研究生英文课文passage A 4篇.doc

Leisure Activities in the UK Leisure activities in earlier centuries were largely conditioned by the rural and agricultural nature of British life.Village communities were isolated and transport was either poor or non-existent.People were consequently restricted to their villages and obliged to create their own entertainments.Some of the activities were home-based while others were enjoyed by the whole village.These might be added to by itinerant players,who traveled the countryside and provide a range of alternative spectator entertainments. Improved transportation and road conditions from the eighteen century onwards enabled the rural population to travel to neighbouring towns where they took advantage of avariety of amusements.Spectator activities increased with the industrialization of the nineteenth century,as theatres,music halls and sports developed and became available to more people.The establishment of railway systems and the formation of bus companies initiated the pattern of cheap one-day trips around the country and to the seaside,which were to grow into the mass charter and package tour of contemporary Britain.The arrival of radio,film and television in the twentieth century resulted in a further huge professional entertainment industry.In all these changes,the mixture of participatory.spectator and home-based leisure activities has continued. Many contemporary,pursuits have their roots in the cultural and social behavior of the past,such as boxing,wresting,cricket,football,and a wide range of athletic sports.Dancing,amateur theatre and musical events were essential parts of rural life,and were often associated with the changing agricultural seasons.The traditions of hunting,shooting and fishing have long been practiced in British country life,in addition to a number of blood sports, such as dog and cock fighting and bear baiting,which are now illegal. There is a wide varity of sports in Britain today,which cater for large numbers of spectators and