【Level 3】【Note】Unit 1

Unit 1 Hobbies and interests

Unit overview

https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/70fbbec7-76dc-4c48-be9f-aa4da7d62bbf

Talking about your hobbies and interests

【Vocabulary】Hobbies and interests

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/fb04281c-9b84-4242-98e8-078bab35b0b5

1. running

the action or sport of running
e.g. to go running

2. drawing

the art or skill of making pictures, plans, etc. using a pen or pencil
e.g. I'm not very good at drawing.

3. reading

the activity of somebody who reads
e.g. My hobbies include reading and painting.

4. taking photographs

using a camera to make pictures
e.g. Her mother was taking photographs at the birthday party last night.

5. woodworking

the art or craft of making objects out of wood
e.g. His furniture has earned him several prizes for woodworking.

6. sewing

the activity of making, repairing or decorating things made of cloth using a needle and thread
e.g. knitting and sewing

7. cooking

the process of preparing food
e.g. My husband does all the cooking.

8. doing puzzles

putting together a picture printed on cardboard that has been cut up into a lot of small pieces of different shapes
e.g. It was raining, so we spent the afternoon inside doing puzzles.

9. stamp collecting

the hobby of collecting stamps from different countries

【Expressions】Saying what you're good at

1. Use the following expressions to ask someone what they like to do.
   e.g.
   What are you interested in ?
What do you like doing ?

2. Use adjective phrases like good at, bad at, terrible at and okay at with a verb and -ing to talk about how well you or other people do things.
   e.g.
   I'm bad at cooking.
She's good at drawing.
We're terrible at doing puzzles.
He's okay at woodworking.

3. Use interested in to talk about something that you like doing.
   e.g.
   I'm interested in sewing.

【Vocabulary】Words used with hobbies and interests

1. Use collect to talk about collecting things.
   e.g.
   I collect stamps.
I enjoy stamp collecting.

2. Use belong to to say you are a member of a club.
   e.g.
   We belong to a book club.

3. Use on to talk about being a member of a sports team.
   e.g.
   They're on the running team.

4. Use get together with to talk about socializing with friends.
   e.g.
   I like getting together with friends.

【Final Task】Talking about your hobbies and interests

You are at a friend's house. Talk with him about hobbies and interests. Listen and record the correct response. When you see a blank, give true information about yourself.

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/a0a248f8-6d19-4855-a64f-3f6568cb8c5d

Asking about people about their interests

【Vocabulary】More hobbies and interests

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/474d123c-5d3d-49f2-824c-6df0f4e8d3e7

1. traveling

time spent visiting places, especially foreign countries, for pleasure
e.g. I go to bed early if I'm travelling the next day.

2. camping

living in a tent, etc. on holiday/vacation
e.g. Do you go camping?

3. oil painting

the art of painting in oil paint

4. birdwatching

the hobby of observing birds in their natural habitat
e.g. Birdwatching gives me a chance to go outside and enjoy nature.

5. gardening

the act of growing and taking care of plant
e.g. Her grandmother loves gardening.

6. collecting comic books

buying and keeping magazines that tell stories through pictures
e.g. He has been collecting comic books since he was a kid.

7. fishing

the sport or business of catching fish
e.g. We enjoyed a day's fishing by the river.

8. going to the theater

going to watch a play or performance on stage
e.g. My husband and I enjoy going to the theater.

9. going to an exhibit

going to see artwork that is displayed in a public place for a short period of time
e.g. My friends are going to an exhibit at the art museum tomorrow.

10. writing

the activity of writing books, articles, etc, especially as a job
e.g. Only later did she discover a talent for writing.

【Grammar】Adverbs of frequency

1. Use the question phrase how often to ask people about frequency of an activity.
   e.g.
   A: How often do you travel?
B: Well, I go to China every summer.

2. Use the question phrase do you ever if you are not sure someone does an activity.
   e.g.
   A: Do you ever go fishing?
B: No, I don't.

3. You can use adverbs of frequency to say how often you do something. Adverbs of frequency range from always, for the highest frequency, to never, for something that never happens.
   e.g.
   100% = always
80% = usually
60% = often
40% = sometimes
20% = rarely
0% = never

4. Adverbs of frequency come after the verb be in a sentence, but in front of all other verbs.
   e.g.
   A: Are you ever late to work?
B: No, I'm never late!
A: How often do you go to the theater?
B: I rarely go. It's too expensive.

5. dialog
   e.g.

PAM: Do you like going to the theater?
ROGER: Uh, no, not really.
PAM: Oh. I love the theater!
ROGER: How often do you go?
PAM: I'm always at the theater.
ROGER: Really? I rarely go.
PAM: So what do you usually do?
ROGER: Well, I watch TV. And I sometimes read comic books.
PAM: Hmm. Do you ever go to art exhibits?
ROGER: Uh, no.

【Expressions】Asking about hobbies and interests

1. There are other ways to ask about someone's hobbies or interests.
   e.g.
   A: What does she enjoy doing?
B: She enjoys birdwatching.
A: What's she into?
B: She's really into art.

2. Use the question Like what? to ask for more information. Respond with like and a gerund.
   e.g.
   A: I do fun things near home.
B: Like what?
A: Like collecting comic books.

3. Use the expression What else to ask for other examples of hobbies and interests.
   e.g.
   A: What else do you like to do?
B: Well, I really like gardening.

【Speaking】Reduced questions

1. People sometimes use reduced forms of questions during informal conversations. To reduce a yes-no question with be, drop the verb be from the beginning.
   e.g.
   Are you good at it? = You good at it?

2. To reduce a yes-no question with other verbs, drop do or does from the beginning.
   e.g.
   Does she like sewing? = She likes sewing?

