1.1 Dialogues

• You say you have an elder sister. What’s her name?

• Katerina, Katya for short. She was named after our granny. Father wanted her to be named after his mother.

• Really? We both have sisters and each of them is called Kate or Katya.

• Well, Kate is quite a popular British name just as Katya is popular with the Russian people.

* * *

• Let me introduce myself to you. I am Pete Karpov.

• How do you do, Mr Karpov. My name is John Bush.

• How do you do, Mr Bush. I am a teacher of Biology. What do you do?

• I am an agronomist from California.

• Pleased to meet you, Mr Bush.

• Glad to get acquainted with you, Mr Karpov.

* * *

• Я знаю, что у тебя две сестры и брат, не так ли?

• Not quite so. I have a sister, a brother and a cousin, but she lives with us, because her parents work on contract in the North.

• Понятно. У меня тоже есть брат, а еще у меня есть два двоюродных брата и одна двоюродная сестра. Но они живут в другом районе, и мы видимся не так часто. У старшего двоюродного брата есть маленькая дочка. Так что я тетя, и у меня есть племянница.

• It’s great. I like small children. They are so funny. Is she pretty?

• Очень. У нее темные волосы и зеленые глаза. Она похожа на своего отца.

• You also have green eyes and dark hair.

• My niece looks a bit like me. Мне это нравится. How many people are in your family?

• We are two: my Mom and me. But we are very happy together.

* * *

- Your name is Mary Bright, isn’t it?

• Нет, меня зовут Анна Блэк. Я секретарь, живу и работаю в Вашингтоне. А вас как зовут?

• My name is John Miller. I am an architect. I live and work in Boston. Are you married, Ann?

• Нет, я еще не замужем. Мне девятнадцать лет. Я живу с родителями. Мой отец художник, а мать - домохозяйка. А вы женаты?

• Yes, I am. I have a wife and two sons. My wife is a teacher, my sons go to school.

• У вас есть родители?

• Да, они живут в Германии. Отец работает в фирме, производящей мясные продукты, а мама не работает.

• Do you often visit your parents?

• Once or twice a year. We are very busy.

• I see.

1.2 Questions

1. When were you born? Where are you from?

2. How many are you in your family?

3. What relatives have you got?

4. What do your parents do?

5. Where do you live now?

6. What can you say about your elder (younger) brother (sister)?

7. What does your sister (brother) look like?

8. How often do you go home?

9. What can you say about your family?

10.In what places do your relatives live?

11.Do you have a niece (nephew)? Describe her (him).

12.How many people are in your aunt’s (uncle’s) family? Who are they?

2 My Day

I get up at 7 o’clock in the morning. I do my morning exercises, wash and dress. Then I sit down to breakfast. At 8 I leave home and go to the University. Our hostel is situated near the University, so I am there in 10 minutes. Some students live rather far from the University, so they take a bus or a trolley or even a taxi bus not to be late.

Our classes begin at 8.30. Usually we have one or two lectures, a seminar and a practical lesson in the laboratory. Once or twice a week we have English. At our English lessons we read texts, translate them, ask and answer questions and do all sorts of exercises. We want to know English well and many students of our University need it to study abroad and to work in England during summer holidays.

At 12 a.m. I usually have lunch at the students’ canteen. After classes I sometimes stay at the University and work in one of the reading halls. I can find practically every necessary book on any subject there, so I don’t need to visit a city library. I study hard because good education is valuable nowadays.

When I return to my hostel I am usually tired, so I have a short rest and cook supper. Then I do my homework. At 11 o’clock I go to bed.

Sunday is my day off. I get up later than usual. I needn’t hurry anywhere on this day and I like it very much. On Sunday I can go to the cinema or theatre, to the skating rink in winter, to the park in summer. If I have free time during the week I visit my friends, read books, go for a walk, listen to music.

A student’s life is rather busy but we try to find time for work and for fun.