Complete the text with the words from the box. Then press "Check" to mark your answers.
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The word "hobby" is derived from the "hobby-horse," a stick fitted with a wooden horse's head, painted to look real. The child this between his legs and prances about, pretending to be riding a horse. From this word "hobby-horse ", we get the hobby, an amusement; and we speak of a man's "riding" his hobby. Properly, a hobby is an interesting subject or pursuit, not our business, which we take up for our amusement in our leisure hours. What is a business to one man may be a hobby another? For example, a professional photographer may have gardening as his hobby; and a paid gardener may make a photography hobby.
There are many kinds of hobbies. Many take the form of collecting in some form. For example, collecting postage stamps is a common hobby in England, not with flowers and ferns and pressing and mounting their specimens. Others take an interest in geology and find much amusement in fossils. Such hobbies do not cost much and are within reach of all. But others, such as collecting pictures, old books, curiosities and , are only for the rich.
Other hobbies take the form of games and sports. Many take up open-air games, like golf, tennis, cricket football, or indoor games such as chess, draughts and cards, as their hobbies. While hunting, fishing, or yachting are the favourite recreations of .
Photography makes an interesting and instructive hobby, and for those who have the gift, sketching and painting and wood-carving. The latter hobbies require artistic gifts, but almost anyone can learn carpentry and picture-framing.
Many people find great pleasure and interest in gardening: especially in cultivating special , like roses. And boys especially like keeping pets, such as rabbits and fowls.
Everyone, young and old, should have a hobby of some for his leisure hours, for it adds greatly to the pleasure of life. It is often an education in itself, and it fills vacant hours with interest. It gives us, also, something to fall back on when our business days are over, in the leisure times the end of life.