新視界大學英語--Leisureinactivities

1、Warming uWarming up pSkimmingSkimmingDiggingDiggingCritical thinkingCritical thinkingLanguage in useLanguage in useUnfamiliar wordsUnfamiliar wordsInterpretingInterpretingTalking pointTalking point Leisure inactivities or how to relax and do nothingSynonyms(同義詞) for leisure time free time spare time

2、 holiday vacation hobby recreation pastime relaxation entertainment break rest休假; 休息時間; 空閑時間The real dividing line between things we call work and the things we call leisure is that in leisure, however active we may be, we make our own choices and our own decisions. We feel for the time being that o

3、ur life is our own. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.只工作不玩耍，聰明的孩子會變傻。只工作不玩耍，聰明的孩子會變傻。找不出時間娛樂的人遲早會被迫找出時間找不出時間娛樂的人遲早會被迫找出時間生病。生病。 People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness. Most people seek ways to socialize, to relax or to have fun durin

4、g their leisure hours. Obviously peoples tastes vary depending on their income and their age. play table tennis/football/basketball, go swimming/skating,go to Karaoke bars / movies /a concert/theatres/museumsplay cards /computer games /musical instruments,collect stamps/coins,listen to music,read no

5、vels,go shoppingwatch TV / a sports match,go shopping /traveling /bowling/dancing,go to Karaoke / a concert / the library,play mahjong/chess, visit or entertain friends,drink tea at a tea bar/housePlaying+ tennis/table tennis/basketball/football cards/mahjong/chess/musical instrument computer gamesG

6、oing +swimming/skating/shoppingGoing to +movies/the pub/Karaoke/the librarytheatres/museums/a concertWatching +TV/a sports match/VCDsListening to musicReadingDancing1) What you do2) When and where you do it3) Whether you do it alone or with others 4) Why you enjoy this activity Increasing self-confi

7、dence social relationship, friendship, emotional and mental well-being and physical health Word Bankbeneficial challengingenergeticfascinatingintriguing relaxing satisfying tranquil comforting Most active activities: Most passive activities: sports activities, dancing watching TV, listening to music

8、, reading novels, playing cards, chess and mahjongQuestions:1. What kinds of leisure activities are mentioned in the passage?2. What are common activities for both men and women?3. How did the young men spend their leisure time?Americans Leisure Activities Leisure activities include things like watc

9、hing television, seeing friends or exercising. Both men and women reported that they spent about half their leisure time watching television. Visiting friends and attending social events was the next most common leisure activity for both sexes. The average adult spends almost two hours a day on hous

10、ehold activities like cooking, cleaning and paying bills. Women spend more time on child care and housework than men do even when the women are employed. Men, however, spend more time at work. Men also spend more time on leisure activities and sports. They average five hours twenty minutes a day, ha

11、lf an hour more than women. Older Americans spent more of their leisure time watching TV and reading than younger people. Younger people reported spending more time with friends, using the computer and playing sports. In all, nineteen percent of men and sixteen percent of women played sports on any

12、given day.Warming up Listen and underline any words or expressions which are different from what you hear.A: I didnt see you in class this morning.B: I wasnt there. I had a rough night, and was a bit too tired to come.A: Thats because you spend too much time partying. B: Not exactly, but I took some

13、 time off. I thought Id go running in the woods behind campus, you know. A: Sounds like an interesting thing to do.A: I didnt see you in class this morning.B: I wasnt there. I had a rough night, and was a bit too tired to come.A: Thats because you spend too much time partying. B: Not exactly, but I

14、took some time off. I thought Id go running in the woods behind campus, you know. A: Sounds like an interesting thing to do.Warming upB: Well, it is, especially at this time of year. You never know what you might see or hear. Thats why I took my camera and started waiting, and because you have to be

15、 quiet I got down under a tree and, er A: Something happened?B: I must have fallen down a hole. The next thing I knew it was five oclock in the morning and all the birds were singing. The problem with hobbies like mine is that theyre too dangerous. I need to do something more relaxing, like kung fu

