Vocabulary

wise - мудрый average - средний

slim - стройный shortish -невысокий

turned-up - курносый chestnut- каштановый

preference - предпочтение moody – поддающийся переменам настроения

a heel - каблук to surround - окружать

intelligent - умный persistent- настойчивый

determined -решительный diligence -старание

to get acquainted -знакомиться devoted -преданный

to descent from - происходить an interpreter - переводчик

to enrich - обогащать zodiac sign of Gemini -знак зодиака Близнецы

to affirm - утверждать to admire-восхищаться

a complaint-жалоба purple-пурпурный

traits of а character-черты характера responsive-отзывчивый

reliable-надежный modest-скромный

shy -застенчивый to trick-обманывать

to let smb. down –подводить кого-либо impatient-нетерпеливый

leisure time –досуг spare time- свободное время

a tempo of modern life –темп современной to coincide - совпадать

жизни

Exercise 1 Introduce yourself. This questions will help you.

1. What is your name?

2. Where and when were you born?

3. How old are you?

4. Have you got a family?

5. How many people are there in your family?

6. What can you say about your appearance ?

7. What does your school mean to you?

8. Can your star sign tell a lot about you?

9. Can your favorite colour say what kind of person you are?

10. What do your parents say about your traits of character?

11. What are your hobbies and interests?

12. What are your dislikes?

Exercise 2 Introduce your classmate to the class. Try to describe her (his)appearance.

Exercise 3 Bring a picture of a person you know well ( your friend, a famous actor, a scientist) to your class. Try to describe his/her appearance.

Exercise 4 Work in pairs. Ask your classmates about his(her):

• hobbies

• family

• friends

• favourite films (actors, books)

Exercise 5. Make your own computer presentations of famous people (actors, sportsmen, etc.)

Text B

Autobiography of Michael Hoffman

I am Michael Hoffman. I and my wife Carol are very happily married but like any other couple we had plenty of worries over the children as they were growing up. Sarah was short-sighted and very shy. Wearing glasses seemed to increase her shyness, and occasionally she cried at night because she felt lonely at school. Slowly, over the years, she grew out of her shyness, at least when she was in familiar situations. She worked hard and got quite good marks for her lessons; she had also inherited my musical gifts and learnt to play the flute. But she decided that she was not good enough to become a profes­sional player and became a student of geography at a provincial university with a good reputation.

Peter was a cheerful boy, energetic and lazy by turns. From babyhood he tended to be too fat, and since he was always hungry he filled himself with chips, cakes, sweets, coca-cola. Carol insisted on his eating fruit, not sweets, but he bought sweets with his pocket money anyway. When he was twelve he decided that his pocket money was not enough for his needs. He helped a neighbour build a garage and earned a few pounds, and then he took on a newspaper round. He was still overweight and the doctor insisted that he should exercise, so he began swimming at the local pool, found he was good at it, and became a club and com­petition swimmer. When Peter left school, he attended the local College of Further Education while he continued to earn money working part-time in various shops in the area. He joined another swimming club and was often away from home.

Kate grew up to be very clever at her lessons but difficult at school and at home. She had many friends and brought, them all home. This was a problem because some of her friends were rude, clumsy and had no sense of the decent rules of family life. She joined demonstrations against destroying the Amazon rain forests. Despite this she continued to do well at school. Kate and Bill argued a lot about politics. One day she was arrested while protesting at a demonstration. I never expected myself to get so deeply involved in the world of teen­agers.

My parents, David and Gwynneth Hoffman are Welsh. They are now in their late seventies and live in a small town in South Wales. My wife’s mother, Joan, lives in a North London suburb. Her husband died five years ago, so Joan is a widow. Joan has many friends who share her interests, I, her son –in-law, and my wife, her daughter, are not among them. I am fond of her, but I know that we have nothing in common.

Exersice 5 Find English equivalents of the following word combinations: много; беспокойство; расти; близорукая; носить очки; временами; чувствовать себя одиноко; по крайней мере; знакомая ситуация; наследовать музыкальные таланты; провинциальный университет; веселый; то энергичный, то ленивый; с младенчества; толстый; голодный; настаивать; карманный деньги; сосед; строить гараж; зарабатывать; плавать; местный бассейн; посещать; колледж дальнейшего образования; работать неполный день; различный; умный; трудный; грубый; неуклюжий; правила приличного поведения в семье; участвовать в демонстрациях; вырубка леса; хорошо учиться в школе; много спорить о политике; быть глубоко вовлеченным; около 80-ти лет; пригород; муж; вдова; разделять ее интересы; зять.

Exercise 6 Finish the following sentences and retell the text.

1.I and my wife Carol had plenty of… 2. Sarah was… 3. She had inherited … 4.She became a student…5.Peter was… 6.He filled himself with… 7. When Peter left school… 8. He joined…

9. Kate had many friends… 10. She joined demonstrations… 11. One day she was arrested…

12. My parents are now… 13.My wife’s mother Joan lives…

Exercise 7. Role-playing.

Make a group of three or four persons. Imagine that you are children of M. Hoffman’s family. You are Sarah, Peter and Kate. Discuss the traits of their characters.