LIFE
1.1 Think about how you would answer the following questions.
1. Do you think people work too much nowadays?
2. What do you like to do to relax?
3. What is your idea of a perfect day?
4. How would you describe your attitude to life?
1.2 Now listen to four people answering these questions and decide which of the words in the box best describes each speaker.
Speaker 1 …
Speaker 2 …
Speaker 3 …
Speaker 4 …
1.3 Listen to the speakers again and complete the following phrases.
1.4 Make a note of any of these words and phrases that apply to you and then answer the questions in 1.1 again.
2. COLLOCATION Complete the words or phrases in the sentences with life or living. Which answers are written as one word?
1. Going to Egypt and seeing the pyramids was a once in a _______ time opportunity for me.
2. The standard of _______ in my country is very good; there are not many poor people there.
3. In my job as a nurse I get to meet people from all walks of _______.
4. For me, being a vegetarian is not just about diet, it has become a way of _______
5. Many people only think about bills they need to pay and forget to allow for everyday _______ expenses when they calculate a budget.
6. It was a _______ long ambition of mine to travel to the Arctic Circle and see the northern lights.
7. A rise in petrol prices inevitably leads to a rise in the cost of _______ .
8. The happiest people are those who have found a way to make a _______ from their hobby.
LEISURE
3.1 Read the text and decide whether the sentences below are true or false. Match the words in bold in the sentences with one of the underlined words or phrases in the text.
Leisure activity isn’t just for fun, says a University of Florida psychologist who has developed a scale that classifies hobbies based on needs they satisfy in people. The scale can help people find more personal fulfiment by giving them insight into what they really like. “The surprising thing is that activities you might think are very different have similar effects on people, said Howard E.A. Tinsley, a UF psychology professor who developed the measurement. ‘Probably no one would consider acting to have the same characteristics as roller-skating or playing baseball, but men and women who act as a hobby report feeling an intense sense of belonging to a group, much the same way others do in playing sports.’
And activities providing the strongest sense of competition are not sports, but card, arcade and computer games, he found. Participating in soccer satisfies our desire for a sense of ‘belonging’ and coin collecting and baking fulfil their need for ‘creativity.’ ‘With so many people in jobs they don’t care for, leisure is a prized aspect of people’s lives,’ Tinsley said. ‘Yet it’s not something psychologists really study. Economists tell us how much money people spend skiing, but nobody explains why skiing really appeals to people.’ Or how one activity relates to another, perhaps in unexpected ways, Tinslcy said. Fishing, generally considered more of an outdoor recreational activity, for example, is a form of self-expression like quilting or stamp collecting, because it gives people the opportunity to express some aspect of their personality by doing something completely different from their daily routine, he said.
1. Both acting and roller-skating give people a strong feeling of being part of a team. => True – intense sense
2. Taking part in sports gives you the strongest desire to win.
3. Collecting things satisfies people’s desire for making things.
4. Researchers already know why a hobby attracts a person.
5. Fishing allows you to show the type of person you are.
3.2 Now look at the remaining words and phrases that have been undertined in the text and match them to these definitions.
1. a feeling of doing what you have always wanted to do _______
2. a deep understanding _______
3. a feature of _______
4. something that is done for enjoyment in your free time. (x3) _______
5. things you do every day _______
4.1 COLLOCATION Match the verbs with nouns from the box. You may use the words more than once.
4.2 Correct the 14 vocabulary mistakes in the text.
Although we have a better standard of living nowadays, in many ways our quality of life is not as good as in the past because we are always too busy to enjoy what we have.
Everyday life today is much more complicated than in the past. Even in our leisure time we have to take so many choices about what to do or even what to watch on TV. We are often spoilt for choice and this can leave us feeling confused and dissatisfied. We all know that it is important to get a balance between work and play, but many of us do not succeed. Instead, we make extra pressure for ourselves by trying to be as successful in our work life as in our personal life.
Life in the past was much simpler as many people worked to get their basic needs. Today, for many of us, our job is not just a way of making a life. For many, work is an important role in our everyday life and gives us a strong sense of personal fulfilment. What is more, we have become much more materialistic. Many people get themselves goals such as buying a new house or car and so we measure our success by the material things we own. Desiring these luxuries is what motivates us to work much harder than in the past, so in many ways we choice this way of life.
We have worked hard to improve our standard of living, but it may have come at a very high price. We need to take some changes in our priorities so that family occasions are as important as business meetings. We should also make every possible opportunity to relax and enjoy our leisure time. Once you have given the decision to do this, you should find that your quality of life also improves. My ultimate aim is to have a happy family life. If I get this goal then I know I will not regret any chances I have lost to stay longer at the office.
Answer
1.2
1 realist 2 risk-taker 3 pessimist 4 optimist
2
1 lifetime (one word) 2 living 3 life 4 life 5 living 6 lifelong (one word) 7 living 8 living
3
1. True (Probably no one would consider acting to have the same characteristics as roller-skating or playing baseball, but men and women who act as a hobby report feeling on intense sense of belonging to a group, much the same way others do in playing sports) strong = intense; feeling = sense.
2. False (And activities providing the strongest sense of competition are not sports, but card, arcade ond computer games, he found.) taking part in = participating in; desire to win = sense of competition
3. True (coin collecting … fulfil their need for ‘creativity’) satisfies people’s desire = fulfil their need; making things = creativity
4. False (but nobody explains why skiing really appeals to people.) attracts = appeals to
5. True (Fishing, generally considered more of an outdoor recreational activity, for example, is a form of self-expression like quilting or stomp collecting, becouse it gives people the opportunity to express some aspect of their personality) the type of person you are = your personality
3.2
1 personal fulfilment 2 insight 3 aspect 4 leisure activity, hobby, recreational activity 5 daily routine
4.1
make a decision, make a change, make a choice, meet a need, miss a chance, miss an opportunity, play a role, put pressure (on), set a goal, take a chance, take an opportunity
4.2
Everyday life today is much more complicated than in the past. Even in our leisure time we have to take make so many choices about what to do or even what to watch on TV. We are often spoilt for choice and this can leave us feeling confused and dissatisfied. We all know that it is important to get achieve a balance between work and play, but many of us do not succeed. Instead, we make put extra pressure for on ourselves by trying to be as successful in our work life as in our personal life.
Life in the past was much simpler as many people worked to get meet their basic needs. Today, for many of us, our job is not just a way of making a life living. For many, work is plays an important role in our everyday life and gives us a strong sense of personal fulfilment. What is more, we have become much more materialistic. Many people get set themselves goals such as buying a new house or car and so we measure our success by the material things we own. Desiring these luxuries is what motivates us to work much harder than in the past, so in many ways we choice choose this way of life.
We have worked hard to improve our standard of living, but it may have come at a very high price. We need to take make some changes in our priorities so that family occasions are as important as business meetings. We should also make take every possible opportunity to relax and enjoy our leisure time. Once you have given made the decision to do this, you should find that your quality of life also improves. My ultimate aim is to have a happy family life. If I get achieve this goal then I know I will not regret any chances I have lost missed to stay longer at the office.