16、or mountain climbing B: Well, it is, especially at this time of year. You never know what you might see or hear. Thats why I took my camera and started waiting, and because you have to be quiet I got down under a tree and, er A: Something happened?B: I must have fallen down a hole. The next thing I

17、knew it was five oclock in the morning and all the birds were singing. The problem with hobbies like mine is that theyre too dangerous. I need to do something more relaxing, like kung fu or mountain climbing Warming upNow listen again and correct the information.Answer:1)partying studying2) running

18、bird-watching3) camera tape recorder4) down a hole asleep5) dangerous stressfulWarming upWhats your idea of: Work in pairs and discuss the questions. 2 an exciting hobby3 a boring hobby1 having a good time4 an unusual hobbyWarming upWatch the video of how a Western botanist found Shangri-La. How do

19、you spend your leisure time, do you also like traveling? Share your experience with the whole class.1. leisure 2. inactivity 3. sin 4. peculiar 5. weird 6. draw 7. non-event 8. creature 9. evolve 10. couch 11. couch potato 12. chill 13. idle 14. chip 15. remote 16. remote control 17. worthy 18. conc

20、entration 19. maintain 20. span 21. attention span 22. trend 23. negative 24. inherent 25. . inherently 26. removal 27. belly 28. commitment 29. fashionable 30. muffin 31. excessive 32. absence 33. skillful 34. time zone 35. routine 36. virtual 37. offence 38. aspiration 39. log 40. minimum Warming

21、up Look at the title of the passage and answer the questions.1 What kind of activities do you expect the passage to talk about? 2 What kind of style do you expect it will be written in?Now read the passage and check your answers.Skimming Browse the passage within 8 minutes to get a rough idea about

22、it.Answer the questions of Activity 2 and 3 on page 96.TaskTaskSkimming Choose the best definition.A couch potato is someone who _. (a) doesnt like sports but is active in other ways(b) takes no exercise, and spends their leisure time doing very little(c) enjoys doing energetic activities, but only

23、at home(d) enjoys growing vegetables indoorsNow think of definitions for these things: 1 a leisure inactivity 2 a mouse potato 3 telly belly 4 mouse milesbAnswer: A leisure inactivity seems to be something you do in your free time which involves as little energy as possible, eg sleeping or being a c

24、ouch potato. If one thinks of a computer mouse, the expression mouse potato becomes easy to understand one who is always in front of the computer surfing the Net or playing games. The nicely rhyming telly belly refers to the result of being a television addict who also has a large stomach. Mouse mil

25、es refer to the miles of movements which a mouse moves on the table and indicates how much time youve spent on the computer and how many activities youve had with your computer.SkimmingSkimming Choose the best way to complete the sentences.1 In the 19th century, British people had more time off than

26、 in earlier times and _. (a) they wanted to play more sports (b) they didnt want to do anything useful (c) they wanted to do something useful and feel fulfilled (d) they didnt want to do anything newcSkimming2 Leisure inactivities usually involve _. (a) very little contact with other people or physi

27、cal activity (b) watching sport on TV (c) taking a day off work and staying at home (d) excessive amounts of time in front of a computer3 For a couch potato getting interested in a TV programme is unwise because _. (a) you wont use the remote control enough (b) you may run out of snacks and drinks (

28、c) it may be your only day off in the week (d) you may make too much intellectual effortadSkimming4 The risks of being a couch potato are _. (a) minimal because potatoes are healthy (b) minimal because you are in your own home (c) real because you might put on a lot of weight (d) not as serious as t

29、he Oxford English Dictionary claims5 A mouse potato _. (a) spends a lot of time travelling the world (b) can exchange mouse miles for potato chips (c) replaces traditional leisure activities with computer- based entertainment (d) spends all their time insulting people in Internet chat roomsccText or

