Leisure and Leadership

Observations and research findings indicate that people in advanced industrial societies are increasingly concerned with opportunities for leisure and what they can do in their leisure time. The importance people attach to paid holidays and the rapid development of services for mass entertainment and recreation are signs of this increasing concern.

The term "quality of life" is difficult to define. It covers a very wide scope such as living environment, health, employment, food, family life, friends, education, material possessions, leisure and recreation, and so on. Generally speaking, the quality of life, especially as seen by the individual, is meaningful in terms of the degree to which these various areas of life are available or provide satisfaction to the individual.

As activity carried out as one thinks fit during one's spare time, leisure has the following functions: relaxation, recreation and entertainment, and personal development. The importance of these varies according to the nature of one's job and one's life-style. Thus, people who need to exert much energy in their work will find relaxation most desirable in leisure. Those with a better education and in professional occupations may tend more to seek recreation and personal development (e.g., cultivation of skills and hobbies) in leisure.

The specific use of leisure varies from individual to individual. Even the same leisure activity may be used differently be different individuals. Thus, the following are possible uses of television watching, a popular leisure activity: a change of experience to provide "escape" from the stress and strain of work; to learn more about what is happening in one's environment; to provide an opportunity for understanding oneself by comparing other people's life experiences as portrayed in the programmes.

In an urban society in which highly structured, fast-paced and stressful work looms large in life, experiences of a different nature, be it television watching or bird-watching, can lead to a self-renewal and a more "balanced" way of life.

Our likes and dislikes, tastes and preferences that underlie our choices of such activities as reading books, going to the cinema, camping, or certain cultural pursuits, are all related to social contexts and learning experiences. We acquire interests in a variety of things and subjects from our families, schools, jobs ,and the mass media. Basically, such attitudes amount to a recognition that leisure is an important area of life and a belief that leisure can and should be put to good use.

Professional workers in recreation services, too, will find that to impart positive leisure attitudes to the general public is essential for motivating them to use their leisure in creative and satisfying ways. Hence, it can be argued that the people with whom we come into contact in these various contexts are all likely to have exerted some influence in shaping our attitudes, interests and even skills relevant to how we handle leisure. Influence of this kind is a form of leadership.

Parents, teachers in schools, work associates and communicators in or using the mass media are all capable of arousing our potential interests. For example, the degree to which and the ways in which a school encourages participation in games, sports and cultural pursuits are likely to contribute to the shaping of leisure attitudes on the part of the students.

Schools usually set as their educational objective the attainment of a balanced development of the person. The more seriously this is sought, the more likely positive attitudes towards leisure as well as academic word will be encouraged.

译文：

休闲与引导

观察和研究结果显示发达工业社会的人越来越关注的机会以及空闲时能做些什么。对带薪休假的重视和大众娱乐服务的快速进步是这种关注的标志。

"生活质量"这个词不好下定义。它包含很广的范围，例如生活环境、健康、就业、食品、家庭生活、教育、物质财富、休闲和娱乐，等等。一般地说，尤其在个人来看，生活质量由个人在多大程度上能够得到生活的这些方面并感到满意来衡量。

作为个人认为适合在业余时间进行的活动，休闲具有以下功能：放松、消遣和娱乐，以及个人发展。这些功能的重要性因各人的工作性质和生活方式而不同。因此，需要在工作中消耗大量精力的人会发现最想要在休闲中放松。受过较好教育的人和职业较为专业的人可能倾向于在休闲中寻找消遣和个人发展。

休闲的具体用途因人而异。甚至同样的休闲活动各人做起来也可能功能不同。下面是看电视的可能的用途，这是一种很常见的休闲活动：换种体验，从工作压力里"逃开"；了解更多身边的事情；通过比较节目中他人的生活经验提供一个了解自身的机会。

城市生活中，结构严密，步伐迅速，工作压力在生活中投下阴影，不同性质的经验，不管是看电视还是看鸟，都能达到自我更新更平衡的生活方式。

既然休闲基本上是个人决定的事，就可以做任何给自己带来愉悦和满足的活动，发展个人兴趣爱好。

我们的好恶、品位、喜好决定了我们是选择看书、看电影、露营、或某种文化追求，而前者又同社会环境和学习经验有关。我们从来自家庭、、学校工作和大众传媒的事物中获得各种兴趣。基本上这种态度就等于承认休闲是生活的重要部分，相信休闲能够并且应该得到充分利用。

休闲服务的职业工作者也会发现赋予公众对休闲的下面态度对于促使他们以创造性的、令人满意的方式休闲很重要。因而，可以认为我们在各种环境中与之打交道的人往往对我们形成与休闲有关的态度、举甚至技巧都产生了影响。这种影响是一种引导。

父母、老师、工作同伴和大众媒体的传播者都能激发我们潜在的兴趣。例如，学校对于做游戏、参加体育活动和文化追求的鼓励的程度和方式很可能对学生休闲态度的形成产生影响。

学校常常把人的平衡发展作为它们的教育目标。越是认真地追求这一目标，这越可能鼓励正面的休闲态度，就像鼓励学业一样。

课文讲解：

一、单词解释:

1． Concern

1) 担心、关心、忧虑：

The concern over the environment is growing.

