Reading for detail.
Lots of things make Great Britain great and one such thing is the wonderful pastimes that were not only once enjoyed but are still around today.
Outdoor pursuits in Britain are a very popular pastime The British countryside is beautiful and varied and ranges from rolling hills and pleasant farmland to high mountains and long coastlines. The British make good use of their national parks as enthusiastic ramblers and walkers. Nationwide, fishing is the most popular sporting pastime. The British are great sports fans. Soccer, rugby, cricket and golf are popular both to watch and to take part in.
The British are known as a nation of gardeners. Most people have a garden on their property. Gardening has been a popular pastime since Roman times. The Victorian age, the age of industrial revolution, was also the age of a popular explosion of interest in that most British of occupations, gardening. Gardening has long been a popular pastime in Britain, and not just in the countryside Now it seems, British people are not so keen on green-fingered activities. Watching TV has become an incredibly popular pastime in the UK. The most-watched TV programmes are dramas based in one neighbourhood that try to depict ordinary life in the UK — they are “soap operas” or “soaps”. British television is also popular for the high quality of its serious news, current affairs and nature programmes. Many British people do things as a hobby. There are a lot of DIY (Do It Yourself) shops all over the country selling everything they need. Surfing the internet has overtaken DIY and gardening to become the favourite pastime of people in Britain. For example, the favourite internet activity of the retired people turned out to be emailing and online chatting to friends and family.
2. Read the text again and complete the following sentences. Fill in the gaps with ONE suitable word.