Topic 53 休闲时光

1. What do people like to do when they are free in your country?
I believe people like doing relaxing activities. A good example is going for a walk around the neighbourhood. Others like watching a movie at the theater. Nowadays, we can get really busy with work and study. We barely have any time to relax. Whenever we have free time, it’s nice to do something low-stress492. It’s good for our mental and physical health.

2. Do people have more or less days off than before?
I suppose that people have more days off than before. First of all, there are more public holidays in the present. In the past, people didn’t get all that time off. My father said that mid-autumn day wasn’t a holiday when he was young. Plus, we’re more productive than we used to be. So that gives us more holidays and free time to relax. We don’t have to work all the time like previous generations493 did.

3. Will future technology bring people more free time?
Yes, I think future technology can bring people more free time. We spend a lot of time doing jobs that robots could do. For example, cleaning the house can take a long time. But if everyone had cleaning robots, they wouldn’t have to do the work. That way they could have more time to relax. But actually that might make people lazy.

4. Do men and women do different things on their free days?
From my own experience, men and women like to do different things on their free days. Men like watching sports or T V. Lots of young guys work out at the gym or play video games. But women like more social activities. They like going shopping at the mall or having lunch together. But actually both men and women like doing relaxing things. A good example is going to see a movie.

5. What do children always do when they are free? Do you think parents should make plans for their children?
From what I remember, kids just like playing with each other when they have free time. They like playing at a playground or just talking with each other. Spending time with each other is fun for them. Parents can suggest things for their kids to do. But I don’t think they have to be in control494. After all, only the children know what they want to do or play the most during free time.

6. What do young people usually do during free time?
In my personal experience, young people like doing fun things together in their free time. They like going to the movies and hanging out at the mall. They’re pretty social. They like spending time together and talking to each other. Sometimes they also play on their phones and check social media. Older generations might call them lazy. But I think they just like building friendships495.

7. Do you think it is good for workers to work overtime?
I think it’s good, but only in some cases496. Working overtime means you get paid more. So it helps with your finances. It can also give you a sense of achievement. After all, you’re doing more work than you have to. But if you work too hard, you’ll experience a lot of stress. That’s really bad for your mental and physical health.

8. Can limited free time affect family life?
Yes, I believe it can. The biggest problem is with parents. A lot of parents get too busy with work. So they don’t have enough time to spend with their kids. Their kids might feel lonely or neglected because of it. This can negatively impact them in the long term497. Also, if the kids spend less time with the parents, the bond between them might suffer498.

492 do something low-stress: 做一些压力小的事情
493 previous generations：过去几代人
494 have to be in control：必须要控制（孩子的日常活动）
495 building friendships：交朋友，建立、发展友谊
496 only in some cases：只是在某些情况下
497 in the long term：从长远来看
498 the bond between them might suffer：父母与孩子之间的关系可能会受影响