Speaker A. Every weekend I like to play football from September to June and tennis in the summer months. It is a big commitment, but it keeps me active and healthy and there is a great social scene linked to the friends I play with. We often go out Saturday nights to restaurants, clubs or the cinema. We don’t take it very seriously. Probably we’ll never win any big competitions but we are more interested in keeping fit and having fun.

Speaker B. I am probably going to be away this weekend. I like to just set off on a Friday night and see where I end up. I’ll drive for a few hours, stay in a guest house, and then set off again early next morning. I like not having an itinerary. I might go to Scotland or to Wales. I’ll just see where the car takes me. Two weekends ago I drove down to Cornwall and spent all of Sunday walking the coastal path in huge winds and rain. But I absolutely loved it.

Speaker C. For me, the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning is having a leisurely cooked breakfast in the golf course caffe I don’t play golf — I just love the cafe which has brilliant views over the sea has brilliant views over the sea. For about five pounds you get toast, sausage, bacon, eggs and beans plus unlimited refills of tea or coffee. They even have newspapers there which you can take to your table and slowly read while munching your toast.

Speaker D. I have to work every other weekend but once a month I get a four day “weekend” to make up for it. I try to get all my house work, shopping and other jobs out of the way so I can treat these as mini holidays. Whenever I can, I go on walking holidays; either camping or staying at youth hostels. This year I’ve been to the Lake District, Snowdonia and even managed to complete the South Downs Way, 110 miles, in my four day breaks

Speaker E. The weather’s been bad for the last three weekends, but the forecast is OK for next week and I should be able to get out. I thought I might play a bit of golf or if it’s really nice I’ll go fishing. A month ago we had beautiful weather and I was lucky enough to get invited sailing. Actually I don’t mind what I do as long as I can get outdoors. I’ll give Tom a call tonight. We have the same golf “handicap” so if he’s free it should be a good contest.

Speaker F. Sunday mornings I love to go to the boot sale at Brighton Marina. All sorts of things are for sale — antiques, bric-a-brac, books, records, furniture: You name it — and somebody will be selling it. But the reason I go is to see my friends. Some of them are stall holders and others of us just go there to see what’s on sale and chat. Last month however I managed to buy a rare antique silver broach for £10. I’ve since shown it to a jeweler who offered me £200 for it.

A−7: Probably we’ll never win any big competitions but we are more interested in keeping fit and having fun.

B−1: Two weekends ago I drove down to Cornwall and spent all of Sunday walking the costal path in huge winds and rain.

C−4: For me, the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning is having a leisurely cooked breakfast

D−3: I have to work every other weekend but once a month I get a four day “weekend” to make up for it.

E−5: Actually I don’t mind what I do as long as I can get outdoors.

F−6: Some of them are stall holders and others of us just go there to see what’s on sale and chat...

Speaker A. Can you imagine it – the average American spends ore than $ 100 on Valentine’s Day! And men spend almost twice as much on Valentine’s Day as women do! A survey I read shows that more than one-third of men would prefer not receiving a gift. At the same time just less than 20 percent of women feel the same way. The reason for this is partly that the holiday seems just too expensive. 

Speaker B. As far as I know on Valentine’s Day no one saves money on flowers. No wonder flowers may cost up to 30 percent more that day! Some people even buy and send flowers to themselves on Valentine’s Day. The most popular flower is still the rose followed by lilies and violets. The colours of flowers are very important as they speak about your feelings and emotions, but many people just don’t pay attention to that and buy whatever they find nice and suitable.

Speaker C. I was surprised to learn that Valentine cards have a very long history. Some scientists believe that the tradition was probably started by Charles, Duke of Orleans, because the oldest surviving Valentine dates back to him, to the year of 1415. It was a beautiful poem written by the Duke to his wife. However some historians trace the roots of the holiday back to the Roman times and their pagan celebrations or early medieval times.

Speaker D. Do you know, that one billion Valentine cards are sent each year worldwide, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas? I’ve heard Hallmark, a big card producer, even employs research staff to analyze the sales pattern of previous Valentines. They analyze ustomer interviews and instore observations to find out which cards’ve been a sell-out this or that year and which age group chooses which type of cards and which is the best poem on the card and so on.

Speaker E. BBC reports that India has spoken out against Valentine’s Day calling it “an attack on local culture for commercial purposes”. So I guess they do take it seriously and there’re people not in favor of this holiday. The Catholic Church, for instance, struck St. Valentine’s Day from its official calendar in 1969. There even have been times when Valentine’s Day was close to being forbidden.

Speaker F. The University of Maryland has a team of academic experts educating the media about Valentine’s Day no matter what angle they wish to cover. There I’ve read that many people choose Valentine’s Day for getting married. Can you imagine? The list of celebrities who’ve done this includes Elton John and Meg Ryan. And quite a lot of famous people have been born on that day!