MY FAMILY

Hello, everybody! Let me introduce myself. My name is Pete. My surname is Ivanov. I was born on the 2^nd of November 1988 in Barguzin region. So, now I am 17 years old. According to the Russian law I am under age yet but in a year, when I am 18 years old, I will come of age. My sign of zodiac is a Scorpio, my animal zodiac is a Dragon. I am a very sociable and friendly person. My best friends love and respect me both for my candid and cheerful character and for my wit and sharp tongue. Frankly speaking I am a bit lazy but when it is necessary I can overcome this drawback.

After leaving school I entered the Buryat State Academy of Agriculture in Ulan-Ude. I study at the economics faculty. I am a first-year student. It is rather difficult to study at the Academy but I do my best to overcome all difficulties. I’ve got my life credo: “not to get but to obtain”. I’m hunting a job now. I can earn my pocket money this way. I don’t live with my parents as I am a student already. I am not from Ulan-Ude, that’s why I live in the students’ hostel near the Academy. My roommate, Paul, is a cool guy. On my weekends I often visit my parents and even help them about the house.

In my free time I am fond of reading, listening to music, watching TV, chatting with my friends and dating my girlfriend Helen. Helen is a wonderful girl. I’ve got a driving license and my cherished dream is to buy a car some day. As regards my sports activity, I am not particularly enthusiastic about it. So, I am not much of a sportsman, just sometimes I play football and basketball. But I’d like to go in for martial arts, in particular, karate. That’s the way I can protect myself and my girlfriend from different maniacs.

But most of all I am crazy about music, you know. It’s my passion. I like different kinds of music but mostly dance one. Though when I am in my bad mood I prefer lyrical music to dynamic one. Classical music leaves me cold. I’ve got rather a good voice and I play guitar pretty well. That’s why I enjoy imitating the voices of our popular singers. They say I’m rather good at it. My favourite male singer is Elton John, my favourite female singer is Mariah Carey and my favourite group is “The Beatles”. So, my friends call me “life and soul” of any party.

As for my family, it is rather large. I’ve got mother, father, a sister, two brothers and grandparents.

My dad, Mr. Ivanov, is an engineer and a good one at that. He likes his job and spends much time there. He is a very busy man. By character my dad is a quiet person, while my mum is very energetic and talkative. My mother, Mrs. Ivanova, works as a teacher of English at school. She is a very beautiful and elegant woman. She is the best mum in the world. My parents are of the same age. They are both 52 years old.

My grandparents are pensioners. My grandmother is an active lady and she helps the family a lot. She knits, makes clothes, does most of the cooking and looks after the house. My grandfather retired on a pension at 60 but he is still in very good health and full of life and energy. They live with our family since my dad is their only son.

My elder sister’s name is Ann. She is 27 years old. She is married. Her husband Victor is my brother-in-law. He is a big wig in our region. He is a businessman. Their wedding was so splendid with lots of famous people. They spent their honeymoon in Egypt. Ann is a typical housewife as they have a little daughter Lucy. My little niece is only 6 months. The baby is a smart little darling and we all are very charmed with this pretty girl. Ann used to be a teacher, but now she is her daughter’s mum, nurse, cook, tutor and what not. They’ve got a cosy house next to our place.

My eldest brother’s name is Nick. He is 30 years old. Nick is 13 years my senior. He works as a manager for MTS company in Ulan-Ude. He is also married. His wife Linda is my sister-in-law. She works for the same company. Nick is a very good and wise guy. I can trust him all my secrets. They have two sons, Alexander and Anton. My nephews are twins. They are 10 years old. They are schoolboys. They are fond of roller-skating, riding their bicycles and playing computer games.

My younger brother Vladimir is only 15 years old. He is two years my junior. He is a schoolboy. He is rather handsome and all girls are crazy about him. But his cherished dream is to date only “Miss Universe” or at least some top-model. I think it is rather stupid of him. He is going to enter the Moscow State University.

There’s one more member in our family. We’ve got a cat, Bonny by name. Bonny is our family pet and we all adore him.

