Read the text and do the exercises that follow it. Study the following vocabulary before reading the text:

Study the following vocabulary before reading the text:

to stay away (from) – пропускать, не ходить

to be in a hurry – спешить

garbage – мусор

to tidy the room – убирать комнату

plenty of = many (much)

rather – довольно

sunbathe – загорать

leisure – досуг

pastime – времяпрепровождения

indoors – внутри (дома)

to be frozen over – замерзать

to sledge – кататься на санках

to be boring – быть скучным

to pick up – поднимать, собирать

to go to the seaside – ездить к морю

to ride – ездить (верхом)

to cycle – ездить на велосипеде

1. Oleg’s day off

Oleg hasn’t much free time on week-days when he studies. But he is more or less free on Sundays. On that day he stays away from classes. He gets up later than usual as he is not in a hurry anywhere. After breakfast he usually tidies the room, takes the garbage away as on week-days he has no time to do it regularly. Then it’s high time to go shopping. The shop is not far from his hostel and it doesn’t take him long to do shopping. But sometimes he goes to the market that is a long way and he has to take a bus to get there.

As a rule, Oleg has some other things to do. On that day he usually does his hometasks and if it is necessary he visits a library to get ready for classes. Then he may relax.

What Oleg does on his days off really depends on the weather. If the weather is fine he prefers to visit his friends and they go to the park together. There are a lot of different things going on there, from sport competitions to musical entertainment of various kinds. They can listen to a band or just sit on the bank of the river, have a talk and discuss different problems.

If the weather is cold or wet, it is not a big problem for Oleg. There are plenty of things he can do indoors. He can read books, listen to music, and watch TV. Watching TV is a very popular leisure activity. He may also go to different entertainment centers such as sport and disco clubs, art centers including exhibitions, cinema, theatre, concert halls, etc. Oleg is very sociable and he often meets friends at his place. They have a nice time together.

2. Oleg’s winter and summer holidays

Oleg has much more free time during his holidays: winter and summer. The winter holidays last from January 26 till February 7.

In winter the weather is cold and it often snows. Everything is white. The river is frozen over. The average temperature is about 5 degrees below 0. Oleg likes such weather. It’s a very good time for sports. He can go in for skiing and skating. Sometimes he makes snowmen and plays snowballs with his friends or sledges with his younger sister from the hill near their house. Unfortunately it gets dark early and he has to come back home and to occupy himself playing computer games, programming or watching sport news on TV. Sometimes winter evenings are rather boring.

He prefers summer holidays because it’s the warmest season of the year. The sun shines brightly. The sky is often blue and cloudless. It gets light early in the morning and gets dark late at night. As summer holidays last two months, he has much time for his favourite pastime. The weather gives him the opportunity to be more in the open air. Riding a bicycle is the best way of being in a good form and Oleg cycles as much as possible.He also goes to the river to swim and sunbathe or enjoys walks in the forest gathering berries or picking up mushrooms.

It’s also a good season for travelling. Every year his family goes somewhere by car. Usually they go to the seaside or to the country where their grandparents live. As for Oleg, he enjoys living in a city or town. But after a while, say a week or so, he feels like breathing some fresh air and having a look at the countryside. Oleg’s grandparents have a house in the country. Everything is peaceful and inviting there. He especially likes cycling through the forest along the long lanes.

Oleg likes active spending of free time. Leisure for him is a source of inspiration.