Иностранный язык (английский). Учебное пособие-1

Reading

Text № 5. The weekend

Most people in Britain work five days a week from Monday to Friday. Schools, colleges and universities are closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Weekend starts on Friday evening when people leave work and wish each other a nice weekend.

Those who work away from home may go home. Some people go away for the weekend. They stay in a hotel or boarding house in the country or at the sea.

People who stay at home at the weekend try to relax, enjoy themselves. On Friday night people like to go to a bar for the happy hour, or the theatre. Nowadays it is not "in" to go to all-night parties, they get up early on Saturday morning. Saturday morning is the time for cleaning the house, washing the car, doing the laundry. Women usually do housework, sewing and gardening.

Saturday morning is a busy time for shopping. On weekdays shops close between 5.30 and 6 p.m. (They're closed on Sundays.) The shops in the centre of big cities usually close at one in the afternoon.

At about one o'clock people go out for lunch. After lunch they go for a walk or do some sports. On Saturday afternoon sporting events take place: football, horse racing, rugby, cricket and other sports. People either go and watch or sit and watch the sports programmes on television.

Saturday evening is the favourite time for going out: parties, dances or theatre, maybe pictures. Some people like to go to watch a band. Church bells are a typical feature of an English Sunday morning. On Sunday morning most people stay in bed till 9 o'clock. Then they have a cup of tea or coffee. They look through the newspapers. Reading Sunday papers is one of numerous traditions in Britain. There are quite a number of papers which are published weekly on Sundays.

After breakfast most people go for a walk or to the local pub. Usually men go to the pubs alone and their wives and children prepare for brunch.

At one or 1.30 people have brunch. It is a good time for all the family, when grandparents, parents and children go out to some restaurant and spend an hour or two over brunch. Brunch is a huge meal. They have all sorts of salads, vegetables, chicken, cold meat, pies, fruit, coffee, pudding.

21

Sunday evenings are rather quiet. Most people prefer to stay at home and watch television or just get ready for Monday. So they usually have an early night.

Exercise 1. Read the text ‘The weekend’ and translate it. Exercise 2. Answer the questions to the text.

1.How long is a week in Britain?

2.When does the weekend start in Britain?

3.When do the shops close on Saturday in Britain?

4.What do people usually do on Saturday afternoon?

5.What is the favourite time for going out?

6.What does brunch mean?

7.What do people usually have for brunch?

Vocabulary practice

Exercise 4. Decide if the following is true (T) or false (F).

1.People work 6 days a week.

2.Weekend starts on Saturday.

3.Women do housework on Sunday.

4.On weekdays shops close at 2 o'clock.

5.Saturday morning is a busy time for shopping.

6.On Sunday afternoon sporting events take place.

22

7.Saturday evening is the favourite time for going out.

8.On Sunday morning people stay in bed till 9 o'clock.

9.People have brunch at 5 p.m.

10.Brunch is a snack between meals.

11.People have tea or coffee for brunch.

12.On Sunday evenings people watch television.

Exercise 5. Arrange the sentences in the proper order. Consult the text.

1.On Sunday people get up at 9 o'clock.

2.At 1 p.m. people go out for lunch.

3.Most men go to the pubs alone.

4.Weekend starts on Friday night.

5.On Friday people like to go to a bar.

6.After lunch they do some sports.

7.On Saturday afternoon people either go and watch or sit and watch the sports programmes.

8.On Saturday people usually do housework.

9.On weekdays shops close at 5.30 or 6 p.m.

10.After breakfast most people go to the local pub.

11.Sunday evenings are usually quiet.

12.On Sunday people have brunch in a restaurant.

13.They have an early night.

14.All the family spend an hour or two over brunch.

15.People get ready for Monday.

16.Over a cup of tea or coffee people read Sunday papers.

Speaking

Exercise 6. Tell how people in Britain spend their weekends.

Exercise 7. Speak about your day-off. The questions below will help you.

1.When do you have your day-off, on Saturday or on Sunday?

2.Do you have a good rest?

3.When do you get up?

4.Do you go to the country for the weekend?

5.Do you always have a good time in the country?

6.What do you do in the country?

7.What do you do if you stay at home?

8.Do you feel rested after the day-off?

23

Reading

Text № 6. My family

My family is very typical for my country. There are both parents in my family; there are two children and one grandparent living with us.

My parents' names are Igor and Ludmila. My father is 45 and my mother is 44. They have been married since they were students, for more than 20 years now! And they are still in love. My dad often buys flowers for my mom. It is very romantic, isn't it?

