Text B: ABOUT MY FAMILY
Our family is not very large. I have got a mother, a father, a brother and a sister. We all live together in a new flat in one of the industrial
districts of Kursk.
My father Igor Ivanovich is 45 years old. He is a tall and well built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He works at a big plant as an engineer. He likes his profession and his work and spends most of his time there. By character my father is a quiet man, while my mother is energetic and talkative. Her name is Olga Petrovna. She is a teacher of Music. She plays the piano well. My mother always has a lot of work to do about the house and at school. She is a busy woman and we all help her.
My sister's name is Alla. Like her mother Alla has blue eyes and lovely fair hair. She is a very good-looking girl. Alla is 3 years younger than me. She is a pupil of the 9th form. She does well at school and gets only good and excellent marks. Literature is her favourite subject and she wants to become a teacher, the same as me.
My name is Tanya. Last year I left school and tried to enter the University. But I failed in my exams. For a year I worked at school as a secretary and attended preparatory courses. Now I'm again an applicant for entry to the Philological faculty of the University. I hope to be lucky this time.
Our family is very united. We like to spend time together. In the evenings we watch TV, read books and newspapers, listen to music or just talk about the events of the day. Our parents don't always agree to what we say but they listen to our opinion. All of us like to spend our week-ends out of town. We often go to the village where our grandparents live. They are old-aged pensioners now but prefer to live in the country.
My grand-grandmother is 93. She lives in my grandmother's family and is always glad to see us. She is in poor health and so we took care of her.
I also have many other relatives: uncles, aunts, cousins and many friends. We are happy when we are together.
Text C: BRITISH FAMILIES
British families are usually small. An average family consists of a mother, a father and two or three children. No one is really sure how it is possible to have four children. It is quite rare in Britain for grandparents, aunts and uncles to share the house with the family. However, families often share the house with dogs, cats, goldfish and even rabbits which they keep, not to eat, but as pets.
Text D: (a dialogue)
Nick: Mum, I want to tell you something important.
Mother: What is it, dear?
Nick: I'm going to get married.
Mother: Get married?! You must be joking.
Nick: Nothing of the kind. It's my final decision.I'm not a child
any more.
Mother: Good heavens! But you are only 18. I hope you are not serious.
Nick: Absolutely serious.
Mother: But who is that poor thing?
Nick: It's Helen, you know her. Helen is a dream of a girl.
T e x t A: HOBBY.
They say that the best kind of job is a well-paid hobby. Naturally, this is an ideal situation, not always found in real life. Of course, if you are a creative person, you have no time for anything besides your main activity, fully expressing yourself in it. But everybody needs some rest even from one's favourite occupation. That's why people invented hobbies.
People get kick out of doing most extraordinary things. The most widespread hobby is collecting. People would collect anything, from stamps and coins to old bottles and dolls. Then, there are a lot of do-it-yourself activities, building models of ships, cars, houses. People also like growing exotic plants, cacti, flowers. So, you can really take your pick.
I can't say that I am really mad about this or that kind of leisure activity. I tried collecting stamps, they are so nice and informative. But gradually my interest just faded away, and I gave my collection to my friend for his birthday. Then I moved on to collecting recordings of the pop groups I liked, but after a while it seemed pointless because music radio stations play old and new hits all the time. I go on doing it, but I wouldn’t call it a hobby.
I like dancing at some club or disco, but it's just a way of spending time, not a hobby really. Best of all I like reading. It's a very quiet occupation, and it does not require any particular skill or ability. But that's what gives me the greatest pleasure. I prefer short stories. One short story by Chekhov, Kuprin, Saroyan or Salinger can be more powerful than a long novel. They are funny and tragic at the same time, just as life is.
ACTIVE VOCABULARY
the best kind of smth to collect stamps
a well-paid hobby to be informative
an ideal situation to fade away
not always found in real life to move on to collecting recording
a creative person after a while
to have no time for anything to be (seem) pointless
besides music radio stations
to have some rest from to play old and new hits
one's favourite occupation to go on doing smth
to invent hobbies a way of spending time
to get a kick out of doing smth a very quiet occupation
the most widespread hobby to require some particular skills or
from stamps to coins ability
old bottles. to give the greatest pleasure
do-it-yourself activity to prefer
to grow exotic plants to be more powerful than a long
cacti novel
to take one's pick to be funny and tragic
to be mad about smth at the same time
a kind of leisure activity
I. Answer the questions:
1. Have you a hobby?
2. What is your hobby?
3. What are you fond of?
4. What are you interested in besides your main activity?
5. Have you chosen your hobby according to your character?
6. Have you any spare time for anything besides your studies?
7. Can you fully express yourself in your hobby?
8. Do you need a rest from your favourite occupation?
9. Do you get a kick out of doing any extraordinary things?
10. How do you usually spend your leisure time?
11. Do you like music/ theatres / reading / sport, etc?
12. Are you fond of computer games?
13. Have you ever collected anything?
14. What do rich people usually collect?
15. Where are valuable private collections given to?
16. Have you an opportunity of learning from your hobby?
17. What is the most exciting aspect of your hobby?
