- •1. Talk about an older relative or someone you know who was brought up in a less privileged way than you were
- •2. Talk about a person’s recollections of his childhood and his family
- •3. Talk about the qualities a woman needed to reach the top in a male dominated profession in the early 50-ies
- •5. Talk about the daily chores of a British housewife
- •6. Talk about the attitude of a housewife to the hardships of life
- •7. Talk about a visitor’s impressions of a quiet country inn
- •8. Describe an old English country inn
- •11. Talk about the advantages or disadvantages of having a big family
- •12. Talk about nationality traits as seen by the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish
- •13. Talk about the problems that a Marriage Guidance Council deals with
- •14. Talk about the house rules for lodgers in Britain
1. Talk about an older relative or someone you know who was brought up in a less privileged way than you were
First of all I’d like to emphasize that all people in this world are different: every person has a unique personality, which is formed since the very childhood. It is believed that a newly-born is like a white sheet of paper, and only the upbringing can give a baby the individuality. But the individuality depends not only on the kind of upbringing, it is also vitally important in what conditions a person has been raised.
I’d like to tell you the story of my grandmother’s life which is really tragic. My Granny had been very unhappy to be born a few years before World War II started, and she was the third child to a family of six. Her father had to join the army to defend the Motherland, and after a few months a letter came saying he had been killed in the battle near Mogilov. By that time her mother had already been seriously ill, she died when my Grandmother was only seven years old. Her aunt having three kids of her own took the children to the house. The new family was very poor, actually they used to live from hand to mouth. Her aunt couldn’t pay enough attention to each child, thus the children were left on their own. Nobody could set them a good example to follow.
Step by step the family got over the poverty, and at the age of nine my Grandma got a chance go to school that was 2,5 kilometers from their house. My Granny was the smartest in the class; a freak of intelligence was seen in her. Especially she was keen on reading. Her adolescence was very difficult too. Just after the leaving school she went working in order to support the family, therefore she couldn’t continue to study further. In the mid sixties a sudden death took the lives of her two younger brothers. My Grandmother was in deep despair, but nevertheless she didn’t give up and continue to live. And in the long run a good luck smiled at her, and she met my Grandfather. Soon they got married and raised two children.
I really admire my Grandmother for her such strong character and witty mind. Though she was brought up in severe conditions and had to endure numerous hardships, nothing could broke her. I’m very proud of my Granny and look up to her.
2. Talk about a person’s recollections of his childhood and his family
There’re can be no doubt that all people have unique recollections of their childhood, youth or of some special occasions. And it always amazing how some people can remember even small details about their early years. The author of the text “My life” also has particular recollections of his childhood. He tells us about his family and the atmosphere in it, he describes where he lived, and he tells about the numerous difficulties which his family had to overcome.
Actually, being a child the author used to think that other children were better off than he with his brothers and sisters were. By the way, the author was a second child in the family of seven. So, we can see it was a rather large family, and the main hardship was a constant lack of money. Nevertheless, the author’s parents did everything possible to provide the kids with all they needed. Their father was an old-job man who didn’t have a regular work, and their mother used to go out charring. Sometimes she brought home little treasures: a little bit of butter and a bowl of soup. Unfortunately, the author’s family couldn’t afford to rent a house in those days and didn’t even dream about buying their own. But despite, the family every Sunday morning father brought the children a comic for half penny. Nowadays, when the author has become older he looks back at his childhood and wonders how his father managed to bring them comics when he was unemployed, and there almost was no money coming in.
From point of view it was a strong happy family. The members always support each other, creating loving and caring relationships. In spite they couldn’t afford o lot of important things the parents tried to do their best to bring up their kids in the atmosphere of a true family. They took a lot of care of the children and set them a good example to follow, and the children in their turn responded with love and looked up to their father and mother.