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Reading 1

hile-reading activities

1. Read the three texts about celebrities and their unusual hobbies and find out collocations related to the theme “hobby”.

Rod Stewart

When you think about Rod Stewart, many possible hobbies come to mind.

Perhaps he likes racing motorcycles, collecting vintage cars, or trail blazing through the mountains.

Of all the hobbies you might expect some celebrities to devote themselves to, it’s a bit of a stretch imagining Rod Stewart with model trains and model railroads. However, that’s exactly how this rock star likes to spend his free time.

We know he loves Glasgow Celtic football club and football in general, but playing with model railways? Are they sure he didn’t just say models? While it might seem to be a stretch, there are actually many reasons that a model railway system might appeal to someone like Stewart. After all, he does spend a lot of time on the road, he’s creative, and he’s an artist.

There’s a lot of art that goes into setting up a model railroad, and some hobbyists even paint their own train cars and parts. And for those with a love of travel, model railways allow them to experience the rails without leaving home.

It might surprise some people to find out that a rock star as famous as Stewart has a hobby that is so innocent. If his recently released autobiography is any indication, however, Stewart has hobbies that are both innocent and a bit more provocative that he has enjoyed in equal measure over the years.

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale of “Underworld” fame has a hobby that isn’t strange in and of itself, but might seem odd given her occupation.

Beckinsale is said to be a keen writer, which is hardly surprising since she studied French and Russian literature while a student at Oxford.

But it is surprising that someone who spends so much of her time reciting, directing, and dealing with writing would want to go home and write in her spare time. To some people it almost seems like her hobby is an extension of her work.

The love of writing doesn’t stop with Beckinsale herself, though. Kate Beckinsale is married to Len Wiseman, who is a very successful writer and director in his own right. Most famously Wiseman directed the films in the “Underworld” franchise, which starred Beckinsale. He was also the director responsible for bringing the Bruce Willis action film “Live Free or Die Hard” to life.

He directed Beckinsale again in the remake of the 1980s Paul Verhoeven science fiction classic “Total Recall.” While you might think that at the end of the day Kate would rather relax with a hobby that seems less like work, it may simply serve as a reflection of how much she likes what she does.

Post-reading activities

Make a list of 5-10 questions according to the texts and discuss the questions in pairs.

Speaking

1. Imagine that you want to get together with a few new friends from out of town next weekend. What two or three leisure or recreational activities would you consider doing to introduce your friends to your city? Use the Internet to plan your day and look up the cost, operating hours, and location of each activity you plan. Discuss your results.

2.You are going on vacation to New York City for one week, but before you go, you want to plan your leisure activities. Use the Internet to find information and then plan your week. You should look up details on times, cost, transportation, and other relevant information: