Free time
Discuss these questions with a partner:
Do you have any hobbies? What are they?
What is a hobby?
How much free time do you usually have? What do you like doing in your free time? Do you prefer to relax or to be active?
Put the expressions into the correct place in the chart below:
(some expressions can be used more than once)
Match the phrases to their definitions:
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the phrases from 3.
1. Mike has ___________ running to lose some weight.
2. You'll never learn to play the piano if you're not going to _________ it.
3. Almost everyone ___________ in the celebration last year.
4. I hope you won't __________ playing basketball, you`re so good at it!
5. She's ___________ for evening classes at the community college.
Read the text and complete the gaps with the words below.
shopping nervous screen music grooming social activities leisure jobs sports reading
Teens report having an average of five hours and 44 minutes of (1)__________ time daily, a major part of that is spent on screens. No surprise. Teens clock an average of three hours and four minutes of (2)__________ time daily. This has held steady for the last decade, but what has changed is how teens spend their free time.
Teens are spending less time on paid (3)__________ during the school year at just 26 minutes a day, on average, versus 57 minutes in the mid-1990s, which reflects the fact that fewer teens are working in general. Teens are also spending less time on (4)__________ like going to parties, sporting events, or concerts dropping 16 minutes per day on average in the last ten years.
Time spent playing (5)__________ has held steady at around 45 minutes, as has the time teens spend in other types of leisure such as (6)__________ for clothes, listening to (7)__________ and (8)__________ for pleasure.
One more thing that has remained the same is that there is a difference in the way girls and boys spend their time. Girls devote more of their day to homework and (9)__________ activities, like haircuts, bathing, and getting dressed. Boys spend more time on leisure activities, including screen time, and sports on average. Girls and boys also report feeling differently about their days. While girls are more likely to say they feel (10)__________ or stressed about their day, they are also more likely to say that they feel excited about it.
Look at the pictures and discuss the following:
in what way the pictures are different;
the advantages and disadvantages of the two ways of spending free time;
what way you would like to spend your free time and why.
Task 3. You are going to give an interview. You have to answer five questions. Give full answers to the questions (2-4 sentences).
Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Tapescript for Task 3
Interviewer: Hello everybody! It’s Teenagers Round the World Channel. Our guest today is a teenager from Russia and we are going to discuss the topic of free time. We’d like to know our guest’s point of view on this issue. Please answer five questions. So, let’s get started.
1. What do you like doing at the weekend?
2. Do you prefer to spend your free time alone or with friends? Why?
3. How much of your free time do you spend with your family? What sorts of things do you do together?
4. Do you have any hobbies that you’ve done for a long time? What?
5. Do you enjoy trying new activities? Have you tried anything new recently?
Task 4. Imagine that you are doing a project “ The ways of spending free time” together with your friend. You have found some illustrations and want to share the news. Leave a voice message to your friend. In 2.5 minutes be ready to tell the friend about the photos:
give a brief description of the photos, justifying the choice of the photos for the project
say in what way the pictures are different, justifying the choice of the photos for the project
mention the advantages and disadvantages (1–2) of the two ways of spending free time;
express your opinion on the subject of the project – what way you would like to spend your free time and why
You will speak for not more than 3 minutes (2–3 sentences for every item of the plan, 12–15 sentences total). You have to talk continuously.
