Text. About Myself and My Family

My name is Oleg Ivanov. I was born in Alexin. It’s a nice old town, I like it very much as it’s the place of my childhood. At the age of 7 I began to attend school. I studied very well and usually received only top marks. I finished school at the age of 17. The same year I went to Tula and entered Tula State University. I want to become a good specialist in the field of electronics.

I was born in the family of professional workers. My father is an engineer, he works at a big plant. Now he is 50. He graduated from Tula Polytechnical Institute. My mother is 45, she’s a doctor and works at a hospital. I’m proud of my parents.

I have a brother and a sister. They live in Alexin. My brother is 22. He has a family of his own, they are three in all - my brother, his wife and their little son. My sister is not married, she is 17 and she is a student of Pedagogical College. She is going to be a teacher of English. She works hard and she is a good student.

We have a granny, she is a pensioner. She is well past 60, but looks young for her age. She is very kind to all of us. We also have many close and distant relatives and we are always glad to see each other.

I. Read the text ‘About Myself and My Family’ and answer the questions.

1. Where was Oleg Ivanov born?
When and where were you born?
What is the place of your mother’s birth?

2. How did Oleg study at school?
What subjects were you good at school?
What subjects did you dislike?

3. What are Oleg’s parents?
What are your parents?

4. Where does his father (mother) work?
Where do your parents work?

5. How old is Oleg’s mother?
How old is your mother?
How old are you?

6. Does Oleg have a brother or a sister?
Do you have a brother or a sister?
Are you an only child?

7. Oleg’s brother is very young, isn’t he?
Are you very young?

8. Is Oleg’s sister married?
Are you married?

9. What college does Oleg’s sister study at?
What University do you study at?

10. Why did Oleg enter the University?
Why did you enter the University?

11. How old is Oleg’s granny?
How old are your grandparents?

D I A L O G U E S

A) Read the dialogues in pairs.

I.

A. Is your family large?
B. No, it isn’t. We are only 3 in the family. (There are 3 of us in the family).
A. How old are your parents?
B. My mother is 40. My father is 43.
A. Do they still work?
B. Yes, they do.

II.

A. Are you married?
B. Yes, I am.
A. Would you tell me about your family? How many children do you have?
B. I have two children, a son and a daughter.
A. How lucky you are!

III.

A. Are you married?
B. No, I’m not. I’m single.
A. Do you live with your parents?
B. No, I don’t. They live in Rostov.

IV.

A. Hi! My name is Tom Smith. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. What’s your name?
B. I’m Pedro.
A. And where are you from, Pedro?
B. I’m from Madrid, Spain.
A. Oh, really? Nice to meet you.
B. Nice to meet you too.

b) Reproduce the short dialogues in similar situations.

II. Make up short situations based on the model.

Model: It’s Robert Brown. He’s 26.
He’s a journalist. He’s American.
He comes from New York.

Substitutes:

Name	Age	Job	Nationality	Residence
Mary Smith Tom Stuart Jerry Brown Robert Grey Clair Jones Andrew Smith		architect secretary doctor mechanic actress lawyer	English Irish Canadian Australian American Scottish	London Dublin Ottawa Sydney New York Edinburgh

III. Study the Family Tree. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

	Peter	Jane
Teresa	Tom + Ann	Dick + Mary	Dorothy
	Louis	Charlie Beatrice

1. Jane is Dorothy’s mother.
2. Pete is Ann’s father.
3. Tom is Mary’s husband.
4. Teresa is Tom’s wife.
5. Louis is Charlie’s brother.
6. Beatrice is Louis’s cousin.
7. Dorothy is Beatrice’s aunt.
8. Tom is Louis’s uncle.
9. Charlie is Mary’s nephew.
10. Beatrice is Teresa’s niece.
11. Ann is Teresa’s sister-in-law.
12. Tom is Dorothy’s brother.
13. Dorothy is Pete’s daughter.
14. Ann is Mary’s sister.
15. Pete is Charlie’s grandfather.
16. Beatrice is an only child.
17. Dorothy has two children.
18. Jane is Beatrice’s grandmother.
19. Louis is Jane’s grandson.
20. Dorothy is single.

IV. Work in pairs.

One student makes a sketch of his (her) family tree trying to remember all his (her) relatives, the other asks questions and draws the family tree. Then they compare the sketches.

