The Kind of Person I am

by Ronald Wilson

I like football and am a keen supporter of the Dons. I love my Mum and Dad and my cat. I sometimes lose my temper with my brother James who likes to show off. Sometimes I behave badly at school. I try not to because it worries Mum and Dad.

I am quite tall for my age with brown hair. I love fishing with my Dad. I get bored with school and sometimes I miss my primary school and my teacher, Miss Burnett.

I like going on holiday. Last year we went to Spain and it was smashing. The sun was so hot and I liked the food which was English. I would like to travel and when I leave school I would like to do a job that had a bit of adventure about it. I love films about secret agents.

If I do not do a job like being a spy, I would like to be an artist. Mr Thomas, my art teacher, says I am a good drawer. I like doing drawings at home when I am not watching the telly. Of course if I was good enough. I would like to play for the Dons (a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge) when I grow up.

I try not to get into fights but sometimes I do. I do not like bullies. There are a couple of bullies in my class and I do not like them bullying smaller kids.

My best friends are Jim Leslie and Ian Purdy. I do not like many girls. I like my little sister, Laura. I like some music but I do not have a favourite singer or group.

I am not a brainy person and a bit untidy. My mum is always telling me off for that. I get into trouble for losing my Maths books but I do not care. I don't like some teachers.

The worst thing I can think that could happen is if my Mum or Dad died. That would be very sad for me. We are a happy family. I love our car although I wish it would go faster.

I do not want to write any more about myself because I think that people who talk about themselves are boring. When I grow up I want to be famous. If that doesn't happen I may become a sales manager like my Dad.

Find the English equivalents:

страстный болельщик/поклонник, выходить из себя, порисоваться, пропускать школу, потрясающе, ввязываться в драку, задира, хулиган, башковитый, отчитывать, попасть в беду, мне все равно

Agree or disagree:

The Wilsons are five in the family.

Ronald is crazy about hockey.

He likes school very much.

He has a lot of friends among boys and girls.

Ronald often bullies smaller kids.

He wants to make a sales manager like his father.

Answer the questions:

How many are Wilsons in the Family?

What does Ronald look like?

What does he think of his brother?

Does he really like school?

What does he think of his schoolmates?

What kind of person is Ronald?

Speak about Ronald Wilson.

Reading 3 Text analysis

Read the text and do the exercises that follow:

Relationships

How many difficult people do you have to deal with at work? There is the one who moans incessantly; the one who will not stop talking; and one who cannot take decisions. If only we could find a way of coping with these people, our working lives would be a lot easier.

According to Barry Wolf, an expert in anti-social behavior at work, the first mistake is to confuse difficult people with difficult behavior. Genuinely difficult people are apparently rare, while nearly everyone is capable of behaving in a difficult way. The whole question is subjective. Everyone is likely to object to behavior that is the opposite of their own. If you are very efficient, it may be hard to work with someone who is in a permanent muddle and cannot get anything done. They may find your neat lists and schedules equally maddening.

The aim, says Woolf, is not to change the 'difficult people', but to change the way they behave towards us and the way we respond to them. We must be more flexible and more tolerant. We must understand and be able to predict the sort of thing that is likely to get on our nerves. The idea is to defuse conflict before it arises. Woolf suggests 'pacing' the difficult person, which means copying their body language and even breathing at the same rate, to create the impression of harmony and agreement. However, there is a danger that your colleague may notice you are breathing in an unnatural way and scratching your head each time they scratch theirs; that would surely spoil everything.

In most situations, it is going to take more than rhythmic breathing to sort out the problem. Never mind talk about subjectivity. Many sorts of behavior are just plain difficult, whichever way you look at it.

Some of the most common are:

Exploders, who blow up over trivial details.

Wet blankets, who contribute nothing, they say: 'I told you so.'

Moaners, who complain constantly.

Gossip-mongers, who spread rumors.

Backsliders, who always say that it's not their fault.

Stubborn people, who will only do things their way.

What makes this sort of behavior difficult is that it provokes a respond in you. The idea is to refuse to respond. Say to yourself: 'I'm not going to let this get on my nerves.'