[al:新概念英语（三）] [ar:MP3 同步字幕版（英音）] [ti:Collecting] [by:更多学习内容，请到chazidian.com搜索“新概念”] [00:01.46]Lesson 59 [00:03.81]Collecting [00:11.44]What in particular does a person gain when he or she becomes a serious collector? [00:20.29]People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so. [00:26.32]Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. [00:33.77]Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter. [00:41.36]They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. [00:51.17]As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, [00:56.89]lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment. [01:06.26]Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past, [01:11.00]perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth. [01:18.51]Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. [01:23.52]Among these I would list string and brown paper, [01:27.19]kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two requisites. [01:33.82]Collecting small items can easily become a mania. [01:38.27]I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money. [01:47.02]As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote; [01:53.40]but she is never sufficiently strongminded to be able to stop the practice. [01:59.07]It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction. [02:10.23]Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. [02:16.07]It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one's treasures is always a joy. [02:23.56]One does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home. [02:29.69]Whatever it consists of, stamps, records, first editions of books, china, glass, [02:37.98]antique furniture, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, [02:45.53]there is always something to do in connection with it, [02:49.00]from finding the right place for the latest addition, to verifying facts in reference books. [02:56.07]This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it. [03:04.68]There are also other benefits. [03:07.23]One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, [03:11.24]to compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find. [03:17.39]So one's circle of friends grows. [03:20.36]Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, [03:25.31]possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, for collectors are not confined to any one country. [03:33.65]Over the years, one may well become an authority on one's hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings [03:43.49]and then, if successful, to larger audiences. [03:47.88]In this way self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it. [03:56.50]Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom.