The Father Dennis and His Hobbies

The word hobby is an interesting word. Every person has one thing he or she likes to do for fun. Some people like to collect things like stamps or storybooks. Others like to play football or go window shopping where you can look at many beautiful things without buying them.

　　Dennis has many hobbies he does for fun. He sometimes plays golf with his sons. He plays tennis with all the family. He likes to collect music books. He also collects musical instruments from China like the erhu, the xun, the dizi, the xiao, the suona, and the pipa. These are the instruments of China which cannot be found in America.

　　He also likes coins, such as the Shun Zhi or lucky coin from the Qing dynasty. He has been interested in Chinese stamps when the mailman delivers letters from China. Stamps are so interesting because they include Chinese leaders, buildings, animals, birds, and fish.

　　Dennis' favorite hobby is fishing. He likes to go and see his brother in the state of Alaska where fishing is excellent. The two of them take a boat and go to a small river where they fish for salmon, America's most famous fish.

　　Deep in the forest, they sometimes see animals, like bears, moose, owls, and the national bird, the American bald eagle. Every American child knows about this bird because it is a symbol of our country. It is like the famous crane in China.

　　Dennis will catch many salmon in one week. They each weigh about four to five kilos. He will take them back to his home in the state of Oregon. He will eat them all winter with his family and friends. This is a very enjoyable hobby.

　　Words and Phrases

　　hobby n.嗜好,興趣

　　instrument n.器械,儀器;樂器

　　salmon n.大馬哈魚,三文魚

　　moose n.麋鹿

　　owl n.貓頭鷹

　　bald n.禿的

　　eagle n.鷹

　　crane n.鶴