Text and vocabulary exercises

VII. Find the English equivalents for the following Russian words:

1. управляющий a. manager b. manage c. making

2. упорно a. hardly b. hardback c. hard

3. руководство a. guidance b. guilder c. guide

4. стипендия a. school b. schooling c. scholarship

5. степень a. decrease b. degree c. degrade

6. знание a. know b known c. knowledge

7. путешествовать a. travel b. trashy c. traps

8. студент a. student b. steady c. study

9.качество a. quality b. quantity c. quantum

VIII. Choose the right variant according to the text.

1. My father works as a teacher / manager in the company. 2. My elder brother has just graduated from Volgograd Pedagogical / Polytechnic University. 3. My mother is / isn’t very busy. 4. My elder / younger brother is twenty three. 5. I am a first / second -year student. 6. We take exams once / twice a year. 7. My future speciality is concerned with chemistry / physics. 8. I live far / not far from the university. 9. Water / air pollution is one of the most serious problems for today. 10. Fresh country air is also considered to be harmful / beneficial for health. 11. I am calm / nervous, never panic in a crisis. 12. My home city Volgograd is situated on the western / eastern bank of the Volga River.

IX. Find in the text equivalents to the following phrases:

окружающие меня люди; проводить много времени; под руководством; научный руководитель; заканчивать (высшее учебное заведение); проводить научно-исследовательскую работу; изучать различные предметы; сдавать экзамены два раза в год; используя свои знания в области ... ; загрязнение воздуха; бесплатное обучение; первая научная степень; добираться автобусом; мне требуется десять минут…; хорошо ладить друг с другом; окружающая среда без дыма (копоти); любимое место сбора; гордиться; общаться с вежливыми и умными людьми4 ненавидеть.

X. Answer the following questions.

1. How old is Olga Smirnova? 2. Who does her family consist of? 3. Is her elder brother taking a post-graduate course? What are her parents? 4. Is Olga a first-year student or a teacher? 5. What is her future speciality concerned with? 5. What is her ambition? Why? 6. How long does it take her to get to university? 7. What are her hobbies? 8. Is everyone in her family easy to get along with? 9. How do they spend their free time? 10. What does she appreciate in people? And what does she hate? 11. Why is Olga proud of her home city?

XI. Discuss in pairs Olga Smirnova and her family.

XII. Speak about Olga Smirnova and her family using Active Vocabulary and the expressions below:

I think … I (don’t) agree

I (don’t) think it’s a good idea to I don’t mind ….

I like … I quite like … / I really like

It is important to …

A good way to… is to … / The best way to …. is to …

XIII. Give your group mates some facts about yourself and your family.

XIV. Listen to the dialog and try to remember all facts about Jane’s relatives.

XV. Decide whether these statements are true or false.

a) Jane looks like her grandmother in youth.

b) Jane was already a teenager in 1975.

c) Jane has two aunts and three uncles all born in May.

d) Her uncles live in Chicago.

e) Uncle Bill is a farmer and has two sons.

f) Jack is Jane’s cousin. He is two years younger than Jane.

g) Uncle Bob is a producer and has three daughters.

h) Jane and her cousins used to put on her uncles’ clothes and pretended to be cowboys.

i) Jane has a younger brother. He goes to school.

g) Jane’s parents have been married for twenty years and are still in love.

k) Jane’s mother works for IBM as a software engineer.

l) Jane’s father is a surgeon. He is a workaholic.

m) Jane’s parents have no wedding pictures.

n) Jane has a happy family life.

12. Listen to the dialog again to check the facts. Create a comprehensive list of known Jane’s relatives and her relationship to them.