My Family

We are an average Russian family. There are four of us: my mother, my father, my brother and me.

I am Sasha Ivanov. Sasha is my first name and Ivanov is my surname. I am fifteen.

I've got a grandfather. He does not live with us but I feel him a member of our family. He often comes to see us. He was an engineer. Now he is retired. My grandfather knows all about radio sets and likes to repair old ones. He is also handy with many things. Now he can fix almost everything: a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a fridge and what not. He's got a few shelves where he keeps everything he needs. On the table there is always a radio in pieces.

My father is forty-five years old. He is an engineer. He works in the office of an engineering company. He is always busy. He has very little free time. He likes his job and there are chances of promotion. He is very experienced. He is not very tall. His hair is fair. He has got grey eyes and very kind round face. His forehead is high, his manners are very quiet and pleasant. He seems to me a handsome man.

My mother is a teacher of Russian literature. She works in a college. She likes her profession. She is a good-looking woman with brown hair. She is forty-four but she looks much younger. She is slim.

My parents are hard-working people. My mother keeps house and takes care of us. She is very good at cooking and she is clever with her hands. She sews perfectly. She can do everything out of nothing. She is very practical. My father and I try to help her with the housework. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy flat.

My brother Alex is eleven. He is a schoolboy. He wants to become a doctor but he is not sure yet. Three years ago he dreamt of being a cosmonaut.

I want to become a student. I'd like to be a computer programmer. I think I take after my father. I'm tall, fair-haired and even-tempered. I always try to be in a good mood.

At the weekends we usually go to the country side to ski in winter and to walk in the forest in summer. But most of all I like family feasts. We have got a lot of relatives. My aunts, uncles and cousins live in different parts of Moscow. On holidays they often come to our place. We have a very good time together. We are deeply attached to each other and we get on very well.

Задание 6

Студент должен прочитать диалог и написать свой на основе прочитанного.

Dialogue

• What is your first name?

• My first name is Sasha.

• What is your surname?

• My surname is Ivanov.

• How old are you?

• I am fifteen.

• When is your birthday?

• My birthday is on the seventeenth of July.

• Have you got any brothers or sisters?

• Yes, I have a brother.

• What are your parents?

• My mother is a teacher. My father is an engineer.

• Do you know anything about your parents' childhood?

• When my father was small, he liked to take everything to pieces. My grandfather told me a story that once my fa­ther tried to "repair” their kitchen clock. He managed to put all the wheels and screws back again — but the clock did not work. They had to give it to a repair-man.

• What is your father's hobby?

• It is photography.

• What is your mother's hobby?

• It is knitting.

• Who runs the house (ведет дом) in your family?

• My mum does.

• Do you go out with your parents?

• Yes, I do. I like to go to see my parents' friends, to see amateur­ish films about their travellings.

• Do they have much in common?

— (Yes, they do.) They have much in common, but they have differ­ent views on music, books, films, sports. But my parents have the same opinion about my education and upbringing .

Задание 7

Студент должен:

• ознакомиться и овладеть новой лексикой;

• прочитать и перевести текст "Увлечения" ("Hobbies");

• составить диалог в парах на основе вопросов после прочитанного текста.

Words to know

personal interests - личные интересы

way - путь, способ

to spend (spent, spent) - тратить

stamp-collecting - собирание марок

view-card - открытка с видом

match-box top - спичечные этикетки

badge - значок

shell - ракушка, раковина

coins - монеты

gardening - садоводство

cultivation - разведение, культивирование

palace - дворец

castle - замок

church - церковь

tape recording - магнитофонная запись

old houses of historical interest - старые дома, представляющие исторический интерес

to broaden one's outlook-расширить кругозор

increase - увеличить

carpentry - плотничные работы

yoga - йога

mountain climbing - альпинизм

water-skiing - катание на водных лыжах

dressmaking - шитье одежды