Lexical exercises

Exercise 1. Identify the part of speech, translate it into Russian:

speak –speaker usual – usually

begin – beginner talk – talkative

comfort – comfortable modern – modernize

different – difference imitate – imitation

Exercise 2. а). Make up the pairs of synonyms:

in no time, a lot of, without much difficulty, the girl next door

plenty of, neighbour, at once, easily

b) Make up the pairs of antonyms:

long, to give, early, to, to get up, usually, a lot of, go out

to go to bed, late, short, to take, from, little, seldom, stay in

Exercise 3. Give Russian equivalents for the following:

A student of English, can’t speak English well yet, just a beginner, it’s rather a long way from, in fact, it takes me about an hour, to get to the University, no trouble at all, as they say, to catch a bus, as to my dinner, to be ready to help each other, to go out, to stay in, as a rule

Exercise 4. Open the brackets, using the right Tense-form of the verbs:

1. She (to live) in the hostel next year.

2. It (to take) me a lot of time to do my homework.

3. Only five students of our group (to be) ready for the class yesterday.

4. My sister (to have) much work to do tomorrow.

5. They always (to come) to the University five minutes before the bell (to ring).

6. She never (to go) to the club without her friends.

Exercise 5. Form Participle I of the verbs given below and fill in the blanks:

to work, to look, to sit, to check, to do, to speak, to have

1. Nick is … at the table. 2. They are … at her. 3. The tutor is … the test-papers. 4. Why are they … their English class now? 5. They are not … their work at the moment. 6. Why are you … Russian? 7. The students aren’t … in the reading-room now.

Exercise 6. Answer the following questions, using the verbs given in brackets. Work in pairs.

1. What are you going to do on Monday? – On Monday ……….(to work in the reading-room).

2. What are you going to do on Tuesday? – On Tuesday ………. (to check my brother’s homework).

3. What are you going to do on Wednesday? – On Wednesday …… (to write a composition).

4. What are you going to do on Thursday? – On Thursday ……… (to go shopping).

5. What are you going to do on Friday? – On Friday …………. (to clean my flat).

6. What are you going to do on Saturday? – On Saturday ………. (to invite my friends).

7. What are you going to do on Sunday? – On Sunday ………… (to have a rest).

Exercise 7. Read the sentences pronouncing the time in the full.

1. I get up at 6.15. 2. I go to the university at 8.45. 3. At 12.30 we have a dinner break. 4. At 14.20 the classes are over. 5. At 10 sharp he goes to the library. 6. My mother usually comes home at 17.05. 7. What are you going to do at 9.50?

Text 1.

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text.

My working day

I am a student of English. I have been a student only for two months and a half. I can’t speak English well yet. I’m just a beginner, you know. I live in a hostel. It’s rather a long way from the University. In fact, it is in the country and it takes me about an hour and a half to get to the University. But it gives me no trouble at all, as I like to get up early. I don’t need an alarm-clock to wake me up. I am an early-riser, as they say.

Though our hostel is out of town it is very comfortable and has all modern conveniences.

As a rule I get up at 6.30, do morning exercises and have a shower. I don’t have a bath in the morning, I have a bath before I go to bed.

For breakfast I have a boiled egg and a cup of coffee. At about 7.30 I am quite ready to go. It is about a five minutes’ walk from the hostel to the bus stop. I usually take the 7.40 bus. I walk to the stop as I have plenty of time to catch my bus.

I come to the University five minutes before the bell rings. So I can have a chat with my friends. Only four students of our group are Muscovites, the others either come from different parts of our country or from other countries. We usually have a lot of things to talk about.

There is a very good laboratory at our University. It has modern equipment. We spend a lot of time in the laboratory listening to the tapes, imitating the sounds and intonation. It helps us to learn the language without much difficulty.

We don’t go out to lunch. There is a good canteen at our University. It is on the ground floor. We can go downstairs and have lunch in no time at all. As to my dinner I have it in a café on my way back to the hostel.

I come to the hostel from the University at about a quarter to five every evening. I live in a single room and have nobody to speak English to. I go to the girl next door and we do our lessons together. We are always ready to help each other.

In the evening we sometimes go out. We go to the pictures if there is something new on or to the club if there is a dancing party there.

But we often stay in, watch the TV program in the common room or listen to the radio. Then I read a book for half an hour or so and go to sleep. That doesn’t take me long, as a rule.

Exercise 2. Answer the questions

1. Is the hostel not far from the University?

2. Is it comfortable?

3. Where is the canteen?

4. Are the students always ready to help each other?

5. Where do the students sometimes go in the evening?

6. What do they do when they stay in?

Exercise 3. Speak on the following topics on the basis of the text

1. The early morning;

2. In the University;

3. To go out or to stay in.

Text 2

Exercise 1. Read and translate text 2.