V. Speak about your own family. The following questions will help you.

1. How large is your family?
2. Are your family early risers? Why? What about you?
3. Are you the eldest of the family?
4. Do you have any special duties?
5. Who do you most take after, your mother or your father?
6. Who are you like in character?
7. Who do you look like?
8. Who is the head of your family?
9. Do you think that older and younger generations should live together?

VI. Imagine that you are a small child lost in an unknown town. What will you tell a policeman about your father and mother to help him find them.

VII. Imagine that you are
a) a film star;
b) a 15-year-old girl (boy) who wants independence;
c) a 18-year-old girl (boy).

What will you say about your family to
a) a reporter;
b) your new friend;
c) a stranger.

JUST FOR FUN

1. Read the poem.

This is our dad, short and stout;
This is our mum, with children all about;
This is our sister, with a doll on her knee;
This is our brother, tall you see;
This is our baby, sure to grow;
And here is our family all in a row.

2. Read the jokes. Learn the funniest of them by heart.

- My mother-in-law is an angel.
- You lucky fellow! Mine is still alive!

***

The meeting-places of love:
Their eyes meet, their hands meet,
Their lips meet, their lawyers meet.

***

Jane: Is the man your sister’s going to marry rich?
Dick: I think not. Every time mother talks about the wedding father says “poor man! ”

***

Ann: Why don’t you marry, Jane?
Jane: I will only marry a man who knows life and has learned its sorrows.
Ann: I see, a widower.

1. Here are some proverbs and sayings. Read them and find the Russian equivalents. Use the proverbs in a natural context.

He that has a wife has a master.
As the baker so the buns, as the father so the sons.
Necessity is a hard nurse, but she raises strong children.
To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth.

2. Read the following passage and answer the questions after it:

Here are brief descriptions of the men of the first three months of the year.

The January Men do most things rather slowly. So if your man is one of these, do not expect a lightning courtship or a very speedy marryiage - though if born before December 28th he will do a little faster. Let him do all the wooing himself, for he likes to be the leader and to make up his own mind.

Don’t look for him to be a picturesque wooer. He won’t often call you pet names or tell you he loves you. But to the right girl he shows a deep devotion, expressed in deeds of kindness rather than in words.

He is very ambitious. Nothing and nobody must stand in the way of his career. Take a real interest in his work if you want to win and keep him.

The girls who are happiest with January men are those born under the zodiac signs of Taurus, Virgo and his own sign of Capricorn.

The February Men are those with birthdays between January 21st and February 20th. You are quite likely to meet this man in a club or institution, for he is interested in all such things and will like you to be.

He is rather pessimistic. But he is fascinating, companionable, trustworthy and a very good father. Except financial ups and downs you may marry him, for his fortunes vary a good deal. The girl who weds him should preferably be born in his own sign or in those of Gemini or Libra.

The March Man makes an almost ideal lover, for he is romantic, deeply affectionate, unselfish and very generous. If he loves a girl he will adapt to her opinions, spend his last penny on her and do everything in the world to show his devotion. At the same time, such a blind love exacts constant attention in return.

He adores travel and often meets his future wife on a journey or staying abroad. He hates long engagements. As he is usually lucky with money when young, the wedding bells are likely to ring soon.

The ideal wife for him is one born under the signs of Cancer or Scorpio, or failing these, in his own sign of Pisces.

Signs of Zodiac.

Aries - Овен (21.03. - 19.04.)

Taurus - Телец (20.04. - 20.05.)

Gemini - Близнецы (21.05. - 20.06.)

Cancer - Рак (21.06. - 22.07.)

Leo - Лев (23.07. - 22.08.)

Virgo - Дева (23.08. - 22.09.)

Libra - Весы (23.09. - 22.10.)

Scorpio - Скорпион (23.10. - 21.11.)

Sagittarius - Стрелец (22.11. - 21.12.)

Capricorn - Козерог (22.12. - 19.01.)

Aquarius - Водолей (20.01. - 18.02.)

Pisces - Рыбы (19.02. - 20.03.)

Questions

1. Do you trust in the zodiac signs descriptions of people?

2. What zodiac sign were you born under? Do you know the name of your zodiac sign in English?

3. Have you a friend born under the zodiac sign of Taurus (Virgo or so on)? Do you appreciate her / his character? Is he / she a good friend?

4. What sign was your mother (father) born under?