Text 2 My friend̕s hobby

My friend Nick is very busy and he doesn̕t have much time to spare. But he̕s got a lot of hobbies and interests.

Five years ago Nick was fond of collecting stamps. His hobby helped him to learn a lot about other countries and other peoples̕ traditions, the world̕s flora and fauna. Maybe that̕s why he was good at geography and biology at school. He used to bring the albums to school and we examined his stamps with great interest and envy. Sometimes he examined stamps with his schoolmates.

When Nick was in the tenth from his parents bought him a compact disc player and Nick decided to collect compact discs. Today, he has got more than one hundred CDs of his favourite groups and singers! I think that he is very proud of his collection.

Every time Nick buys a new CD he carefully studies the information printed on disc booklets. He also tries to find out everything about the singers he likes. That̕s why he reads a lot of specialized magazines and books on the history of rock.

Nick never misses MTV shows – he thinks he must keep up with the news in the world of music. He says he likes all types of music except “rave”.

He even writes letters to some fan-clubs in other countries, so he has to brush up his English.

Nick never misses a concert of his favourite group. He brings his compact discs to the concert and asks the singers for their autographs.

But in spite of his new hobby, Nick sometimes sits in his room and looks through his albums of stamps (with his earphones on, of course).

Text 3 My favourite singer

My favourite singer is Michael Jackson. I like his songs very much because they are full of energy and very melodic. I also like the way he dances.

There were nine children in Michael̕s family. They lived in a small four-room house. Today he lives in a house which has seventeen rooms downstairs and sixteen room upstairs. It stands in 2,700 acres of ground. Besides the house there are guest houses, a golf course, a swimming pool, tennis courts, stables, gardens, lakes, forests and a zoo.

A lot of strange stories are told about Jackson. It̕s difficult to decide whether they are true or not. Michael never gives interviews and is rarely seen in public, except on stage. Certainly his behavior may seem eccentric. In public he often wears a face mask to protect himself from germs, he sleeps inside an oxygen capsule, which he believes will help him to live longer. But his manager says that Jackson isn̕t eccentric. He is just shy. Michael sang in public for the first time when he was five. Since that time he has always been in the public eye. And since that time he has been working like a grown-up.

There were times when he came home from school and he only had time to put his books and get ready for the studio. He often sang until late at night, even if it was past his bedtime. There was a park across the street from the studio, and Michael looked at the kids playing games. And he just stared at them in wonder – he couldn̕t imagine such freedom, such a carefree life.

Now he says about himself that in the crowd he is afraid, on stage he is safe. Off stage he feels happiest with animals and children. He is well-known for his childish tastes. It̕s not a secret that his favorite hero is Peter Pan. Michael has been called “the child who never grew up”, but I think he is a grown-up who was never allowed to be a child.

Whether he is crazy, childish, eccentric or just shy, he is no fool. He has created a brilliantly successful image, he makes a lot of money and spends it on the things he wants. Who wouldn̕t like to do the same?

Список использованных источников

1. Картинный словарь современного английского языка./под ред. Д.Фиби - М.: Русский язык, 1985. -484с.

2. Мюллер В.К. Англо – русский словарь. [Текст]. В.К. Мюллер. – М.: Русский язык, 1981. – 890с.

3. Цветкова И.В., Клепаченко И.А., Мыльцева Н.А. Английский язык для школьников и поступающих в ВУЗы. [Текст]. И.В. Цветкова, И.А. Клепаченко, Н.А. Мыльцева. М.: из-во Глосса – Пресс, 2003. – 206с.

Read the dialogues. Work in pairs:

Dialogue 1

Pavel What are you doing after finishing school?

Mike I̕m working as turner at one of the factories.

Pavel When does your working day begin?

Mike Very early. I usually get up at half past six and leave for work at half past seven.

Pavel How long does it take you to get from home to the factory?

Mike About half an hour.

Pavel You surely made friends with some workmates, didn̕t you?

Mike Certainly, I did. Excellent chaps they are.

Pavel Do you get your dinner in the dining-hall (canteen) or at home?

Mike In the factory̕s dinning-hall, at noon we have an hour̕s interval.

Pavel What are you doing after the working day is over?

Mike Sometimes I call on a friend of mine and sometimes I do a bit of reading. Very often I listen to music or wach TV.

Pavel I suppose you go to bed late, don̕t you?

Mike Oh, yes, at 12.

Dialogue 2

A What do you usually do after work, Susan?

B Oh, a lot of things. There̕s always a lot of work to do about the house, washing up, doing the rooms, mending clothes.

A No, I don̕t mean that. What̕s your favorite pastime?

B Again-nothing very special, Sometimes I read a little, watch TV or listen in. When Jane calls, we go to the cinema, very seldom, though, to the theater.

A I see. What about dancing? Do you like it?

B Oh, very. Actually I̕m crazy about dancing. Do you mean to sea we̕ll go to a dance?

A Yes, I̕d like to. There̕s a very good band at the College Club.