What Sparks Your Curiosity?
What makes your eyes light up and your curiosity come alive? From performing and digital art to technology, cultures, medicine and nature, interests open the door to new skills, fresh ideas and future possibilities. In this unit, you will explore a wide range of interests and learn how to describe what inspires you and others.
Revise: you already know more about interests than you may think! Before exploring the new vocabulary in this unit, revisit what you learnt in Forms 5 and 6: Free time activities I, Free time activities II, Free time activities III, Sports, Sports and Activities
Learn:
Creative Spotlight
acting — [ˈæk.tɪŋ] — the activity of performing as a character in a play, film or television programme; aktiermāksla, tēlošana
Acting helps Mia express different emotions and become more confident on stage.
design — [dɪˈzaɪn] — the activity of planning how an object, image or place will look and work; dizains, projektēšana
Emma is interested in design because she enjoys turning creative ideas into useful objects.
digital art — [ˌdɪdʒ.ɪ.təl ˈɑːt] — art that is created or changed using computers, tablets or other digital tools; digitālā māksla
Noah creates digital art on a tablet and shares his work in the school exhibition.
karaoke — [ˌkær.iˈəʊ.ki] — an activity in which people sing while recorded music is playing and the words appear on a screen; karaoke
Karaoke gives Olivia a fun opportunity to sing her favourite songs.
stand-up comedy — [ˌstænd.ʌp ˈkɒm.ə.di] — a type of live performance in which one person tells jokes and funny stories to an audience; stāvizrāde, stendaps
Alex enjoys stand-up comedy because it presents everyday situations in a funny way.
Tech and Tomorrow
3-D printing (also: 3D printing) — [ˌθriːˈdiː ˈprɪn.tɪŋ] — the process of making a solid object from a digital design by building it in thin layers; 3D drukāšana, trīsdimensiju drukāšana
Liam became interested in 3D printing after he designed and made a small phone stand.
e-sports — [ˈiːˌspɔːts] — competitive video gaming in which players or teams take part in organised matches and competitions; e-sports, elektroniskais sports
Tom follows e-sports and watches his favourite teams compete in international tournaments.
inventions — [ɪnˈven.ʃənz] — new objects, machines or methods that somebody has created for the first time; izgudrojumi
Max enjoys learning about inventions that have changed the way people live and work.
People, Culture and the Wider World
antiques — [ænˈtiːks] — old objects, such as furniture, jewellery or works of art, that are valuable or interesting; senlietas, antikvāri priekšmeti
Leo is interested in antiques because old objects can tell us about life in the past.
foreign languages — [ˌfɒr.ən ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪ.dʒɪz] — languages spoken in countries other than your own; svešvalodas
Anna enjoys learning foreign languages because they help her communicate while travelling.
politics — [ˈpɒl.ə.tɪks] — ideas and activities connected with government and decisions that affect society; politika
Laura follows politics because she wants to understand how public decisions are made.
pop culture — [ˌpɒp ˈkʌl.tʃə(r)] — music, films, television, fashion and ideas that are popular with many people at a particular time; popkultūra, masu kultūra
Our class discussed how social media influences modern pop culture.
public speaking — [ˌpʌb.lɪk ˈspiː.kɪŋ] — the activity of speaking clearly and confidently to a group or audience; publiskā uzstāšanās
Public speaking became easier for Ryan after he practised in front of his classmates.
religion — [rɪˈlɪdʒ.ən] — a system of beliefs about life and moral behaviour, often connected with a god or gods and particular traditions; reliģija
Sophie studies religion to understand how different beliefs influence people’s lives.
world cultures — [ˌwɜːld ˈkʌl.tʃəz] — the traditions, beliefs, arts and ways of life of people in different parts of the world; pasaules kultūras, dažādu pasaules tautu kultūras
Ben is interested in world cultures because he enjoys learning about different traditions and lifestyles.
Health, Discovery and Personal Growth
fitness — [ˈfɪt.nəs] — the state of being physically healthy and strong, or activities that help you achieve this; fiziskā sagatavotība, fitness
Fitness became an important part of Sofia’s life when she began exercising regularly.
medicine — [ˈmed.ɪ.sən] — the science and practice of treating illnesses and injuries and helping people stay healthy; medicīna
Daniel is interested in medicine because he wants to understand how doctors help patients.
research — [rɪˈsɜːtʃ] [ˈriː.sɜːtʃ]— careful study that is done to discover facts, understand a subject or find new information; pētniecība
Research allows scientists to find reliable answers to important questions.
self-improvement — [ˌself.ɪmˈpruːv.mənt] — the process of developing your knowledge, skills, habits or character; pašpilnveide
For Alex, self-improvement means developing better habits and learning from his mistakes.
Nature, Outdoor Activities and Community
beekeeping — [ˈbiːˌkiː.pɪŋ] — the activity of keeping bees and caring for them, usually to produce honey; biškopība
Beekeeping taught Eva how important bees are for plants and food production.
environment — [ɪnˈvaɪ.rə.mənt] — the natural world, including the air, water, land, plants and animals around us; vide, apkārtējā vide, apkārtne
Marta cares about the environment and regularly takes part in local clean-up events.
farming — [ˈfɑː.mɪŋ] — the activity or work of growing crops and keeping animals for food or other products; lauksaimniecība, zemkopība
Ben is interested in farming and wants to learn how food can be produced responsibly.
geocaching — [ˈdʒiː.əʊˌkæʃ.ɪŋ] — an outdoor activity in which people use GPS coordinates to find hidden containers; slēpņošana
During geocaching, our team followed GPS coordinates to find a hidden container in the forest.
Revise how to express likes and dislikes. You studied this in Form 7: Why I Dislike Certain Role Models? Like and Dislike , How to talk about likes and dislikes
Atsauce:
Picture “Digital artwork”: okanozdemir / Shutterstock.com
Picture “Temple Wat Phra Kaew in Thailand”: Pakpoom Phummee / Shutterstock.com
Picture “Temple Wat Phra Kaew in Thailand”: Pakpoom Phummee / Shutterstock.com