Of course I’ve got lots of relatives: aunts, uncles and cousins but I love my own family most of all. We are very friendly and we are always glad to meet at home.

 

 

Exercise 4. Answer the following comprehension questions.

1. Who is the text about?

2. When and where was Pete born?

3. How old is he?

4. Is Pete a pupil or a student?

5. Does Pete study at the Buryat State Academy of Agriculture or at the Buryat State University?

6. What year is Pete in?

7. Where does Pete live and why?

8. What does Pete usually do in his free time?

9. Where does Pete’s family live?

10. Is his family large or small?

11. How many members are there in his family?

12. Where do Pete’s parents work?

13. Pete hasn’t got any grandparents, has he?

14. Do Pete’s grandparents still work?

15. How many sisters and brothers does Pete have?

16. What are their names and how old are they?

 

Exercise 5. Complete the following sentences.

1. Pete’s age is …

2. In a year, when Pete is 18, he will …

3. Pete’s sign of zodiac is a …

4. By character Pete is …

5. Pete studies at …

6. Pete lives in …

7. In Pete’s free time he is fond of …

8. Pete isn’t much of a …

9. Pete’s family is …

10. Pete’s dad is …

11. Pete’s mum works as a …

12. Pete’s grandparents are …

13. Pete’s elder sister’s name is …

14. Pete’s brothers’ names are …

 

 

Exercise 6. Draw the Ivanovs’ family tree and complete the sentences by matching the proper

relationship. Use the topical vocabulary.

 

Model: - Mr. Ivanov and Mrs. Ivanov are Pete’s …

- Mr. Ivanov and Mrs. Ivanov are Pete’s parents.

1. Pete is his parents’ … 2. Ann is her parents’ … 3. Mr. Ivanov is Pete, Ann, Nick and Vladimir’s … 4. Mrs. Ivanova is Pete, Ann, Nick and Vladimir’s … 5. Pete, Ann, Nick and Vladimir are their grandparents’ … 6. Pete, Nick and Vladimir are their grandparents’ … 7. Ann is her grandparents’ … 8. Ann is Pete’s … 9. Victor is Ann’s … 10. Victor is Pete’s … 11. Victor is Mr. Ivanov and Mrs. Ivanova’s … 12. Nick and Vladimir are Pete’s … 13. Linda is Nick’s … 14. Linda is Pete’s … 15. Linda is Mr. Ivanov and Mrs. Ivanova’s … 16. Mr. Ivanov is Victor’s … 17. Mrs. Ivanova is Victor’s … 18. Ann’s daughter Lucy is Pete’s … 19. Nick’s sons Alexander and Anton are Pete’s … 20. Ann is Alexander and Anton’s … 21. Pete, Nick and Vladimir are Lucy’s … 22. Pete’s grandparents are Lucy, Alexander and Anton’s …

mother-in-law father son father-in-law uncles great-grandparents daughter mother wife niece daughter-in-law nephews husband son-in-law sister aunt grandson granddaughter grandchildren brother-in-law brothers sister-in-law

 

 

Exercise 7. Interview Mrs./Mr. Ivanov about her/his children (do this work in your group or in

pairs)

 

a) You want to know if:

- Pete studies at the Buryat State Academy of Agriculture or at the Buryat State University

- he is a first- or a second-year student

- Pete lives in his hostel room alone or not

- Pete’s parents are farmers or not

- Pete is the only child in the family

- their children are married

 

b) You want to know:

- how old are their children

- where their son-in-law works

- where their daughter-in-law works

- how Pete’s grandparents help the family

- how many grandchildren they have got

 

 

Exercise 8. When you want to show doubt, surprise or interest, you usually respond to whatever

anyone says with a question. This is a conversation you might have with Pete’s

father.

 

a) Read the conversation and analyze the responses.

