13- listening 2
1. I used to play sports a lot when I was younger, but I don't play much anymore. Now I enjoy painting. I have my own studio in my garage, and pretty soon I'll have a show at a gallery. Maybe I'll become famous! I really enjoy using bright colors in my paintings—that's what I like best about it.
2. I've always collected things, even when I was young. I used to collect everything— comic books, baseball cards, you name it. But they're all packed away in boxes now. Now my favorite pastime is gardening. I spend all weekend outside with my flowers. I love seeing them change. That's what I like best about it, I guess. They're these little seeds at first, and then one day, they're big, beautiful flowers.
3. When I was a teenager, alI I did was sit around playing video games. But I can't stand them anymore. I work in an office now. so I sit in front of a boring computer screen all day. Now I like being outdoors. I belong to a hiking group, and we go someplace different every weekend. I keep fit and healthy this way. The best thing is that I can make some really great friends.
4. I like collecting things. I collected baseball cards when I was a kid. but I don't anymore. These days. baseball card collectors are only interested in money. I wanted to collect things that are really beautiful, so that's why I started collecting stamps. Some of the stamps I have are really, really beautiful. I think they're like paintings. What I like best is looking at my collection. It's like walking through a tiny museum full of wonderful paintings.
5. I always loved reading as a kid. so for a long time I wanted to write children's books. I tried to do it for a few years after college, but it was really hard to come up with good stories. I guess I'm not very good with words. Now, I'm happy just painting. I've won a few prizes, too—in art competitions—for my watercolors and oils. The pictures are important to me, though, not the prizes. What I enjoy most is creating pictures. It makes me so happy.
6. Well, I'm retired now, and I have a lot of free time. I worked for the same company for over thirty years, mostly in the same little office. I worked long hours, and when I came home from work, I was too tired to do anything but read the newspaper. Now it's different. I spend almost all my free time outdoors playing golf. I guess what I love best is looking at the beautiful blue sky.