My parents are chemists by education but they do not work in this field anymore. My father works as a head of sales department at a construction company. In simple words, he is responsible for sales of newly-built apartments. His friend offered him this position. Also, my father will have a discount on a new flat. This is very important for us because we are getting a larger flat. I can't wait to move in there!

My mother is a school teacher. She likes her job a lot. She teaches chemistry and is also a home teacher for the 9th form. It is a lot of responsibility but my mother likes it. She is often busy with her school activities but she always has time for me and my younger brother. His name is Boris. He is in the 8th grade. And, of course, he is in our mother's class. Can you imagine how it feels to have your mother supervise you both at home and at school? But they say that there are no problems. Mother does not differentiate him from other students. She is very professional.

My brother likes rock music. He has a special haircut like some rock stars and learns to play the guitar. He plays electric guitar, so he can make the volume of his "music" very low. I also think that he smokes and I don’t like it at all. My father smokes cigarettes, but very seldom. I think that Boris takes him as a role model. I try to talk to him about it but he does not want to talk. I want to catch him smoking at home and then have a serious talk. I want him to quit immediately.

Our grandmother also lives with us. She moved to live with us when my grandfather died. She is a great person. We all love her. I just love the way she cooks! She cooks great – very, very tasty! She buys spices, meat and vegetables at the market and keeps her recipes secret. She says that she will teach me how to cook when I want it. I don't have much time for cooking now. I take care of the flat. I wash dishes and clean the flat. My friends love to come and try what my grandmother Natalia cooks. She loves to treat people. She always cooks extra for guests.

24

Words and word combinations to be remembered:

Exercise 1. Read the text and translate it.

Exercise 2. Answer the questions:

1.What is a typical Russian family?

2.What are the author's parents by education?

3.Where does the father of the family work now?

4.What are his responsibilities?

5.What does mother do? Does she like her job?

6.What music does the author's brother like?

7.Does he play the guitar? What kind of guitar?

8.What is said about the grandmother?

Vocabulary practice

Exercise 3. Translate into English.

1.Я редко читаю книги. Я чаще смотрю телевизор.

2.Я почти никогда не слушаю радио. Я слушаю музыку из моей коллекции.

3.Мои друзья часто ходят в кино. Я тоже хожу с ними.

4.Я часто болею. Я никогда не болела гриппом (to have a flu).

5.Моя мама редко готовит. Я готовлю чаще, чем она.

6.Мой брат курит редко. Он хочет бросить курить.

25

Exercise 4. Translate the questions into Russian. Answer them in English.

1.Do you think that this family is typical for Russia?

2.Do you think it is typical that people can change their field from chemistry to sales in modern Russia?

3.Is it typical to live with grandparents?

4.Is it convenient to live with grandparents?

5.Is it typical for a schoolboy to try smoking cigarettes?

6.Is it typical for a schoolboy to learn to play the guitar?

7.What else is typical for a family in Russia?

Exercise 5. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1.There are both parents in my family and my grandfather living with us.

2.My parents are physicists by education but work in business now. They changed the field in 1991.

3.My mother's friend offered her a position of a psychologist in a big firm. It is a lot of responsibility but the firm pays well.

4.I can't wait to go on break. I should quit smoking immediately. It is a bad habit.

5.I can only imagine how it feels to work 12 hours a day. Many people in the West work 6 days a week.

6.Can you imagine how it feels when you quit smoking?

7.Please, make your music low. I have a headache.

8.My mother called me today. She wanted to have a serious talk with me about something.

Exercise 6. Translate into English.

1.Моих родителей зовут Андрей и Наталья. Они психологи. Они женаты 23 года. У них двое детей - я и мой брат Николай. У нас очень дружная семья.

2.Моему брату 16 лет. Он очень хорошо учится и играет на пианино. Он хочет стать врачом, как моя мама. Его любимые предметы в школе – физика и химия. Он пробовал курить, но бросил.

3.Моя бабушка готовит по-армянски – очень, очень вкусно! Она покупает мясо и специи на рынке и не раскрывает рецепты. Она всегда готовит для гостей.

4.Моя семья типична для моей страны. У меня две сестры и два брата. Моему отцу 56 лет. Он фермер. Моя мама никогда не работала.

26

Она занимается семьей и домом. Она готовит для всех нас. Я тоже помогаю ей готовить.

