4KTJ5[1]

Exercises

1.Read and transcribe the following words.

Together, engineer, quiet, preparatory, pensioner, alive, applicant, relatives.

2.Ask and answer the questions. Work in pairs. Use your active vocabulary.

How old are you? Are you married?

Have you a family of your own?

Do you live together with your parents? Is your family large or small?

What are your parents?

Are you the only child in the family?

Is your sister (brother) older or younger than you? What is your sister’s (brother’s) occupation?

Do you help your mother to keep the house? Have you grandparents?

Where do they live?

Have you any other relatives? Do you often see them?

What do you usually do in the evenings?

Do you spend your week-ends together with your parents?

3.Read the following text and translate it into English.

Умоего брата большая семья. Он живет вместе с тестем и тещей. Кроме того, у него есть трое детей. Его жена Ирина не работает. Она заботится о детях и о своих родителях. Ее родители – пенсионеры по старости. Им обоим по 75 лет и у них плохое здоровье. Старший сын брата – школьник. Он ученик второго класса. Две младшие дочери - близнецы. Им по 5 лет. Они ходят в детский сад. Я люблю проводить время с ними, потому что они очень забавные. Девочки помогают маме по дому. Вечерами вся семья собирается в гостиной, и становится очень шумно. Однако всеони живуточень дружно.

4.Look at the following situations. Make up your own situations/ stories speaking about your family, your friend’s family, and relatives and so on.

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1)My family consists of my mother and myself. I have a flat by myself in Minsk and my mother came to live with me. For the week-end we sometimes go to the village where my mother has a house. I’m single. I have an aunt who lives in Brest but I haven’t seen her for years.

2)My friend’s family is his wife, Jane, who is a doctor, and his daughter Ann, who’s ten. His parents are still alive but they live in Germany and he doesn’t see them very often. My friend’s family lives in a private house in Moscow.

5. Read the following dialogue. Try to reproduce it in pairs.

Nick: Mum, I want to tell you something important. Mother: What is it, dear?

Nick: I’m going to get married.

Mother: Get married?! You must be joking.

Nick: Nothing of the kind. It’s my final decision. I’m not a child any more. Mother: Good heavens! But you are only 18. I hope you are not serious. Nick: Absolutely serious.

Mother: But who is that poor thing?

Nick: It’s Helen, you know her. Helen is a dream of a girl, the sweetest girl I’ve ever met! I can’t see my life without her.

Mother: Oh, no! Helen is out of the question. She is too young. She can’t even cook, likes good clothes and doesn’t work yet. Your marriage is sure to fall on my shoulders.

Nick: Don’t worry. It is not as bad as that. We are going to live with her family.

6.Read the following proverbs. Find their Russian equivalents and discuss the meanings in group.

First think, then speak.

He laughs best who laughs last.

If you want a thing well done, do it yourself. The early bird catches the warm.

Promise little but do much.

Better die standing than live kneeling.

7.Complete the sentences with a / an / some / any.

We’ve got --------tea but we haven’t got ----------coffee. I’d like --------apple, please.

He’s got --------new CDs.

Could I have ----------more potatoes, please? Has she got -----------brothers or sisters?

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8.Write the verbs in the correct tense.

1.Where (you work)?

2.My sister (play) the dombra well.

3.What time (he start) work every day?

4.Your brother-in-law is in the bathroom. He (have) a shower.

5.(His nephew come) tonight?

6.Where (you go) every morning?

7.What a surprise! What (you do) here?

Text 2.

About my family.

I am Alex Kovalev. I am fifteen. I’d like to tell you about my family.

We are a family of three. I live with my parents. But I have got an elder brother. He is married and has a family of his own.

In my opinion, family is an emotional centre of a person’s life, transmitter of culture, the place where children are being raised. The process of upbringing children is difficult. It requires much effort, mutual respect, tolerance. In happy families parents are frankly honest with their children without moralizing, and the children in their turn learn how to get on with other people.

The proverb says, ‘Men make houses, women make homes.’ In my view, it means that the man provides for his family, pays attention to the problems of the members of the family. And the woman creates the homely atmosphere, encourages her husband and children to keep up family traditions and keeps the house. Together they bring up their children in the right way.

It is true to our family, I think. My parents have been married for twenty-six years. My father’s name is Vitaly. He is 45 years old. He is an engineer at a Motor Plant. He is tall and strong both in body and character, but rather stout. He has plump oval face with an aquiline nose. He’s generous and full of joy, but very careless. He can make different things with his own hands. Almost all the bookshelves in our flat were made by my father.

