THEME 1

ABOUT MYSELF

Text 1.

ABOUT MYSELF

First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Taras. I’m seventeen years old. I’m at 11-th grade. There are two more kids in the family besides me – my elder brother Oleg and my younger sister Mariya. Oleg is twenty-one, he attends a University, he will be a dentist. Mariya is only twelve, she is a schoolgirl. I forgot to mention one more member of our family. It’s our favourite poodle Tim.

My parents are not old at all. My Mum is forty, she works for a newspaper. My Dad is forty-four; he is an engineer in computers. My parents love their jobs very much.

I’m doing quite well at school. My parents are proud of my marks. I go in for sports. I play basket-ball. I take part in different basket-ball competitions. In summer time I like yachting and windsurfing. In a year I shall finish my school and I have to decide what occupation to choose. I have been studying English for seven years. I want to be a military interpreter.

My grandparents are already retired. They like gardening and spend all their time growing tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries, raspberries.

Vocabulary:

to introduce – представлять

let me introduce myself – разрешите представиться

residential – жилой

residential areas – жилые районы

grade – класс в школе

to attend a university – ходить в университет

kid – ребенок

favourite – любимец, любимый

poodle – пудель

to forget – забывать

job – работа

proud – гордый

to be proud of smth – гордиться чем-л.

to go in for sports – увлекаться спортом

occupation – занятие, род занятий, профессия

military – военный

interpreter – переводчик

to retire – быть на пенсии

Questions:

1. Do you go to school?

2. What grade are you at?

3. How old are your parents?

4. Are you the only child in the family?

5. Do you have a pet?

6. Are your grandparents still alive?

7. Do you go in for sports?

8. Do you like reading?

Put the words in the following sentences in order:

1. First introduce me myself of all let.

2. Oleg a University, he attends is twenty-one, he will be a dentist.

3. My jobs love parents their very much.

4. I take competitions different in part basket-ball.

5. I have for seven years been studying English.

6. My already are retired grandparents.

Give possible beginnings of the sentences:

1. … seventeen years old.

2. … to mention one more member of our family.

3. … is forty-four; he is an engineer in computers.

4. … I shall finish my school and I have to decide what occupation to choose.

5. … to be a military interpreter.

6. … gardening and spend all their time growing tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries, raspberries.

Text 2. My family

My family is not very big, just a typical family: Dad, Mom, me, my brother and sister and our cat. My Mummy is forty-one, she is a teacher of Spanish at the University. She is a born a teacher. She has teaching abilities. My Dad is forty-two, he is professional painter, he works for a design company. My parents both like their work very much.

My elder sister Natasha is nineteen, she goes to the University, she wants to be a teacher of history. She is fond of reading books on history and fiction.

My younger brother Igor is only six years old, he goes to the kindergarten. He is very funny; I like to spend my free time teaching him something. Igor likes to play with our cat.

My grandparents are retired. They like gardening. They spend a lot of their time in the garden. They grow vegetables and fruits. We enjoy having fresh vegetables and greens on our dinner table.

I love my family very mush. We always help each other. Everyone in my family is my best friend.

Vocabulary:

typical – типичный

Spanish – испанский

ability – способность

painter – художник

fiction – художественная литература

funny – смешной

to spend – проводить

to grow – выращивать

to enjoy – наслаждаться

greens – зелень

to be fond of smth.- нравиться кому-либо

Questions:

1. How many members are there in the family?

2. Do you have a brother or a sister?

3. Where do your parents work?

4. Do your parents understand you?

5. In what way do you help your parents?

6. How old are your grandparents?

7. How do you get along with your family?

8. Which of the parents do you want to be like?

Translate into English:

1. Моя семья не очень большая, это типичная семья: папа, мама, я, мой брат, сестра и кот.

2. Она прирожденная учительница.

3. Обоим моим родителям очень нравится их работа.

4. Ей нравится читать историческую и художественную литературу.

5. Мои дедушка и бабушка – на пенсии.

6. Мы всегда помогаем друг другу. Каждый член моей семьи – мой лучший друг.

Complete the following sentences:

1. My Mummy is forty-one, she is…

2. My Dad is forty-two, he is professional painter, he works for…

3. My younger brother Igor is only six years old, he goes…

4. Igor likes to play with…

5. We enjoy having fresh vegetables and greens on…

6. I love my family…

THEME 2

BOOKS

Text 1.

BOOKS IN OUR LIFE

Nowadays it’s almost impossible to imagine our life without books. Perhaps, there are more books on our planet than men alive. Long before the invention of printing people valued books as treasure troves of the human knowledge and experience. Hand – written manuscripts took months of writing and were collected by and kept in monasteries with utmost care. We can distinguish books between three classes of them. Firstly, books on different branches of knowledge, works by brilliant minds of mankind. Secondly, textbooks, reference books and numerous dictionaries. And at last, books of all kinds and genres to read at leisure.

Classics should be taken a little at a time. One’s understanding of books by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, Mopassan and Balzak depends on one’s age and experience. Serious books are to be read conscientiously and maybe more then once. To a thinking reader they will provide new food for thought every time he rereads it. Many people indulge in reading science fiction, fantasy or detective stories. Of course, there are some advantages and disadvantages of this kind of literature, often reffered to as «easy reading». As for me, good science fiction and fantasy develop imagination, logical thinking, broader one/s outlook. The same could be said in favour of detective stories. They reveal such minute details of everyday life in this or that particular country that are of greatest interest for a curious reader. The masterpieces of this genre by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and others, show the depths of psychological analysis, the insight into the human nature.

As an old saying goes, man cannot live on bread alone. Books are the source of knowledge and the means of self – perfection. Sometimes it is difficult to solve some problems in life. I think that books can help us. Books must be our friends during all our life.