30、ganizationP1P2centuries agothe 1990sP3P4Ps 5-7P8Ps 9-10the 21st centuryP11P12conclusionP13Victorian viewcricket a casecouch potatowhohowinherent risksreaction of the British farmersmouse potatobehaviourAbout the Textthe evolution of leisure activitieswhen people had no much free timein the Victorian

31、 timeno leisure activitiesfootball, rugby, cricket, bird-watching in the 1990sin the 21st centurybeing a couch potatobeing a mouse potatocouch potatoWho wants to be a couch potato?How to become a couch potato?What are mouse potatoes?What do mouse potatoes usually do?Who oppose the term couch potato

32、and why?What are the risks for couch potatoes?What are possible for more adventurous mouse potatoes?mouse potatoGuessingThink of definitions fora couch potato a mouse potatoa couch potato Some unusual words describe how a person spends his or her time. For example, someone who likes to spend a lot o

33、f time sitting or lying down while watching television is sometimes called a couch potato. A couch is a piece of furniture that people sit on while watching television. Robert Armstrong, an artist from California, developed the term couch potato in nineteen-seventy-six. Several years later, he liste

34、d the term as a trademark with the United States government. Mister Armstrong also helped write a funny book about life as a full-time television watcher. It is called the Official Couch Potato Handbook. a mouse potatoCouch potatoes enjoy watching television just as mouse potatoes enjoy working on c

35、omputers. A computer mouse is the device that moves the pointer, or cursor, on a computer screen. The description of mouse potato became popular in nineteen-ninety-three. American writer Alice Kahn is said to have invented the term to describe young people who spend a lot of time using computers.Lei

36、sure inactivities or how to relax and do nothing譯文譯文Digging1 Centuries ago people didnt have much free time, because everyone was working too hard. In Britain in the 19th century, people had more free time, but the Victorians thought relaxing and doing nothing was a sin. So to avoid temptation, they

37、 invented football and cricket. People took up more gentle leisure activities like bird-watching, and gardening, and it was even possible simply to watch a sport and be satisfied that you were actually doing something useful.2 One instance of this is cricket, which is a peculiar game with weird rule

38、s, where nothing happens for five days, at the end of which the players often decide to call it a draw. And everyone playing or watching feels perfectly fulfilled by this non-event. Its a good example of what we now call a leisure inactivity.Digging3 Gradually over the years, leisure inactivities ha

39、ve involved even less interaction. In the 1990s a new leisure creature evolved, one who thinks that lying on the sofa watching sport or DVDs on the television is the most exciting inactivity they can manage. This is the couch potato. 譯文譯文Digging4 So who wants to be a couch potato? Well, as a matter

40、of fact, many people do, and for very good reasons. Maybe its your one day off in the week, maybe you just got back from work or school. Maybe youre tired and just want to chill. For the couch potato, every activity is too much trouble, and being idle is an art form.譯文譯文Digging懶散是一門藝術(shù)。5 How do you b

41、ecome a couch potato? Its easy. Sit down in a comfortable place, such as a nice soft chair, or . you knew it was coming . a couch. Dont sit on a potato. Make sure you have everything you need, things to eat (especially potato chips no serious couch potato would eat anything else), drinks, magazines

42、and a telly.譯文譯文Digging6 The most important piece of equipment is of course, the remote control. Without the freedom to change channels without moving from the couch, no couch potato would be worthy of the name. In fact, watching TV without a remote control becomes dangerously like physical exercise

43、, and probably should be avoided.譯文譯文Digging7 Now just start watching the telly. Change channels every ten seconds, and then move on. Try your best to lose concentration quickly, in order to maintain your status as a couch potato. (Remember that you also have the attention span of a potato.) Finally

44、, ask other people to do things for you, like get more food, or rent a movie. But be nice to them! If you arent nice, youll probably have to do it yourself.譯文譯文Digging8 But with every new trend, theres a reaction. British farmers were recently reported by the BBC to be angry at the use of the expres

45、sion couch potato, because it gave the vegetable a negative image. Potatoes are inherently healthy, says the British Potato Council, and is organizing protests to demand the removal of couch potato from the Oxford English Dictionary.9 So there you are! Couch potatoes are healthy.譯文譯文Digging10 Of cou

