UNIT 1. ABOUT MYSELF

Read, translate and retell the text.

 

First of all let me introduce myself. My name is … .I’m seventeen years old. I am a first – year student of the Orenburg State Pedagogical University. There are two more kids in the family besides me – my elder brother Oleg and my younger sister Maria. Oleg is twenty-one, he attends a University, he will be a dentist. Maria is only twelve, she is a schoolgirl. I forgot to mention one more member of our family. It’s our favorite poodle Tim.

My parents are not old at all. My Mum is forty, she works for newspaper. My Dad is forty-four, he is an engineer in computers. My parents love their jobs very much.

I’m doing quite well at the University. My parents are proud of my marks. I go in for sports. I am good at different sport games but I prefer playing basket-ball. I take part in different basket-ball competitions. In summer time I like swimming and boating. In 4 years I will graduate from the University and I will work as a teacher.

My grandparents are already retired. They like gardening and spend all their time growing tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries, raspberries.

 

ADD TO YOUR ACTIVE VOCABULARY:

to introduce – представлять

let me introduce myself – разрешите представиться

to attend a university – ходить в университет

course – курс

favorite – любимец, любимый

poodle – пудель

to forget – забывать

job – работа

proud – гордый

to be proud of smth. – гордиться чем-либо

to go in for sports – увлекаться спортом

occupation – занятие, род занятий, профессия

to be retired – быть на пенсии

Ex. 1. Answer the questions:

1. Do you go to school or Institute?

2. What course are you at?

3. How old are your parents?

4. Are you the only child in the family?

5. Do you have a pet?

6. Are your grandparents still alive?

7. Do you go in for sports?

8. Do you like reading?

9. Do you take part in any competitions?

10. You are a good student, aren’t you?

Ex.2. Fill in the blanks with the required forms of the verb to be in the Present Tense:

1. I ... twenty.

2. You ... thirty.

3. They ... doctors.

4. She ... a swimmer.

5. He ... a very good friend.

6. We ... very busy in summer.

7. One of my friends ... fond of reading.

8. Football ... the most popular kind of sport.

9. My father … proud of my marks.

10. My friends … good at different sport games.

Ex. 3. Translate the sentences using the verb to be:

1. Мне 17 лет. 2. Его брат – студент. 3. Она из Оренбурга. 4. Её мама – инженер. 5. Её брата зовут Борис. 6. Сейчас я – студент первого курса. 7. Наш корпус очень большой и красивый. 8. Мы – студенты педагогического университета. 9. Я счастлив. 10. Он устал. 11. Она очень рада.

Ex. 4. Read a letter from an English friend and fill in the table:

Good day,

How are you? I am writing to you hoping that we can become friends.

My name is Jenny Blake. I am 20 years old. I am from Great Britain.

I am looking for pen pals with similar interests and from any country. I live in a small village near Birmingham in England. There are 9 of us in my family: my parents, my grandma, my two brothers, my sister-in-law, my nephew, my sister and me.

My parents Jim and Kate are 49 and 48 years old. They have a small business.

My granny Emma was a nurse at the local hospital but now she is retired. She is 75. She takes care of the family and cooks meals.

My elder brother Thomas is 30. His wife is 28 years old. Her name is Betty. They have a little son Ronald. My parents and Granny adore him. My brother is a driver and Betty is a housewife.

My brother Andy is 27 years old and he doesn’t live with us. He is a designer and works for a big company in London. He comes home every year for Christmas.

My sister Mary is younger than me, she is 16. She goes to our local school. She is very clever. She is good at biology and chemistry. Her dream is to become a pharmacist.

As for me I help my parents with their work. But I am also a first year student at the University of Birmingham. I will be a Computer Engineer. I participate in an online distance learning program. That means I take classes online and communicate with my professors and other students through the Internet. My teachers and fellow students live in different places. But twice a year I come to Birmingham and take my exams.

I hope after graduating from the university I’ll work as a Software Designer.

In my free time I go in for sports. I enjoy swimming and tennis. My sister and I also like riding our bikes. I don’t read a lot. I prefer going to the cinema. I often listen to the music from my iPod. It is mostly rock but sometimes classical music.

Now I’m very interested in various cultures and would like to meet people from other countries.

What is your name? Where are you from? How many people are there in your family? How old are they? What do they do? What are they like? What do they look like? What do you like doing in your free time? What are your plans for the future?

Hope to hear from you soon,

Jenny.

Name	Family status	Age	Job
Jenny
Jim
Kate
Emma
Thomas
Betty
Andy
Mary