2) 为。。。担心：

We’re rather concerned about the situation there.

3) 就。。而言：

As far as I am concerned , I have to objection.

2. cover

1) 覆盖：

He covered the table with cloth.

2) 涵盖、包括、涉及：

The book covers a wide range in the field.

3) 行走：

We’ve covered 90 miles by the end of the day.

3.exert 应用：

He’s exerted all his skills in the work

4. vary

1) 随。。。变化：

Weather varies with the turning of the seasons

2) 因。。。而不同：

Attitudes vary from individual to individual.

5.acquire（靠自己努力）获得：

I spent years trying to acquire a good knowledge of German.

6． Attain 达到、完成：

The attainment of his ambition is still far away.

7.take to 产生好感、逐渐习惯：

I took to her the first time I met her.

8.be involved in 卷入、涉及、参与：

I never dreamed of being involved in such a case.

9 . Amount to 达到、相当于：

His income has amounted to 10,000 dollars each year.

10.contribute to有助于，促成

Your suggestion contributes a lot to our attaining the goal.

课文讲解：

1．Observations and research findings indicate that people in advanced industrial societies are increasingly concerned with opportunities for leisure and what they can do in their leisure time. 观察和研究结果表明，先进工业社会中的人们越来越关心休闲的机会以及闲暇时可以做些什么。

1） 本句是一个复合句，that引导的从句充当indicate 的宾语，在这个宾语从句中又含有一个宾语从句，which引导的从句相当于concerned with的宾语。

2） 句子中finding是一个动名词，表示该动作的结果。

2．Generally speaking, the quality of life, especially as seen by the incividual, is meaningful in terms of the degree to which these various areas of life are available or provide satisfaction to the individual.一般而言，尤其是在个人看来，生活质量的意义是由在多大程度上这些生活领域能够获得并使个人感到满意来衡量的。

1） as seen by the individual是as引导的定语从句，修饰the quality of life,相当于which is.

2） To which是带介词的定语从句，修饰the degree,，即在何种程度上。这种定语从句的介词取决于先行词所在的那个词组中的介词。

3．As activity carried out as one thinks fit during one’s spare time, leisure has the following functions: relaxation, recreation and entertainment, and personal development.作为个人认为合适在休闲时间进行的活动，休闲具有以下功能：放松、消遣、娱乐，以及个人发展。

句子中前一个as意思为“作为”，是连词，后面的as是“如同。。。”的意思，是介词，不是as….as结构。

4.Thus, people who need to exert much energy in their work will find relaxation most desirable in leisure. 所以那些需要在工作中消耗很多精力的人会发现休闲中的放松更为合意。

Find relaxation most desirable是典型的谓语＋宾语＋宾补的结构，其中宾补可以是形容词、名词或者不定式。

5.Those with a better education and in professional occupations may tend more to seek recreation and personal development (e.g. cultivation of skills and hobbies) in leisure. （那些）受过较好教育，从事专业工作的人可能倾向于从休闲中寻找消遣和个人发展（比如培养一些技能和爱好）

Those with …和those who 较为常见，意思为“那些。。。。的人” 如： those with radical opinions,那些持激进观点的人， those who want to go 那些想去的人。

6. Basically ,such attitudes amount to a recognition that leisure is an important area of life and a belief that leisure can and should be put to good use. 基本上，这种态度相当于承认休闲是生活的重要部分，并相信休闲能够且应该被好好利用。

本句中a recognition 和a belief 是amount to 的两个并列的宾语，而that 引导的名词从句则用以解释a recognition 和a belief.

7.Schools usually set as their educational objective the attainment of a balanced development of the person. 学校往往将个体的均衡发展作为教育目标。

本句中的as their educational objective本应放在句子末尾，但是因为宾语部分（the attainment of ..）太长，便将该状语部分提前，放在谓语set后面。 本句应该是Schools usually set the attainment of a balanced development of the person as their educational objective.