean things are so incredibly .expensive in the shops nowadays days, aren't they？ But that's not the only reason really No, the beautiful thing is that you can make what you want when you want-and in material you've chosen. I mean you don't have to depend on some paris designer to say what is fashionable. If you like an idea you see then of course you can copy it , but it gives you much more independence to do it yourself. I mean obviously⁴ it takes time , but I enjoy it , and with a sewing machine it doesn't take all that long to make even quite complicated⁵ things. And then finally you know that you've got something really unique. Especially if it's something you've designed yourself.
　　HARRY：   Well, it gives me the chance to be alone-and for me that's really the most  It important thing I suppose,after being with crowds of people all week. gives you time to think, you know. And another thing is that it gets me out of doors. I suppose it isn't very energetic really after all. I mean you don't do very much except just sit there, but at least it's in the fresh air. And that's more than you can say for things like darts⁶, isn't it？ No, that's really what I like about it.I like having time to think in the open air. I'm not terribly keen⁷ on the man against animal bit, you know man the hunter against nature. No, actually I don t usually catch very many you know. And if I do, I always throw them straight back.
　　Text B
　　JEFF：   What's on the telly this evening？ I feel like relaxing. MARY：   Why ask me that？ You know I never watch it. JEFE：   Too busy with the latest hobby, are you？ What is it this time, knitting⁸ socks for your nephews？ Or collecting buttons？ I wish I had as much free time as you do. MARY：   Men！ As a matter of fact, you probably have more than I do. But you waste it all watching your telly. JEFF：   That's not a waste of time. I've got to rest sometimes. MARY：   Sometimes , maybe , but not all the time. And anyway ,I relax with my hobbies. A change is as good as a rest. JEFF：   Well, the telly's my hobby, and I learn a lot from it. MARY：   But it doesn't teach you to do anything, does it？ You ust sit there and stare at it. That's not lerning. JEFF：   But I do learn. There are lots of educational programmes. MARY：   But you don't watch them, do you？ Whenever an educational programme comes on, you eithes switch ove to the other channel or go to sleep. JEFF：   When I come home from work. I need to put my feet up, at least for a while. Life's not all work, you know. MARY：   Hobbies aren't work, Jeff. I like putting my feet up, too, at the end of the day,but I like doing things while I rest. Life's too short for us to waste time. JEFF：   Mary dear, as I've said many times, we're different. There are two kinds of people in the world. . . MARY：   I know, I know. Those who are never happy unless they're running about doing things. . . JEFF：   That's right, and those who are never happy unless they're doing nothing. I'm one of the latter and you. . . MARY：   I know, dear. I'm one of the former. And proud of it. JEFF：   So now we agree. Live, and let live. You can go peacefully back to your -button collection, and I can watch TV. MARY：   If only you organised yourself better, there's so much you could do, really. You're wasting your talents. And one last thing I'm not collecting buttons. JEFF：   What are you doing then？ Making sculptures from potatoes？
　　MARY：   No, I'm learning⁹ how to make Turkish cakes, and the first ones came out very well. Of course, if you're too tired, I won't insist on you trying them.
　　Additional¹⁰ lnformation
　　A hobby can be almost anything a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbyists raise pets, build model ships, weave baskets, or carve soap figures.They watch birds, hunt animals, climb mountains, raise flowers, fish, ski, skate, and swim. Hobbyists also paint pictures, attend concerts and plays, and perform on musical instruments. They collect everything from books to butterflies, and from shells to stamps.
　　People take up hobbies because these activities offer enjoyment¹¹, friendship, knowledge, and relaxation¹². Sometimes they even yield¹³ financial profit. Hobbies help people relax after periods of hard work, and provide a balance between work and play. Hobbies also offer interesting activities for persons who have retired¹⁴. Anyone, rich or poor, old or young, sick or well, can follow a satisfying hobby, regardless of his age, position, or income.
　　Hobbies can help a person's mental and physical health. Doctors have found that hobbies are valuable in helping¹⁵ patients recover from physical or mental illness. Hobbies give bedridden or wheel-chair patients something to do, and provide interests that keep them from thinking about themselves. Many hospitals treat patients by having them take up interesting hobbies or pastimes¹⁶.
　　In early times, most people were too busy making a living to have many hobbies. But some persons who had leisure¹⁷ did enjoy hobbies. The ancient Egyptians played games with balls made of wood, pottery¹⁸, and papyrus¹⁹. some Greeks and Romans collected miniature²⁰ soldiers.
　　People today have more time than ever before for hobbies. Machines and automation²¹ have reduced the amount of time they must spend on their jobs. Hobbies provide variety for workers who do the same monotonous²² tasks all day long. More people are retiring than ever before, and at an earlier age. Those who have developed hobbies never need to worry about what to do with their newly-found leisure hours.
　　Sir William Osler, a famous Canadian doctor, expressed the value of hobbies by saying, “No man is really happy or safe without a hobb.y, and it makes precious little difference what the outsidc interest may be-botany, bcetles, or butterflies； roses, tulips, or irises²³： fishing, mountaimeering, or antiques²⁴ - anything will do so long as he straddles a hobby and rides it hard. ”

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