My mother’s name is Irina. She is a medium size woman. She has got a thin oval attractive face and light grey eyes and a snub nose. When she was young she had thick curly ash-blond long hair, now she wears her hair short. My mother is a woman of character, well-bred, tactful and fair. She’s warm-hearted and at the same time practical, reserved and full of common sense. She is a housewife. She does all the housework and helps my elder brother to bring up his sons. She is really concerned about them. They are the apple of her eye. And the boys feel affection for their Granny. My father and I try to help her about the house.

My brother Igor is about 25. He is married, as I have already said. He has got two sons. My elder nephew is a spitting image of my brother and junior one takes after his mother, my brother’s wife. The boys are funny and curious.

We have got a lot of relatives, because my mother has got five sisters and a brother. So I’ve got many aunts, uncles and cousins. We are all on friendly terms.

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Vocabulary.

aquilineорлиный ash-blond- пепельный attractiveпривлекательный carelessбеззаботный

common senseздравый смысл createсоздавать

curiousлюбознательный curlyкудрявый

effortусилие

encourageвоодушевлять, поощрять fairпорядочный, справедливый franklyоткровенно, открыто

generousвеликодушный, благородный, щедрый get on withбыть в хороших отношениях honestчестный

housewifeдомохозяйка

keep the houseвести домашнее хозяйство keep upподдерживать

medium sizeсреднего роста moralizingпоучение mutualвзаимный

plumpполный practicalпрактичный provideобеспечивать

raiseвоспитывать, растить requireтребовать reservedсдержанный respectуважение

snubвздернутый, курносый spitting imageточная копия

stoutтучный, толстый, сильный, крепкий tactfulтактичный

take afterбыть похожим thickгустой

toleranceтерпимость transmitterпередатчик upbringingвоспитание warm-hearted- добросердечный

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Dialogue. The family album.

Nick: There are many photos in your family album, Ann. Could you tell me what relations you have with people in the pictures.

Ann: All right. Look here. This is our family photo on the first page. This is my father, mother, my younger sister and myself.

Nick: Oh, your parents look very young. How old are they?

Ann: My father is 40 and my mother is 36. She is a shop assistant.

Nick: And your father? He wears the uniform. Is he a military man or a militiaman? Ann: He is a military man and serves in the Far East. We are going to his place next year after I finish school.

Nick: It’s a pity! I thought we could study together at the Institute.

Ann: I’m afraid not. But my sister who is two years my senior may stay here together with our grandparents as there’s no secondary school at the place where my father serves.

Nick: Is this the picture of your grandparents? Ann: You are right. Here it is.

Nick: And whose photo is this?

Ann: My friend’s. Her name is Kate. She is pretty, isn’t she? Nick: She is very beautiful. Is she your class-mate?

Ann: Oh, no. Kate is a student. She lives next door to me. I have many girl-friends at school. We are all taken photo in this picture.

Nick: I see. And who is this smiling woman?

Ann: This is my father’s elder sister. She is still young in the photo. Aunt Olga is fifty already. She has a grown-up daughter Helen. Helen is my cousin. She is married and has children of her own. They are my nephews. Look here! This is Helen’s wedding photo. Isn’t it nice?

Nick: Very beautiful! The couple is very kind and loving. Ann: And can you recognize me in this baby?

Nick: It’s hardly possible. You are crying bitterly but your mother is happy.

Exercises.

1.Answer the questions using your active vocabulary.

1.Will you introduce yourself?

2.Is your family large?

3.Have you got any brothers or sisters?

4.What are your parents?

5.Where do they work?

6.How long have your parents been married?

7.Do you spend much time with your family?

8.Do you go out with your parents?

9.Who keeps your house?

10.What are your parents’ hobbies?

11.Will you describe your mother and father?

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12. Have you got any other relatives?

2. Complete each sentence with a word from the box.

for three years, but hasn’t got married yet. 10. She has a career and doesn’t like the idea of being a --------------.

3. Complete each sentence with a noun formed from a verb in the box.

relate resemble

4.Underline the correct word in each sentence.

1.Children are not allowed to see this film. It’s for adults/ old only. 2. By the time the vet arrived, the injured cat was already dead/ died. 3. Unfortunately it rained on my cousin’s wedding/ marriage day. 4. David and Diana have two sons and one daughter/ girl. 5. I think we should try to understand the problems of aged/ old people. 6. There should be more facilities for youth/ young people in this town. 7. More than fifty relatives/ parents were invited to Jack’s party. 8. It’s my anniversary/ birthday today. I am eighteen years old.

