Text I My Family

I was born in 1980. Ekaterinburg is my native town. I live here with my family which is rather large. We are eight: my mother, my father, my grandparents and four children.

I’m the only daughter in the family. I’m 18 (years old). I’m a first-year student of the Pedagogical (Teachers’ Training) University. I study at the Institute of Foreign Languages at the English Department. I’m going to be a teacher of English.

My younger brother Victor is of school age: he is 12. He is the youngest in the family and the pet of my parents. He is the very image of my father. He goes to school, he is in the sixth form.

My elder brother’s name is Nick. He is five years my senior. Last year he graduated from the Urals State Polytechnical University. He is an engineer now and works at a research institute. He is married and has a family of his own. His wife is a librarian. They bring up two nice children under school age. They are the same age – they are twins. They resemble their parents very much. Every day they are taken to the kindergarten. I’m fond of my little niece and nephew. They are nice children, not spoilt at all.

My eldest brother Denis is under thirty, but he is a single man. He is a military man and he calls himself a confirmed bachelor. But not long ago he got acquainted with/met a nice girl, fell in love with her and maybe he’ll propose to her. So hopefully they’ll get married.

My father is a businessman. He is very practical and full of common sense. My mother is a housewife. She keeps house and has plenty of work to do during the day.

My grandmother is a teacher, but she doesn’t work at present. She is on pension. My grandfather is about 70 years old, but he doesn’t want to retire from his work. As a matter of fact he is full of life and energy.

My great grandparents are not alive. They died many years ago. I have many relatives in Ekaterinburg. My aunt and uncle and my cousin Mary live next door to us. They are very hospitable, and all our relatives often get together in their flat to share the news and to celebrate holidays and family anniversaries.

1. Retell the text in the first and third person.

2. Explain the difference between:

To graduate from – to finish, leave

Older – elder

To bring up – to raise

3. Give synonyms of: a native town, to keep house, to be on pension, next door, to be fond of.

4. Make up a story about your family using the italicized word combinations from the text above.

Text II Meet the Clarks Word Study

Paraphrase the words and phrases below, use them in sentences of your own:

be not much of a talker be in one’s early forties make up very little work in a service industry be gentle do well at school be two years one’s junior be tall and slim be not like one’s sister take after one’s mother evening entertainment hard-working

be a good listener above medium height get out of the house be proud of sb hobby be quiet and shy be fond of music a lovely face a dark-haired boy of fifteen go to primary school to enter university to play chess

The Clarks live in a semi-detached house with a garden in London. They are four in the family: the father, Mr. Clark, the mother, Mrs. Clark, and their two children.

Mr. Clark is a teacher. He works at London University. He teaches English Literature. He is a quiet man, rather shy, a good listener, not much of a talker. He is in his early forties, a little above medium height. Charles Clark is fond of music. He plays the piano very well.

His wife Mary is two years her husband’s junior, tall and slim, with a lovely face. She makes up very little. Mary works in a service industry three days a week. She likes her job, as she gets out of the house more. Charlie is proud of his wife, as she is kind and gentle and cooks perfectly.

Their daughter Kitty is a pretty little girl. She takes after her mother. She is eight years old and goes to primary school in London.

Her brother Bobby is a dark-haired boy of fifteen. He is not like his sister. He is the spitting image of his father. He is quiet and hard-working. Bobby does well at school and he is going to enter the University of London. He likes to play chess, tennis and football.

The Clarks are a friendly family. Their favourite evening entertainment is watching television or video. Their usual hobby is gardening.

Text-oriented Activities

1. Interview Charles (Mary, Bobby, Kitty), asking questions on the text.

2. Pretend you are Charles (Marry, Bobby, Kitty). Speak about your family using the vocabulary from the text above.