The family album
Nick: There are many photos in your family album, Ann. Could you tell me what relations you have with the people in the picture?
Ann: All right. Look here. This is our family photo on the first page. This is my father, mother, my younger sister and myself.
Nick: Oh, your parents look very young. How old are they?
Ann: My father is 40 and my mother is 36. She is a shop assistant.
Nick: And your father? He wears a uniform. Is he a military man or a militiaman? Ann: He is a military man and serves in the Far East. We are going to his place next year after I finish school.
Nick: It's a pity. I thought we could study together at the Institute.
Ann: I'm afraid not. But my sister who is two years my senior may stay here together with our grandparents as there's no secondary school at the place where my father serves.
Nick: Is this the picture of your grandparents?
Ann: You are right. Here it is.
Nick: And whose photo is this?
Ann: My friend's. Her name is Kate. She is pretty, isn't she?
Nick: She is very beautiful. Is she your class-mate?
Ann: Oh, no. Kate is a student. She lives next door to me.I have many girl-friends at school. We are all taken photo in this picture.
Nick: I see. And who is this smiling woman?
Ann: This is my father's elder sister. She is still young in the photo. Aunt olga is fifty already. She has a grown up daughter Helen. Helen is my cousin. She is married and has children of her own. They are my nephews. Look here! This is Helen's wedding photo. Isn't it nice?
Nick: Very beautiful! The couple is very kind and loving.
Ann: And can you recognize me in this baby?
Nick: It's hardly possible. You are crying bitterly but your mother is happy.
Read the text and discuss the following questions.
British families
British families are usually quite 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.
1. Are families in Britain the same as in our country?
2. What similarities and differences have you noticed from the passage?
Text 2. My working day.
Vocabulary:
week-day – будний день
wake up – будить
it's time – пора
get up – вставать (с постели)
morning exercises – утренняя зарядка
switch on (off) – включить (выключить)
go out – выходить
on foot – пешком
quarter – четверть
have a shower – принять душ
be over – заканчиваться
have breakfast (dinner, supper) – завтракать (обедать, ужинать)
do homework – выполнять домашнее задание
play chess – играть в шахматы
go to the pictures – ходить в кино
look through – просматривать
watch TV – смотреть телевизор
go to bed – ложиться спать
On week-days the alarm-clock wakes me up and my working day begins. It is seven o'clock. It's time to get up. Sometimes I do my morning exercises. Then I go to the bathroom to wash. At half past seven I sit down to breakfast. While I'm having breakfast, I switch on the radio and listen to the news. I have a cup of coffee and some sandwiches, take my bag and go out.
I live not far from the University. I study at the Russian State Vocational Pedagogic University. If I have time, I go to the University on foot. But more often I go there by trolley-bus. It takes me a quarter of an hour to get to the University by trolley-bus.
Classes begin at half past eight a.m. At twelve I have dinner at the students' canteen. After dinner we have classes till half past two, but sometimes our classes are over at half past four. After classes I go home. When I go home I seldom take a trolley-bus. I often go on foot. It doesn't take me much time to get home. I come home at about 6 p.m. At home I have supper and do my homework. I always do my homework in the evening, but I never work late in the evening.
Sometimes my friends come to my place and we listen to music or play chess, sometimes we go to the pictures or the theatre, but not very often. We talk almost about everything - books, music, poetry, politics and other countries, philosophy and life.
In the evening I like to read books or to look through the newspapers or magazines, or watch TV.
At twelve o'clock I go to bed.