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5. Who are these people?

Your mother’s parents -----------------------------

Your mother’ brother -----------------------------

Your mother’s sister -----------------------------

Your husband’s son from a previous marriage ----------------------------

The sister of the person you marry -----------------------------

Your brother’s (sister’s) male child -----------------------------

Your brother’s (sister’s) female child -----------------------------

Someone from another country -----------------------------

Someone you have not met before -----------------------------

6. Complete the sentences with the correct form of look/ look like (+ or -).

7.Read the description. Underline nine mistakes and correct them.

My favourite relative is my cousin Jane. She has 17 years old, and she’s still at school. She’s tall and perhaps a bit overweight, but I think she’s very attractive. She’s got blue and a fair shoulder-length hair. She usually wears jeans and T-shirts, or track suits. She doesn’t like formals clothes. She’s a girl very intelligent, but she’s quite lazy. She’s sociable, and loves be with her friends. We get up very well because we understand each other. I can talk to him about everything and we like both the same kind of people.

8.Try to find answers to the following questions. Discuss them in group

What is your position in the family? Are you the oldest, the youngest, in the middle, or an only child? Do you like your position? Why (not)?

9.Read the introduction to a magazine article about how your position in the family affects your personality. Then read the paragraphs in the order that you find most interesting.

Family fortunes.

Scientists and psychologists agree that although many factors contribute to forming your personality, for example, your sex, class, culture, or lifestyle, one of the most important is your position in the family. So how have you been affected?

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Are you a first child, a middle child, the youngest, or an only child?

First-born children. If you are a first-born child, you are probably selfconfident and a good leaderyou came first, after all. You may also be bossy and even aggressive if you don’t get what you want.

You are ambitious, and good at communicating, because you learned to speak from your parents, not from brothers and sisters. On the other hand, you are the oldest and so you have to be the most responsible, and this can make you the kind of person who worries a lot.

Middle children are usually independent and competitive. You had to fight with your brothers and sisters to get what you wanted. You are also co-operative as you always had to negotiate with either your older or your younger brothers and sisters. You are sociable, as you always had someone to play with. On the other hand, you may be jealous and insecure or moody if you felt that your parents preferred your older brother or sister.

Youngest children are often very charming. You learned very quickly that you could get exactly what you want by being charming – and this can make you manipulative. You are usually affectionate and relaxed because when you arrived your parents were more relaxed themselves. But you are often not very independent, as you always had so many people to help you. This makes it hard for you to take decisions. And you may be lazy, because your parents probably pushed you less and were less strict with you than with your older brothers and sisters.

Only children are often quite selfish. You had the wonderful luxury of not having to share your parents’ attention with anybody else. In fact, you received so much attention as a child that you find it difficult to be interested in other people. On the other hand, you are usually organized and responsible, and often imaginative. But you may find it difficult to communicate with others, and are very sensitive to criticism.

10.Underline the adjectives of personality. Write them in the chart.

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a.In pairs, compare opinions on the article. What are you like? What are your brothers/ sisters/ friends like?

b.In pairs, look at the topics in the box. A write three advantages

for each topic, B write three disadvantages.

Advantage or disadvantage

Having a lot of brothers and sisters

Being an only child

Having an older relative living with you (e.g. grandmother)

Both of your parents working

11.Try to complete the following sentences with the appropriate word.

1. If you’re a first child and you’re a girl, you will be --------- ----------- if the second child is a boy. 2. If you’re a girl in the middle of three girls, you will

12.Write three short paragraphs describing a relative.

Paragraph 1. What does he/ she look like?

Paragraph 2. What’s he/ she like?

Paragraph 3. What does he/ she like doing?

13.Complete each word with a word formed from the word in bold.

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14.Complete each compound word with a word from the box.

15.Underline the correct phrase in each sentence.

1.What time go you/ do you go to bed on Saturdays? 2. Why are you waiting/ do you waiting outside the door? 3. Don’t ask my father-in-law. He doesn’t know/ not knows the answer. 4. I having/ I am having my lunch together. 5. When you leave / do you leave the house in the morning? 6. Excuse me, does you know/ do you know the time? 7. This is a great party. I am having/ Am I having a lovely time.

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