Speaking topic: HOBBIES AND FREE TIME

HOBBIES – THINGS WE LOVE DOING

-          Intertwine (v) : quấn vào nhau

-          Overexposure (n): sự phơi bày quá mức

-          Sedentary (a): ngồi nhiều

-          Phish (n): lừa đảo lấy thông tin tài chính bằng email

USEFUL EXPRESSION:

Expression	Example
Evidence shows that

Reading:  5 hobbies that make you smarter

Summary

Hobbies are great for leisure, relaxation and can even make you smarter.

5 hobbies that can help boost brain function, elevate mood and give us a chance to express ourselves.

1.      Playing instrument

-          Boost mood and creativity

-          Increase IQ

-          This is because our ability to store audio info become better through learning about tone and scores

-          Pickup other language easier

2.      Reading (esp thoughtful reading)

-          Reduce stress

-          Expand perspectives

-          Improve mood

-          Most importantly, make we smarter. This is because it affects three major levels of intelligence in the brain: crystallized, fluid and emotional intelligence

3.      Learning a new language

-          More adept at solving puzzles

-          Improve the brain’s executive function

-          Perform mentally demanding tasks better, such as planning and problem solving

4.      Writing

-          Require to think carefully, engaging motor, visual and cognitive skills

-          Expand vocabulary, become more verbally articulate

-          Decrease stress, improve ability to focus on one thing at a time

5.      Exercise

-          Flood cells with BDNF, which helps with mental acuity, learning and memory.

-          Allow brain to work better and more efficiently

 

What you do in your downtime says a lot about you. Hobbies are great for leisure, relaxation, and can even make you smarter. Here are 5 hobbies that make you smarter by boosting your brain function, elevating (làm hân hoan, phấn chấn /’eliveit/ ) your mood, and giving you a chance to express yourself.

1. Playing Instruments

Hobbies like playing an instrument boosts your mood and creativity. Not only is playing music an outlet for self-expression, but also it has a major influence on your brain. Research suggests playing an instrument regularly can change the shape and power of your brain and can increase your IQ.

According to Lutz Jäncke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich,

When you play a musical instrument you have to learn about tone and about scores and your ability to store audio information becomes better. So not only does this make it easier to pick up other languages and have a better verbal memory in your own language, we have also seen that musicians are able to pick out exactly what others are feeling just on the tone of their voices. Empathy, disappointment, that kind of thing.

2. Reading

Reading is usually found to be one of the most common habits of successful people. Frequent thoughtful reading is great for reducing stress, expanding your perspective, and improving your mood. Most importantly, it makes you smarter. Evidence shows that reading affects the three major levels of intelligence in our brain:

·         Crystallized intelligence – The collection of knowledge you pick up that helps you navigate the world. For example, a new friend’s name or learning how to ride a bike.

·         Fluid intelligence – Helps you solve problems, detect meaningful patterns, and understand things in general.

·         Emotional intelligence – The ability to accurately respond to your own and other’s feelings. 

 A novel worth reading is an education of the heart. It enlarges your sense of human possibility, of what human nature is, of what happens in the world. It’s a creator of inwardness (ý nghĩa sâu sắc, tính chất bên trong). Susan Sontag,The Art of Fiction No. 143

3. Learning A New Language

Research shows that being bilingual makes you more adept (tinh thông, lão luyện) at solving puzzles than monolinguals. Speaking multiple languages improves the brain’s “executive function”, which is a command system that directs our attention processes. This means you’ll be able to perform mentally demanding tasks better, such as planning and problem solving. Bilingual skills also heighten your ability to monitor your environment. In my personal experience, I’ve found it extremely encouraging to go through the day and practice my language skills by exploring clothing tags, packaging, and other every day places that feature instructions in multiple languages. My favorite app for practicing languages is Duolingo (and it’s free!).

4. Writing

Writing by hand requires you to think carefully, engaging your motor (vận động), visual and cognitive skills. The luxury of typing allows us to get our ideas out quickly, but the foundation of skillful writing begins with pen to paper. By writing more often, you expand your vocabulary and become more verbally articulate (/a:’tikjulit/: nói rõ ràng). You can also use it to track your mental progress over time. For your best writing with a keyboard, stay focused by eliminating distractions and getting cozy. By letting your mind flow into a different mental state, you will decrease stress and improve your ability to focus on one thing at a time. If you don’t know what to write about, just write about what you know! Your unique perspectives and knowledge is invaluable, so start a blog or journal and write away.

5. Exercise

Regular exercise is crucial for physical and mental health. Research shows that for 60% of the population, exercising expresses a gene that floods your cells with BDNF. BDNF is a protein that is thought to help with mental acuity (sự sắc bén, sắc sảo /ơ ‘kju:ti/), learning and memory. While the science of exercise and intelligence is still being explored, what we do know is that exercising allows your brain to work better and more efficiently. Your exercise routine doesn’t necessarily need to be intense, but it should be regular. From yoga to running, whatever works best for you will make you feel confident and motivated. If you prefer the gym, try to get some time exercising outdoors so you can breathe fresh air and get some natural Vitamin D. Most importantly, have fun!

