I. Text About myself

Hello, friends. My name is Andrey, my surname is Ivanov. I am 17 years old. My birthday is on the 25th of October. I live in Khabarovsk. It’s my native city. I'm a first-year student of Far Eastern State Transportation University. My father wanted me to follow in his footsteps and become a businessman, but I think this profession is not good for me. I am not interested in business or economics. I want to become a programmer. I am interested in computers. My favourite subjects at school were mathematics, physics and computer science. That’s why I’ve entered the Institute of Operation, Automation and Telecommunication. I think that the profession of a programmer gives a lot of opportunities. We are living in the age of information and I think that the future is just filled with computers. I spend much time online, surfing the Net in search of interesting information in different spheres of life and technology. It's my favourite pastime.

Reading is the best way of relaxation for me. I prefer to read science fiction, fantasy, historical novels or detective stories. My favourite book is “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are brilliantly written, full of bizarre crimes and they’ve got a terrific Victorian atmosphere. When you read them you really feel like you’ve been carried back to the nineteenth-century London.

Sport is an essential part of my life. I can play basketball and football rather well. I get a real joy taking part in competitions or simply playing with my friends. I'm also fond of swimming. I'm very happy that on the campus there are excellent sports facilities: a stadium, a well-equipped gymnasium, a swimming-pool.

I think, I am open and friendly – I get on well with most people – but I’m sometimes quite shy too. For example, I don’t like going to parties; I find it difficult to meet new people. I’m hard-working and ambitious. I set high goals for myself and I work hard to achieve them. I don’t respect rude, selfish and aggressive people. I hate it when people lie and don’t keep their promises.

I have a lot of dreams and plans. I would like to improve my English and to learn one more language - either Japanese or Korean. Learning languages is important for me because I want to know what's going on around me in the world. With recent developments in technology the world is changing rapidly in many fields such as engineering, arts, medicine and it's important for me to keep up with these changes.

Another dream is travelling all over the world. I'd be glad to see as many countries and cities as possible. So far I've been to Moscow and St. Petersburg. We went there with my parents three years ago. St Petersburg impressed me greatly by its magnificent architecture. I've never been abroad.

Now, as I've become a student, my life has changed. I have much less free time now than I had at school. I can't see my friends as often as I used to do or do something just for pleasure. I have to learn not to waste my time. Student's life is hard sometimes, but it's also very interesting. I think, you agree with me, don't you?