Unit 3 text a. My working day

When I was at school my everyday activities were quite routine. They didn’t differ much from those of any other pupil of our country. On weekdays the alarm clock waked me up at 7 o’clock in the morning. I’m not an early riser, that’s why it was very difficult for me to get out of bed, especially in winter. I switched on my tape-recorder and did my morning exercises. Then I went to the bathroom, took a warm shower, brushed my teeth and combed my hair. After that I went to my bedroom to get dressed.

Usually my mother made breakfast for me. But when she was away on business or just didn’t have to get up early, I made breakfast myself. For breakfast I usually have toasted bread, fried eggs, cornflakes, tea or coffee and some jam.

Luckily my school was just a few minutes’ walk from our block of flats. I left at a quarter past eight and walked to school. I met some of my classmates on my way there. Most boys and girls in our class lived in the neighborhood.

My classes began at half past eight. I usually had six or seven lessons. During the breaks we could have a snack in the dining room. There were some tables for table tennis in the gym and we had time for a game or two.

The classes were usually over at two o’clock, but I often stayed for some time at school to speak with my friends or with teachers. Then I had my lunch and took a rest. Sometimes I went for a walk with my friends. If the weather was bad I stayed at home and read a book.

At half past four I usually began to do my homework. It took me about three hours to do it. But last year I had to work harder than before. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I attended preparatory courses at the University. I left home at half past four and came back at half past eight.

My parents usually returned home at seven o’clock. When I was at home we had dinner at half past seven. After dinner we usually went to the sitting room. There we read books, watched TV, chatted with friends on the phone. At ten o’clock I took a shower, brushed my teeth and went to bed. I fell asleep fast and had beautiful dreams.

***

I am a first-year student of the Psychological Faculty of the Altai State University. My parents live in Belokuriha, so I live in a dormitory sharing a room with my great friend Oleg, my roommate and groupmate.

Our classes begin at 8:00 every morning. So, on weekdays we have to get up at 7:00. We don’t have an alarm-clock because Oleg wakes me up and our working day begins. I turn on the radio and do my morning exercises while Oleg is taking a shower. I also take a cool shower – it makes me completely wake up. I brush my teeth, comb my hair and get dressed.

Then we have breakfast. Oleg makes breakfast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am to serve a meal on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I love to listen to the latest news on the radio while I am eating, and Oleg prefers light music.

We leave the dorm at half past seven and walk to the nearest trolleybus stop. We live rather close to the Uni and it usually takes us about fifteen minutes to get there by trolleybus. Sometimes when the weather is fine and we have enough time, we walk: it’s very healthy to walk in the morning.

Every day we have lectures and seminars in different subjects. As a rule, the studies last till 3 o’clock p.m. Sometimes it’s very hard to wait till they end. Usually we don’t cut classes because we want to pass our exams successfully. But when the weather is fine the classes seem too boring.

At 12:50 we have lunch. That’s my favorite time of the day. My friend and I prefer not to go to the canteen. We have a snack in a small café not far from the Alma Mater. At 13:20 we have to be back to our classes. During the working day we also have several short breaks that continue for ten minutes.

Occasionally I have to stay at the faculty till 5 or even 6 o’clock in the evening I go to the library to get ready for practical lessons or to work on a course paper. As a rule I have no free time on weekdays and therefore I feel very tired by the weekend.

We come home at about 7 o’clock in the evening. We eat supper together and share the news. After supper we wash dishes, drink coffee or tea and watch TV. I prefer comedies and sports programs, Oleg likes films about travelling. Sometimes we go for a walk in the park or visit our friends. At about 11 at night I go to bed. I like to read something before falling asleep, Oleg is fond of listening to some music.

Exercise 1.

Memorize the following words and word combinations.

routine обычный

to differ отличаться

pupil ученик

early riser «жаворонок»

especially особенно

tape-recorder магнитофон

to do morning exercises делать гимнастику

to take a shower принимать душ

to comb расчёсывать волосы

on business в командировке

luckily к счастью

block of flats многоэтажный жилой дом

classmates одноклассники

in the neighborhood по соседству

break перемена

to have a snack перекусить

gym спортивный зал

to stay оставаться

to attend посещать

preparatory courses подготовительные курсы

alarm clock будильник

fried eggs яичница

homework домашнее задание

to fall asleep засыпать

to get dressed одеваться

to go for a walk гулять

to have a nap поспать

to wake up будить; просыпаться

toasted bread тосты

weekday будний день.

Exercise 2.

Answer the following questions.

1. Do you get up early? Is it easy for you to get up early?

2. Do you wake up yourself or does your alarm-clock wake you up?

3. Do you do morning exercises?

4. Which do you prefer: a hot or cold shower in the morning?

5. How long does it take you to get dressed?

6. What do you usually have for breakfast?

7. When do you usually leave the house?

8. Do you work? Where do you work?

9. How do you get to the University every morning?

10. Where do you usually have lunch?

11. Do you ever have a nap in the afternoon?

12. What time do you come home? How do you spend your evenings?

13. What time do you usually go to bed?

Exercise 3.

Describe your everyday activities in detail.