Text b About Myself.

2 Unit 2. Family.

2.1 Pretext exercises.

2.1.1 Read the words. Mind their meaning:

good-looking красивый, миловидный

slim стройный

experienced опытный, квалифицированный, со стажем

broad-shouldered широкоплечий

to play the guitar играть на гитаре

to repair чинить, исправлять

to be handy with smth уметь делать что-либо, быть искусным в чем либо

to take to pieces разбирать на части

to manage суметь, справиться, ухитриться

wheels and screws колесики и винтики

to fix чинить, исправлять

vacuum cleaner пылесос

washing machine стиральная машина

fridge холодильник

and what not и так далее, и тому подобное

in pieces разобранный на части

to have much in common иметь много общего

views взгляды на …

horror film фильм ужасов

“soap opera” «мыльная опера», многосерийная мелодрама

to be fond of smth увлекаться чем либо

to go in for smth заниматься чем-либо

opinion мнение

upbringing воспитание

to take care of smd заботиться о ком либо

she is good at cooking она хорошо готовит

she is clever with her hands у нее умелые руки

to tidy убирать, приводить в порядок

pensioner пенсионер

to run the house вести хозяйство

to knit вязать

accountant бухгалтер

scientist ученый

twins близнецы

nursery school детский сад

cosmonaut космонавт

to take after быть похожим, пойти (в кого-либо из родителей)

fair-haired светловолосый

even-tempered уравновешенный

to be in a good mood быть в хорошем настроении

to be deeply attached to smb быть сильно привязанным к кому-либо

to get on well быть в хороших отношениях, ладить друг с другом

2.1.2 Translate the sentences from English into Russian. Pay attention to the verb “to have”:

1. They had dinner brought. 2. She had the children looked after in the evening when she went out. 3. Ellen had her needle threaded for her as her eyesight was getting worse and worse. 4. I must have these shouse mended. 5. I shall have my son taught nusic. 6. The planters had the trees in the jungle cut down. 7. I shall have your taxi kept at the door. 8. I shall have your things brought up and unpacked at once. 9. I must have my hair cut tomorrow. 10. I have just had my photograph taken and thought you might like to get one. 11. I meant to have this dress altered but I never did. 12. She has had no photographs of herself taken since her childhood. 13. Have this carpet spread on the floor.

2.2 Read the text.

2.2.1 Text a: My Family

I am Alex Sidorov. Alex is my first name and Sidorov is my surname. I am seventeen years old. I wont to tell you a few words about my family. My family is large. I̕ve got a mother, a father, a sister, a brother and a grandmother. There are six of us in the family.

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

My father is a computer programmer. He is very experienced. He is a broad-shouldered, tall man with fair hair and grey eyes. He is forty-six. My father often sings and when we are at home and have some free time, I pley the guitar and we sing together. My father knows all about new radio sets and likes to repair old ones. He is also handy with many things. When he was small, he liked to take everything to pieces. My grandmother 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 repairman. But that happened a long time ago. Now he can fix almost everything: a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a fridge and what not. He̕s got a few shelves where he keeps everything he needs. On the table there̕s always a radio in pieces.

My parents have been married for twenty-six years. They have much in common, but they have different views on music, books and films. For example, my father likes horror films and my mother likes “soap opera”. My father is fond of tennis. My mother isn̕t interested in sport. But my parents have the same opinion about my education and upbringing.

My parents are hard-working people. My mother keeps house and takes care of me and my father. She is very good at cooking and she is clever with her hands. She is very practical. My father and I try to help her with the housework. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy our flat.

My grandmother is a pensioner. She lives with us and helps to run the house. She is fond of knitting.

My sister Helen is twenty-five. She is married and has a family of her own. She works as an accountant for a small business company. Her husband is a scientist. They̕ve got twins: a doughter and a son. They go to a nursery school.

My brother Boris is eleven. He is a schoolboy. He wants to become a doctor but he is not sure yet. Three month ago he dreamed of being a cosmonaut.

I want to become a student. I̕d like to learn foreign languages. I think I take after my father. I̕m tall, fair-haired and even-tempered. I always try to be in a good mood.

We̕ve got a lot of relatives. We are deeply attached to each other and we get on very well.