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<v Speaker 1>Ah, Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Andrew Davis.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm Alice Irasari. Spotlight uses a special English method

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<v Speaker 2>of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no

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<v Speaker 2>matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>Todd Hinson works with computers in the information technology field.

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<v Speaker 1>He has done this for almost forty years. It is

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<v Speaker 1>a stressful job. He manages many big projects. He often

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<v Speaker 1>works late at night and on week ends. He must

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<v Speaker 1>finish projects when they are due. When he finishes work,

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<v Speaker 1>he needs to rest. His favorite way to have fun

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<v Speaker 1>is to play tennis. He is a good tennis player.

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<v Speaker 1>He enjoys competing against other players. He also joins tennis

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<v Speaker 1>groups to work on certain skills. He practices to improve

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<v Speaker 1>his weaknesses. Hinson escapes the pressures of his job through tennis.

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<v Speaker 1>Tennis makes him happy. Tennis is his hobby.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's Spotlight is about hobbies. Hobbies are fun activities that

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<v Speaker 2>people pursue outside of their main work. Hobbies are meant

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<v Speaker 2>for enjoyment and inspiration. Sometimes people pick a hobby in

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<v Speaker 2>an area that already interests them. They might enjoy finding things,

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<v Speaker 2>so they start collecting unique postage stamps. Stamps are small

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<v Speaker 2>labels that prove postage was paid to cover the cost

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<v Speaker 2>of sending the letter or package. One woman may like

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<v Speaker 2>working with her hands. She starts carving wooden statues or

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<v Speaker 2>making clothing with woolen yarn.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes people try something completely new. A friend might encourage

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<v Speaker 1>him to join a cooking class, or he might want

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<v Speaker 1>to learn how to brew beer. Others learn how to

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<v Speaker 1>play a new sport like golf. Some go to writing classes.

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<v Speaker 1>Some take lessons to learn how to play music.

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<v Speaker 2>Hobbyists often make friends with others in clubs or classes.

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<v Speaker 2>These friends share the same passion. Often these new friendships

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<v Speaker 2>last a long time because of the bond their hobby created.

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<v Speaker 2>A man named Mark joined a photography club. He had

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<v Speaker 2>taken pictures with his camera for years, but he always

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<v Speaker 2>worked alone. He wanted to learn more. He was very

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<v Speaker 2>nervous on the first day of the photography club. He

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<v Speaker 2>was scared to walk into the room. He did not

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<v Speaker 2>think he would be as good as the other photographers

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<v Speaker 2>in the club. But by the end of the night

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<v Speaker 2>he made a few new friends. He even planned to

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<v Speaker 2>take pictures that weekend with one of his new friends.

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<v Speaker 2>The hobby blog I'm Coming says.

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<v Speaker 3>Hobbies are better when shared. Research shows that seventy five

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<v Speaker 3>percent of hobbyists make at least one new friend through

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<v Speaker 3>their activities. Why because shared passions give a natural foundation

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<v Speaker 3>for building connections. When you are doing something you love,

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<v Speaker 3>speech comes easy, relationships grow naturally.

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<v Speaker 1>Hobbies can improve physical health. A man named James struggled

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<v Speaker 1>with back pain for years. He tried different medical treatments

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<v Speaker 1>without improvement. He felt helpless. He gave up hope, but

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<v Speaker 1>then he tried a new hobby called yoga. Yoga combines stretching,

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<v Speaker 1>breathing techniques, and different body positions to improve a person's

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<v Speaker 1>overall well being. James started slowly with yoga. He did

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<v Speaker 1>not believe it would help, but he kept doing it.

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<v Speaker 1>He learned different breathing techniques that allowed him to manage

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<v Speaker 1>his pain. Instead of resisting his discomfort, he learned to

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<v Speaker 1>focus his mind on managing it. He became mentally strong.

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<v Speaker 1>He began seeing his physical pain as just another part

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<v Speaker 1>of life that he could deal with. His back pain

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<v Speaker 1>was no longer an overwhelming obstacle. James grew stronger at

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<v Speaker 1>every yoga session. Yoga reduced his stress. It made him

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<v Speaker 1>feel like he was in control of his body. For

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<v Speaker 1>the first time in years. His mobility and enthusiasm increased.