5.Мои родители развелись, когда мне было 10 лет. Моя мама – юрист. Она работает консультантом в большой западной фирме. У нее нет времени готовить. Она всегда занята. Она работает даже дома.

Яготовлю для нас обеих и занимаюсь домом.

6.Мы живем в собственном доме. У каждого есть своя собственная комната. У нас всегда много гостей. Моя бабушка всегда готовит дополнительно для гостей. Я всегда мою посуду. Мне это не очень нравится.

Additional exercises

Exercise 7. a) Read the dialogues in pairs.

I

A.Is your family large?

B.No, it isn’t. We are only 3 in the family. (There are 3 of us in the family ).

A.How old are your parents?

B.My mother is 40. My father is 43.

A.Do they still work?

B.Yes, they do.

II

A.Are you married?

B.Yes, I am.

A.Would you tell me about your family? How many children do you

have?

B.I have two children, a son and a daughter.

A. How lucky you are!

III

A.Are you married?

B.No, I’m not. I’m single.

A.Do you live with your parents?

B.No, I don’t. They live in Rostov.

IV

A. Hi! My name is Tom Smith. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. What’s your name?

27

B. I’m Pedro.

A.And where are you from, Pedro?

B.I’m from Madrid, Spain.

A.Oh, really? Nice to meet you.

B.Nice to meet you too.

b) Reproduce the short dialogues in similar situations.

Exercise 8. Study the Family tree. Say whether the following statements are true ( T ) or false ( F ).

1.Jane is Dorothy’s mother.

2.Pete is Ann’s father.

3.Tom is Mary’s husband.

4.Teresa is Tom’s wife.

5.Louis is Charlie’s brother.

6.Beatrice is Louis’s cousin.

7.Dorothy is Beatrice’s aunt.

8.Tom is Louis’s uncle.

9.Charlie is Mary’s nephew.

10.Beatrice is Teresa’s niece.

11.Ann is Teresa’s sister-in-law.

12.Tom is Dorothy’s brother.

13.Dorothy is Pete’s daughter.

14.Ann is Mary’s sister.

15.Pete is Charlie’s grandfather.

16.Beatrice is an only child.

17.Dorothy has two children.

18.Jane is Beatrice’s grandmother.

19.Louis is Jane’s grandson.

20.Dorothy is single.

28

Speaking

Exercise 9. Work in pairs.

One student makes a sketch of his (her) family tree trying to remember all his (her) relatives, the other asks questions and draws the family tree. Then they compare the sketches, speaking to each other.

Exercise 10. Speak about your own family. The following questions will help you.

1.How large is your family?

2.Are your family early risers? Why? What about you?

3.Are you the eldest of the family?

4.Do you have any special duties?

5.Who do you most take after, your mother or your father?

6.Who are you like in character?

7.Who do you look like?

8.Who is the head of your family?

9.Do you think that older and younger generations should live together?

Exercise 11. Imagine that you are a small child lost in an unknown town. What will you tell a policeman about your father and mother to help him find them.

Exercise 12. Imagine that you are

a)a film star;

b)a 15-year-old girl ( boy ) who wants independence;

c)a 18-year-old girl ( boy ).

What will you say about your family to

a)a reporter;

b)your new friend;

c)a stranger.

Reading

Text № 7. Family problems

Family problems are unique, but problems that make people look for psychological help are common. Some family problems are temporary and easily managed, while others are more chronic and difficult. Some of them

29

can cause illness and injury, changing jobs, changing schools, moving and financial difficulties.

Most common are parent-child problems. Sometimes there are constant battles between children, and the parents resolve the conflicts. Divorce, is a typical source of problems for all members of the family. Sometimes the couple relationship is the problem, with poor communication and constant conflicts. Problems can develop in a couple relationships because of a medical or psychological problem in one person, or in one of their children.

Each family develops its own ways of resolving the problems, some of which work better than others. Poor communication occurs when family members avoid talking to each other and do not know how to listen to what others are trying to say. Inability to resolve conflicts occurs because family members avoid discussing problems or even avoid admitting that problems exist. Some families just have not learned the skills of negotiating. Children are likely to pattern their behaviour after their parents' behavior and may learn to refuse to talk about feelings and problems.

There is no perfect family. Each family has its own strengths and weaknesses. If your family has serious problems in relationships, it is probably time for outside help. Psychological help from a professional may be necessary in these circumstances, depending on the nature of the problems and the willingness of family members to participate in therapy.

Words and word combinations to be remembered:

30