4. Computers Concern You

When Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, invented the

- calculating machine in 1812, he could not even imagine the situation we find ourselves in my. Nearly everything we do in the modern world is helped, or even controlled, by computers, mputers are used more and more extensively in the world today for the simple reason that

" e;. are far more efficient than human beings. They have much better memories and can store -_re amounts of information, and they can do calculations in a fraction of the time taken by . .man mathematician. No man alive can do 500,000 sums in one second, but an advanced muter can. In fact, computers can do many of the things we do, but faster and better. Many people associate computers with the world of science and mathematics, but they are great help to scholars in other subjects: in history, literature, medicine and so on. It's now ■ - - mle for a scholar to find a book or article he needs very quickly, which, when a million or

- -. new books are published each year, is quite an advantage. So computers can help us to .: - ith the knowledge explosion in many ways.

5. Hobbies and Leisure Time Occupations

⁷ mm the old English word hobby meaning horse, came the modern word hobbyhorse. > л dummy horse attached to a performer who pretended to be riding a horse in a play . mmce. Hobbyhorse has been shortened to hobby to describe any favorite leisure time . - m:on. This word has become rather common in modern usage.

Leisure time occupations, or hobbies, can be divided into four groups: doing things, такі: \. things, collecting things and learning things. Of these four groups, doing things is perhaps the most popular. It includes a wide range of activities, from gardening to sailing and from che>: to foreign travel. Some of these hobbies require very little equipment while others require considerably more. There is also a choice between mental and physical activities, indoor anc outdoor pursuits, etc.

Leisure time occupations can be more or less active. A real hobby is usually defines as something creative and individual, sometimes even as something obsessive, unusual or eccentric.

Even if one's hobby does not solely consist of the study of particular subjects, a real hobbyist wants to learn more about his chosen subject and its history, so that he can become e. real expert at it.

Outdoor Activities or Activities outside the Home

Sports activities: athletics, gymnastics, cycling, swimming, sailing, rowing, canoeing, racing, skiing, mountaineering, climbing.

Playing games: football/soccer, handball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, basketball, baseball, water polo, golf, badminton, bowling, judo, fencing, boxing and taking part in competitions.

Other activities: gardening, fishing, traveling (e.g. visiting the countryside, the seaside, museums, art exhibitions, historical places), walking, driving a car, car maintenance, singing in a choir, watching outdoor sports, betting on matches or races.