46、rse, for the true couch potato, there are inherent risks. Perhaps the greatest of these results from the lack of exercise, and is referred to by professional couch potatoes as telly belly. Some, however, see their telly belly as a mark of their commitment to their leisure inactivity, and wear it pro

47、udly over the top of their trousers. (Interestingly, this is a highly fashionable style known as a muffin top. Find out why next time youre in Starbucks.)譯文譯文Digging11 But time moves on, and in the 21st century we now have a version of the couch potato specially for the online activities on the comp

48、uter. This is called the mouse potato. A mouse potato spends excessive amounts of time in front of a computer monitor, with the same absence of interest in the outside world as their older cousin, the couch potato. Mouse potatoes are hooked on online games with other fellow potatoes around the world

49、. 譯文譯文DiggingIn fact, leaving the computer not only lacks purpose but also risks a threat by some rival or more skilful mouse potato in a brighter time zone across the world. For time off, their routine includes performing extensive Internet searches or participating in online chat rooms, leaving il

50、l-informed and badly spelt opinions around the virtual world, causing offence or generally insulting ones intelligence.譯文譯文Digging12 For mouse potatoes with an aspiration for adventure, you can even travel the world and visit countries you might otherwise never see by going to CouchP. You can also f

51、ind out how much time you spend on your computer by logging the distance your mouse travels. These are called mouse miles, and who knows, maybe one day you can exchange them for more potato chips at all good computer stores.譯文譯文Digging13 So with a minimum of effort you too can have your own leisure

52、inactivity. Become a couch potato! Earn that telly belly! Train hard as a mouse potato, and earn mouse miles. Get started today. Theres so much time, and so little to do. 譯文譯文DiggingMain idea of the text1. but the Victorians thought relaxing and doing nothing was a sin. (Line 4, Para 1)The work ethi

53、c was very strong in 19th-century England probably in response to the Industrial Revolution and dramatic increase in the British economy. Religion was also very strong, teaching that mans duty was to work and any wasted moments would have to be accounted for (作出解釋，說明) to God. Difficult sentences Dif

54、ficult sentences 2. Maybe its your one day off in the week, (Line 3, Para 4)one day off: a day without work, or a day away from workDifficult sentences 3. Maybe youre tired and just want to chill. (Line 5, Para 4)Here, the informal use of the word “chill” is adopted to relax. The metaphor is that wh

55、ile work and being under stress is hot, relaxation is cool.Difficult sentences 4. For the couch potato, every activity is too much trouble, and being idle is an art form. (Line 6, Para 4)The writer is being ironic and comparing the couch potato to a master of a difficult art, eg a dancer or opera si

56、nger etc.Difficult sentences 5. Sit down in a comfortable place, such as a nice soft chair, or you knew it was coming a couch. (Line 2, Para 5)Of course, a couch potato sits on a couch. You could predict the writer will say that before he does. you knew it was coming: This expression is used in ligh

57、t-hearted contexts when we state the obvious. Difficult sentences 6. Without the freedom to change channels without moving from the couch, no couch potato would be worthy of the name. In fact, watching TV without a remote control becomes dangerously like physical exercise, and probably should be avo

58、ided. (Line 2, Para 6)The writer creates an ironic effect through the use of exaggeration. The true couch potato is not supposed to move from the couch. So getting up, as people once had to do, to go over to the television to change channels would be against the entire couch potato lifestyle. It mig

59、ht even be too energetic for them and cause problems. Difficult sentences 7. Remember that you also have the attention span of a potato. (Line 5, Para 7)A potato, of course, does not have an attention span. The writer is saying that a person who wants to be a couch potato must not concentrate on any

60、thing for long.Difficult sentences 8. But with every new trend, theres a reaction. (Line 1, Para 8)The writer is referring to the Third Law of Motion by Newton: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So for every new trend or fashion, there is an objection or counter movement.Diff