LESSON 5

Topic: My Working Day

Grammar: 1.Типы вопросов.

2. Порядок слов в английском предложении.

3. Степени сравнения прилагательных и наречий.

Vocabulary:

to be an early riser – рано вставать

especially – особенно

to do morning exercises – делать утреннюю зарядку

to get dressed – одеваться

unfortunately – к сожалению

to fail – не сдать, провалить (об экзаменах)

entrance examinations – вступительные экзамены

a company – компания

typewriting – машинопись

computing – работа на компьютере

besides – к тому же, кроме того

business organization – делопроизводство

excellent – отличный

to waste time – терять время

to retell – пересказать

to come across – встретить, натолкнуться

to memorize – запомнить

a flashcard – карточка

a fax message – сообщение по факсу

a partner – партнер

abroad – за границей

to answer a phone call – ответить на телефонный звонок

a break – перерыв

occasionally – время от времени

experience – опыт

TEXT А. «MY WORKING DAY»

On weekdays the alarm-clock wakes me up at 6.30 and my working day begins. I’m not an early riser, that’s why it’s very difficult for me to get out of bed, especially in winter. I switch on my tape-recorder and do my morning exercises. Then I go to the bathroom, take a warm shower, clean my teeth and shave. After that I go to my bedroom to get dressed.

Usually my mother makes breakfast for me. But when she is away on business or just doesn’t have to get up early, I make breakfast myself. While having breakfast, I listen to the latest news on the radio.

I leave the house at 7.30 and go to the nearest underground station. Last year I tried to enter Moscow University, but unfortunately I failed my entrance examinations. So I thought I should work somewhere. It wasn’t easy to find a job, but I managed to get a position of a secretary in a small business company. They agreed to take me because I had studied typewriting, computing and business organization at school. And besides, I passed my English school-leaving exam with an excellent mark.

It takes me an hour and a half to get to work. But I don’t want to waste my time on the train. I’ve got a small cassette-player and I listen to different texts and dialogues. Sometimes I read a book and retell it silently. If I come across an interesting expression I try to memorize it. I also write some English words on flashcards and learn them.

I usually arrive at work at ten minutes to nine though my working day begins at 9 sharp. There are always some fax messages to translate from English into Russian. Sometimes my boss wants me to write a letter to our business partners abroad. There are also a lot of phone calls which I have to answer.

At 1 o’clock in the afternoon we have lunch. We usually have lunch in a small café just round the corner. At 2 o’clock we come back to work. And we work hard till 5 o’clock.

During the working day we also have several short coffee breaks. But sometimes we have no time for them.

I come home at about 7 o’clock in the evening. My parents are usually at home, waiting for me. We have dinner together. Then we sit in the living room, drink tea, watch TV or just talk.

Occasionally I have to stay at work till 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening. When we have a lot of things to do we go to work on Saturdays. So by the end of the week I get very tired. All I can do on Sundays is to sleep till eleven o’clock, watch television, listen to music and read something in English.

And still I always look forward to my next working day because I like my job. I think I get a lot of useful experience.

QUESTIONS

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

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

3. Do you do morning exercises? Do you do your morning exercises to music?

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

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

6. What do you usually have for breakfast?

7. Some people look through newspapers or listen to the latest news on the radio while having breakfast. What about you?

8. When do you usually leave the house?

9. Do you work? Where do you work?

10. What do you usually do on your way to work (school, etc.)?

11. Where do you usually have lunch (dinner)?

12. Do you ever have a nap (вздремнуть) in the afternoon?

13. What time do you come home?

14. How do you spend your evenings?

15. What time do you usually go to bed?

TEXT В. « My Working Day»

On weekdays the alarm-clock wakes me up at 7.30 and my working day begins. I’m not an early riser, that’s why it’s very difficult for me to get out of bed, especially in winter. I open the window to let the fresh morning air in, switch on my music centre and do my morning exercises to the music. Then I go to the bathroom, take a warm shower, clean my teeth and dry myself on the towel. After that I go to my bedroom, do my bed and get dressed.

Usually my mother makes breakfast for me. But when she is away on business or just doesn’t have to get up early, I make breakfast myself. While having breakfast, I listen to the latest news on the television.

I leave the house at 8 and go to the nearest bus stop. But very often I go to the University on foot with some of my fellow students, as it is not far from our house. It doesn’t take me long to get there.

I am a full-time student of the Day Department of the University. We have 3 or 4 classes a day. Our classes last for an hour and a half, as a rule. I’m proud of the fact that very good and famous professors teach at our University. Most of our lectures are very interesting and we don’t notice how the time flies. But unfortunately sometimes they are too boring and we can hardly stand them. Besides all different subjects, we have English classes as well. We have two (four) English lessons a week. I have to spend much time in the reading-room of our library to get ready for the next day classes. It is not so easy to study at the University but I feel great satisfaction when I think of the future. At 3 o’clock I leave the University for home. At home I have my dinner first. After dinner I have a short rest: I listen to my favourite music, read books or just watch TV. Then I sit to my desk in the study and start doing my homework for the next day classes. It takes me much time to do it, you know.

In the evening when my parents come home from work, their supper is usually ready and tea is hot. I get it ready for them. We have our supper together. Then we sit in the living-room, talk to each other, discuss our problems and try to help everybody. At that time we usually sum up the results of the day and think of our plans for the future.

Sometimes I go for a walk with my friends when my homework is done. Very often we go to the Volga embankment. It is our favourite place in the city. We walk there, sometimes we sit on a bench and talk and enjoy a lovely view on the river. It is especially pleasant to walk there in autumn and in summer.

Occasionally I have to stay at the University till 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening. When I have a lot of things to do, I go to the library, laboratory or our computer centre to work. We often have to write different tasks, tests and make reports on different topics. But it is very interesting. They say “No pain no gain”. I fully agree with that saying, because to my mind if a person wants to succeed in something he must work hard.

So as you see, I am very busy especially during the examinations. It is a very hard time for all students, you know. But after the exams are over we are happy to have our holidays. It is a real enjoyment and time for our hobbies and interests.

All the same I can say that I like being a student.

As for the bedtime, I can’t say that I always go to bed at the same time. It depends on the things I have to do. Of course on weekdays I go to bed late at night, but at weekends my usual bedtime is 11 o’clock as I want to have a good sleep before starting a new week of studies.

GRAMMAR

1. Степени сравнения прилагательных и наречий.

2. Порядок слов в английском предложении.

3. Типы вопросов.