 

	Mr. Ivanov - Hello, I am Pete’s father. - I have got a family. - It isn’t a small family. - We live in Barguzin. - My wife is not a doctor. - We have got four children. - My daughter Ann is married. - She has got a daughter. - Ann loves her husband. - Pete is a student. - My son lives in Ulan-Ude. - But their grandparents don’t like pop-music. - My children know a lot of songs. - They can sing English songs. - Pete finished school last year. - Next year we will go to the South.	You (with doubt, surprise, interest) - Are you? - Have you? - Isn’t it? - Do you? - Isn’t she? - Have you? - Is she? - Has she? - Does she? - Is he? - Does he? - Don’t they? - Do they? - Can they? - Did he? - Will you?

b)Carry on a conversation of your own using exercise 4a as a model. Show your surprise,

interest or doubt to what Mr. Ivanov is saying.

Pete’s father uses the following phrases:

- to be an engineer;

- to be a teacher;

- to study at the Buryat State Academy of Agriculture;

- to knit and make clothes;

- to be crazy about music;

- to live in a hostel;

- to have a cosy house;

- to spend a honeymoon in Egypt.

 

 

Exercise 9. Respond to the following statements expressing your interest, surprise or doubt. Say

that this is true of someone else too (give two variants).

 

Model 1: - My brother is a student. (my sister).

· Student 1: My brother is a student.

· Student 2: Is he? So is my sister. // My sister is also a student.

 

- My brother lives in Ulan-Ude.(we).

· Student 1: My brother lives in Ulan-Ude.

· Student 2: Does he? So do we. // We also live in Ulan-Ude.

 

1. I’ve got a nice family (I)

2. My brother studies at the university (my sister)

3. Pete plays football well (my cousin)

4. My grandparents live with us (my parents)

5. My mother can do a lot of things (my aunt)

6. I love music (my brother)

7. My grandmother knits socks well (my mother)

8. My father has a car (my uncle)

9. I will be an economist (we)

10. Victor enjoys playing computer games (my friends)

11. I can make cakes (my cousin)

12. We have got a good flat (we)

 

 

Model 2: -My brother isn’t married. ( I ).

· Student 1: My brother isn’t married.

· Student 2: Isn’t he? Neither am I. // I am not married either.

 

-My brother doesn’t live in Moscow. (we).

· Student 1: My brother doesn’t live in Moscow.

· Student 2: Doesn’t he? Neither do we. // We don’t live in Moscow either.

 

1. My brother hasn’t failed at the exam (my sister)

2. I don’t like winter (my cousin)

3. I never get up early (I)

4. My granny never listens to modern music (my granddad)

5. Pete doesn’t live alone in the hostel (my sister)

6. My parents are never angry with me (my parents)

7. My father can’t cook (my brother)

8. My sister has never been to Moscow (my sister)

9. You mustn’t go alone late (you)

10. Victor doesn’t like when it rains (Kate)

11. My friends don’t study French (my friends)

12. Paul was a good student (I)

 

 

Exercise 10. Fill in your personal form.

 

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name:
Surname:
Patronymic:
Title (Mr./Mrs./Ms.):
Home address:
Phone No.:
E-mail:
Place of birth (country/city/village/region):
Date of birth (month/day/year):
Sign of zodiac:
Animal zodiac:
Age:
Native language:
Nationality:
Gender (male/female):
Marital status (single/married/divorced):
Hobbies:
Favourite clothes:
Favourite colours:
Favourite food, dish:
Favourite animals:
Favourite games:
Favourite movie:
Favourite movie star:
Favourite book, writer:
Favourite singer, group:
Character:
Family:
	- age – возраст - name / first name / given name – имя - surname / last name / family name - фамилия - patronymic / middle name – отчество - place of birth – место рождения - date of birth – дата рождения - gender – пол	- male – мужской - female – женский - marital status – семейное положение - single – одинокий, холостой, незамужняя - married – женатый, замужняя - divorced – разведенный/ разведенная - movie - кино

 

 

Exercise 11. Prepare the story about yourself and your family. Make use of the topical

vocabulary.

 

Exercise 12. Read the texts and find out what kind of person you are. Make use of the

information given below when describing yourself in the story about your family.

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