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<v Speaker 1>He returned to favorite activities he had given up because

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<v Speaker 1>of his pain.

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<v Speaker 2>Hobbies also improve mental health. Hobbies such as learning a

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<v Speaker 2>new language, playing chess games, or finishing word puzzles involve

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<v Speaker 2>problems solving. Hobbyists must learn new skills to succeed. These

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<v Speaker 2>hobbies sharpen and strengthen brains. This is especially important for

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<v Speaker 2>older people. Sometimes mental abilities decline. If an older person

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<v Speaker 2>exercises their brain, their memory and attention may improve. Doctor

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<v Speaker 2>Lee Jong studied the brains of older adults.

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<v Speaker 4>She said, we encourage older adults to play a musical

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<v Speaker 4>instrument or to learn a new language. We want them

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<v Speaker 4>to exercise regularly. They need to pursue other hobbies that

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<v Speaker 4>can strengthen mental abilities and slow age related decline.

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<v Speaker 1>Grandma Moses lived and worked on a farm for most

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<v Speaker 1>of her life. When she was old, she moved in

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<v Speaker 1>with her daughter. She started to paint pictures. She managed

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<v Speaker 1>to sell a few paintings at a local store for

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<v Speaker 1>a little money. Then an art collector saw them and

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<v Speaker 1>loved Moses' simple, yet unique style. Moses used bold colours

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<v Speaker 1>to show American farm life the paintings reminded the collector

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<v Speaker 1>of simpler times long ago. He bought all of them

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<v Speaker 1>and went to her house and bought ten more paintings.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses' paintings were then shown in museums and galleries. By

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<v Speaker 1>the time she died, each of Moses's paintings cost eight

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<v Speaker 1>to ten thousand dollars.

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<v Speaker 2>Sometimes a person has no choice but to start a

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<v Speaker 2>new hobby. Emily Kim is from South Korea. When she

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<v Speaker 2>moved to America, she could not find any businesses that

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<v Speaker 2>served Korean food. In her She started making Korean food

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<v Speaker 2>and giving it to Korean friends. They loved it. Her

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<v Speaker 2>cooking became very popular. She began publishing Korean food cooking

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<v Speaker 2>videos on YouTube. She now has over five million subscribers

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<v Speaker 2>on YouTube. She also wrote and published a cookbook with

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<v Speaker 2>her Korean recipes.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the best hobbies that anyone can do is

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<v Speaker 1>help others. A person can use his passion and skills

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<v Speaker 1>with a particular hobby as a way of helping someone else.

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<v Speaker 1>Someone who loves gardening can help with community gardening projects

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<v Speaker 1>in local areas. A cook can help in kitchens that

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<v Speaker 1>support homeless people. A teacher can help tutor students who

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<v Speaker 1>need extra help.

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<v Speaker 2>Hobbies provide rest and inspiration. Hobbies give opportunities to help others.

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<v Speaker 2>They create friendships. On the worst days, hobbies offer something

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<v Speaker 2>to look forward to On the best days, they change

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<v Speaker 2>their lives.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you have a hobby? How long have you been

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<v Speaker 1>doing it? Have you heard of any of the hobbies

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned in this program. You can leave a comment on

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<v Speaker 1>our website at www dot Spotlight English dot Com. Can

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<v Speaker 1>also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and x

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<v Speaker 1>You can also get our programs delivered directly to your

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<v Speaker 1>Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.

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<v Speaker 2>The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer

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<v Speaker 2>was Michyo Osaki. The voices you heard were from the

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<v Speaker 2>United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted

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<v Speaker 2>for this program and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or

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<v Speaker 2>artificial intelligence was used in this program. Spotlight programs are written, voiced,

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<v Speaker 2>and produced by real people for real people, no matter

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<v Speaker 2>where in the world they live. This program is called

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<v Speaker 2>Hobbies Make Us Happy.

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<v Speaker 1>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 1>Spotlight program. Goodbye,