3. Remember to use rising intonation to signal that you are asking a question.
   e.g.
   You good at it?

Talking about one of your interests

【Vocabulary】Musical instruments

1. flute

a musical instrument of the woodwind group, shaped like a thin pipe. The player holds it sideways and blows across a hole at one end.

2. cello

a musical instrument with strings, shaped like a large violin. The player sits down and holds the cello between his or her knees.

3. piano

a large musical instrument played by pressing the black and white keys on the keyboard. The sound is produced by small hammers hitting the metal strings inside the piano
e.g. to play the piano

4. trumpet

a brass musical instrument made of a curved metal tube that you blow into, with three valves for changing the note

5. drums

a musical instrument made of a hollow round frame with plastic or skin stretched tightly across one or both ends. You play it by hitting it with sticks or with your hands
e.g. Tony Cox on drums

6. guitar

a musical instrument that usually has six strings, that you play with your fingers or with a plectrum
e.g. an acoustic/an electric/a classical, etc. guitar

7. violin

a musical instrument with strings, that you hold under your chin and play with a bow
e.g. Brahms' violin concerto

8. saxophone

a metal musical instrument that you blow into, used especially in jazz

【Expressions】Talking about instruments you can play

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/a05a7c33-40e8-4feb-a757-ae4a0d8ff204

1. Use the question Can you play a musical instrument? to ask someone about their musical ability.
   e.g.
   A: Can you play a musical instrument?
B: Yes, I can play the piano.

2. Use the article a with the general phrase musical instrument.
   e.g.
   Many people can play a musical instrument.

3. Use the article the in front of a specific musical instrument.
   e.g.
   I play the guitar.

4. You can also use the word can to indicate musical ability.
   e.g.
   She can play the piano.

5. Use the following expression if you want someone to play a song for you.
   e.g.
   Please play a song.

6. dialog
   e.g.

Three people in my family can play a musical instrument. 
I play the saxophone. 
My father and mother play the violin. 
My sister can't play an instrument, but she can sing. 
Sometimes, people ask us to play a song.

【Reading】Reading for a main idea in a text

You can better understand a text if, first of all, you read through it quickly for the main idea. Use these strategies:

1. Read the title.
2. Look at any pictures.
3. Read the topic sentence, which is usually the first sentence.
   Look at the sample text. Both the picture and the title tell you that the text is about a man playing his saxophone. The first sentence of the text, or the topic sentence, also tells you this. Reading for the main idea, you can quickly find out what a text is about.

Playing My Saxophone
I'm really into playing my saxophone. 
I usually play the saxophone on weekends and in the evening after work. 
I can play many beautiful songs. 
I'm pretty good at it. 
My favorite saxophone player is John Coltrane. 
I often listen to his songs at night. 
They help me relax.

Making a plan for a visiting colleague

【Expressions】Taking about plans and possibilities

video：https://app.yinxiang.com/shard/s12/nl/2591669/356b30c9-81e7-49dc-8311-5d6e3a14e12a

1. Use the following expression to ask if people have plans.
   e.g.
   A: Do you have any plans for the weekend?
B: Yes, I'm visiting my mother.

2. Use can to ask about possibility.
   e.g.
   A: Can you show him around?
B: Of course.

3. Use know to say that you are certain of something.
   e.g.
   A: What's he interested in?
B: Well, I know he enjoys eating out.

4. Use probably to indicate strong possibility. Notice how probably comes before the verb, unless the verb is be, in which case it comes after.
   e.g.
   They probably like listening to music.
There's probably an exhibit at the museum.

5. Use maybe at the beginning of a sentence to indicate weaker possibility.
   e.g.
   Maybe he enjoys photography.

6. dialog
   e.g.

MARIO: Do you have any plans this afternoon, Gina?
GINA: Nope. What's up?
MARIO: My sister's visiting. Can you show her around? I'm working.
GINA: Of course. What's she into ?
MARIO: Uhh ... Well, I know she likes going to art exhibits.
GINA: OK. There's probably an exhibit at the museum.
MARIO: Great. Hey, she likes Italian food. Maybe you can take her to Giancarlo's.
GINA: Sure. Sounds good.
MARIO: Thanks a lot, Gina!

【Reading】Reading an events calendar

When you are looking for a specific piece of information, you don't always need to read the whole text. Instead, you can quickly scan through it for the details you want. For example, you want to go to a festival on the weekend, and you are looking at a list of local events:

1. Find events quickly by looking for special typefaces – such as large, bold or stylized text – which often indicate key details.
2. Look quickly through the list for the word festival (festival).
3. Find dates and times by looking for numbers.

Try these strategies with the sample online events calendar. Don't read every word. You should be able to quickly answer these questions:
What festival is this weekend? What festival is this weekend?
What time is Tori Mitchell playing on Saturday? What time is Tori Mitchell playing on Saturday?

What's Happening This Weekend

Saturday

Tori Mitchell

Songs from Peru, played on flute by the lovely Tori Mitchell. 7:30 p.m. at the Music Space.

Green Street Festival

Every June, there's a lot of fun on Green Street. Enjoy food, music and clothing from 17 countries.

【Final Task】Making plans for a visiting colleague

Your manager has asked you to show a colleague, Peter Krull, around your city this weekend. Peter likes Chinese and Japanese food. He doesn't like art. He loves taking photographs and playing his guitar. Find the best place to take him. Select the correct answer.

The City This Weekend

Saturday

The Beauty of Light

An exhibit of oil paintings by Russian artists at the City Museum. March 16 to June 12.

Sai Sarkar

Indian guitar player Sai Sarkar at the El Ray Theater. 8 p.m.

San Gennaro Cheese Festival

Interested in Italian cheese? Eat all the cheese you want at this street festival.
Fifth Avenue. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.