Unit I. Me and my world. Part 1. About myself.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

to introduce [ˌɪntrə'djuːs] to be born [bɔːn] it takes 15 minutes to walk [wɔːk] to work hard at a subject ['sʌbʤekt]  a well-educated ['eʤukeɪtɪd] woman deep knowledge ['nɔlɪʤ] to be fond of to take care of [kɛə] to be keen on to be interested in to attend [ə'tend] twice[twaɪs] a week to enjoy [ɪn'ʤɔɪ] attention [ə'tenʃn]  to lose [luːz] out a housewife ['hauswaɪf] favourite['feɪvərɪt]

представлять, знакомить родиться требуется 15 минут, чтобы дойти усердно работать над … предмет образованная женщина глубокое знание увлекаться чем-либо заботиться о … увлекаться чем-либо интересоваться чем-либо посещать дважды в неделю наслаждаться, нравиться внимание не иметь успеха домохозяйка любимый

About myself.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Helen. I am sixteen. I was born in Moscow and live in this city. I am a schoolgirl. My school is not far from my house. It takes me 15 minutes to walk there.

I am in the eleventh form and this year I am going to finish school. We’ll have our final exams in June. Now I have to work hard at all the subjects. I like school. I’m having a great time there. My favourite subject is English. My teacher is a well-educated woman with deep knowledge of the subject.

I’m very busy now preparing for classes and I have a little time for my hobbies, which are music and reading. I like music, especially, pop music and I collect CDs of my favourite groups and singers. I’m fond of pets. I have a cat and some fish, which I take care of every day. I am keen on reading. My favourite writer is O. Henry.

I’m also interested in sport. I’m a member of a tennis club, which I attend twice a week.

I enjoy school mainly because of the number of friends I have there and I get on with them. We discuss our school problems and plans for the future. I also hate being alone. I believe that if I center my full attention on either one or the other I will lose out somewhere.

I also take an active part in social life and attend sport clubs. I really enjoy working with people. I want to be a doctor. It’s a difficult job, but I’m not keen on the idea of being a stereotypical housewife. I like the idea of working in a caring profession.

Exercise 1. Translate into Russian: to live in this city; not far from my house; school problems; take an active part in social life; to have a little time for hobbies; to attend classes twice a week; working in a caring profession; to work hard at all the subjects.

Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of these expressions in the text: посещать спортклубы; работа с людьми; трудная работа; закончить школу; образованная женщина; увлекаться чтением; планы на будущее; глубокие знания по предмету; требуется 15 минут, чтобы дойти туда; любимые группы и исполнители.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions:

1. What are three things that you enjoy doing most of all and three that you hate doing?

2. How many close friends have you got?

3. What do you do in your free time?

4. What do you want to do after your leaving the college?

5. Why is it good to be different?

6. Do you have much contact with your neighbours?

Exercise 4. Decide which of the verbs on the left collocate with the nouns on the right.

1. to finish a) a tennis club

2. to have b) plans

3. to take care of c) school

4. to attend d) pets

5. to enjoy e) final exams

6. to discuss f) school

Exercise 5. Make up as many sentences as you can. Who can make up the longest sentence?

don’t	to	you	often	supermarket
goes	doesn’t	cinema	eats	Anna
eat	never	the	usually	and
dog	I	go	pizza	we