(Source: http://welldressedstyle.com/wp/5-hobbies-that-make-you-smarter/)

Expressions

Evidence shows that

Example: Evidence shows that we now spend more time on media devices than we do asleep.

Questions

Free time

·         Do you have enough free time? ( yes, I do. I’ve learnt that it is vital to manage the time effectively and not become a slave to time. Therefore, I’ve tried to arrange my daily schedule in the most appropriate ways, which include some free time for myself)

·         Do you have free time on Sundays? (not every Sunday but yes, I’ve always tried to arrange my schedule appropriately so that I can have some free time in Sunday and make it as un-schedule moment)

·         Do you have much free time during the day? (not at all, I frequently find myself in a hurry, I mean

·         Do you have much free time in the evenings? (not actually, I fulfill almost every evening with classes like yoga, dance and language)

·         Do you have much free time in the mornings? (not actually, I’ve set up my routine on a daily basis, where I get up quite early at 5h30, take a yoga session for an hour before having breakfast, then go to school or go to work)

·         Do you like to watch movies? (...like to play tennis, ...) ( I’m fanatical about watching movies, especially Western ones. My favorite genre is comedy and emotional films. Soap Operas and Dramas definitely not my kind of thing)

·         What are you doing this weekend? ( I would spend this weekend reading novel. The novel I’m reading at the moment is a real page-turner. I just can’t put it down. Its name is “life and teaching of the Masters of the far East’. It describes the travels to India of a group of Western scientists who have witness many of the spiritual principles in India)

·         What did you do last summer vacation?

·         What did you do last weekend?

·         What do you do in your free time?

·         What hobbies do you have? ( I’m keen on photography and I’m crazy about zumba dancing. Actually I’m taking a zumba class every other day in the evening. And it’s really fascinating. I find that zumba really help burn huge calories, it is total body toning and it definitely a great stress release. Most important thing I think is zumba gives me more awareness of my body)

·         When do you have free time? (How do you spend your free time?)

·         Where do you spend your free time?

·         Who do you spend your free time with?

·         How do you like to spend your free time?

o    going shopping? going to the cinema? chatting? playing computer games going to the disco? playing sports?reading? relaxing?

·         If you had more free time, what would you do with it?

·         Tell me about some good places to hang out.

o    Why are they good?

·         Where do young people in this country usually spend their free time?

·         Would you like to have more free time?

o    What would you like to give up so that you could have more free time?

·         How do the women in your family usually spend their free time?

·         How do the men in your family usually spend their free time?

·         Do men and women spend their free time differently? How?

·         If it were suddenly announced that tomorrow was a national holiday, what would you do?

·         What do you do on Saturdays?

·         Do people's leisure time activities change as they get older? How?

·         Who do you like to spend your leisure time with?

o    What do you usually do?

·         Do you like gossiping in your free time?

o    Who do you gossip with?

o    Who do you gossip about?

·         What do you really hate having to do in your free time?

·         What new activity would you like to try doing in your free time?

·         Do you ever feel that you waste your free time? How?

o    What can you do about this?

·         Do you find that your works or studies takes up your free time?

·         Are there any activities that you used to do but don't do anymore?

o    Why did you stop?

Hobbies

·         What are your hobbies?

One of my favorite hobbies is photography. Last year, I bought quite an expensive digital camera, a Sony Nex5 model. It cost me nearly two month salary. And I have been photographing since then. I love taking photos so that I can have records of things I have seen or done, as well as places I have been to. Most of my photos are of my friends and family, but I also take landscape pictures every now and then. I find photography is a wonderful stress reliever. For example, if I’m feeling a bit down, there’s nothing like seeing the dimples of a smiling baby or the sparkling in the eyes of lovers and capturing it.

Besides, photography inspires my imagination. For instance, I could make up a story by playing around with my photos. I also find it like a natural self-esteem booster. I mean, the feeling of pride I got when I took pictures of my friends and they turned out good and my friends really like them.

Moreover, photography helps document and preserve the special moments in life. Every time I look at the photographs taken in the past, it just brings along a lot of emotions.

So, all and all, I think it has a lot of benefits and I love it.

·         Have your hobbies changed since you were younger?

·         How long have you had your hobby?

·         Which hobbies are the most expensive?

·         Which hobbies are the cheapest?

·         Which hobbies cost nothing at all?

·         Which hobbies are the most popular in your country?

·         Is hunting a hobby or a sport in your country?

·         Which hobbies are the most popular with women in your country? With men?

·         Did you have any hobbies when you were a child?

·         Can you think of any hobbies which are popular with children and adults?

·         Do you think a hobby is different from a sport?

·         Are there any hobbies you would like to try?

·         Are there any dangerous hobbies?

·         Are there any hobbies you can do in other countries, but not your own?

·         Which hobbies do you think are the most difficult?