I am Nikita Kuznetsov. I’m 17 years cold. I was born on the 5th of May in 1993. This year I have finished school No 1 in Astrakhan and entered the Astrakhan State Technical University. Now I’m a student of the Mechanical faculty. I always did well at school and studied with great pleasure. My favourite subjects at school were Mathematics, Literature and History. I’m fond of reading books about history and I’m fond of sports. I’ve got the first category in volleyball and I have many friends among sportsmen.
Now I want to tell you a few words about my family. My family is large. I’ve got a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, and a grandmother. There are six of us in the family.
I think I take after my father. I’m tall, fair-haired and even-tempered. I always try to be in a good mood.
We have got a lot of relatives. We are deeply attached to one another and we get on very well. We try to spend Sundays together as a family day. Our relatives often join us for tea or sometimes for dinner.
First of all, some words about my parents. My mother is a teacher of history. She works in a college. She likes her profession. She is a good-looking woman with brown hair. She is forty-seven but she looks much younger. She is tall and slim.
My father is a computer programmer. He is very experienced. He is broad-shouldered, tall man with fair hair and grey eyes. He is forty-nine. My father often sings and when we are at home and have some free time I play the guitar and we sing together. My father knows all about new TV sets and likes to repair old ones. He is also handy with many things.
My parents are hard working people. My mother keeps the house and takes care of all of us. She is very good at cooking and she is clever with her hands. She is very practical. My father and I try to help her with the housework. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy up our flat.
My grandmother is retired. She lives with us and helps to run the house. She likes to knit.
My elder sister Helen is twenty-four. She is married to a nice man and has a family of her own. They live in Moskow and rent a flat there. She works as an accountant for a joint stock company. Her husband Aleksey, 29, is a scientist and works in the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is a Candidate of Science and he will become a Doctor of Science in a year. They have got twins: a daughter and a son. Their children go to a nursery school.
My younger brother Sergey is eleven. He is a schoolboy of the sixth form. He wants to become a doctor but he is not sure yet.
As for me, I like to spend my free time with my friends. I have many friends and I have a steady girl-friend. I think my friends are very good and we do everything what is interesting for young people – talk, dance, listen to music. In fine weather we like to be out of town. We find a nice place somewhere on the bank of the river. We lie in the sun, play different games and swim. In winter my friends and I often go to the skating-rink, we like to skate and also to ski. At weekends we like to go to the cinema, we like films about adventures. On the way home we usually discuss the films we’ve seen.
As you see, my biography is not long but I’d like to say that I’m very happy to be a student and I hope I’ll become a good specialist after graduating from the University, I’ll get a well-paid and interesting job and justify the hopes of my parents.
Vocabulary
to take after smb. –áûòü ïîõîæèì, ïîéòè â êîãî-ëèáî èç ðîäèòåëåé
fair-haired – ñâåòëîâîëîñûé
even-tempered – óðàâíîâåøåííûé
to be in a good mood –áûòü â õîðîøåì íàñòðîåíèè
to be deeply attached to smb. – áûòü ñèëüíî ïðèâÿçàííûì ê êîìó-ëèáî
to get on well – áûòü â õîðîøèõ îòíîøåíèÿõ, ëàäèòü äðóã ñ äðóãîì
good-looking – êðàñèâûé, ìèëîâèäíûé
slim –ñòðîéíûé
experienced – îïûòíûé, ñî ñòàæåì
broad-shouldered – øèðîêîïëå÷èé
to repair – ÷èíèòü
to be handy with smth. – óìåòü äåëàòü ÷òî-ëèáî, áûòü èñêóñíûì â ÷åì-ëèáî
she is good at cooking – îíà õîðîøî ãîòîâèò
she is clever with her hands – ó íåå óìåëûå ðóêè
to tidy –óáèðàòü, ïðèâîäèòü â ïîðÿäîê
retired – âûøåäøèé íà ïåíñèþ
to run the house – âåñòè õîçÿéñòâî
to knit –âÿçàòü
joint stock company – àêöèîíåðíàÿ êîìïàíèÿ
scientist – ó÷åíûé
twins –áëèçíåöû
nursery school –äåòñêèé ñàä
on the way home – ïî ïóòè äîìîé
to justify the hopes of my parents – îïðàâäûâàòü íàäåæäû ìîèõ ðîäèòåëåé
Exercise 2: Answer the questions:
1. When was Nikita Kuznetsov born?
2. Has he got a family? Is his family large?
3. Does Nikita have much in common with his mother?
4. What is Nikita’s mother? Where does she work?
5. What is Nikita’s father?
6. What is Nikita’s mother good at?
7. Has Nikita got any brothers or sisters?
8. Does Nikita’s sister live in Astrakhan?
9. Does Nikita like to spend his free time with his friends?
10. What sort of things do they do together?
Exercise 3: Find the Russian equivalents for the following English words and word combinations:
To take after his mother; even-tempered; to try to be in a good mood; a lot of relatives; to be deeply attached to one another; to get on very well; a good-looking woman; to look much younger; a computer programmer; an experienced specialist; with fair hair and grey eyes; to repair TV sets; to be handy with many things; hard working people; to take care of her family; to tidy up our flat; retired; to run the house; to be fond of sports; to work in a joint stock company as an accountant; to go to the nursery school; to have a steady girl-friend; to be out of town; on the bank of the river; to skate; to ski; films about adventures; on the way home; to graduate from the University; a well-paid job; to justify the hopes of his parents.
Exercise 4: Insert the missing words from the text:
1. Now I’m a student of the … faculty.
2. I’m fond of reading books about … and I’m fond of sports.
3. I always try to be in a good … .
4. We try to spend Sundays together as a … day.
5. My father knows all about new TV sets and likes to repair … ones.
6. My mother is very good at cooking and she is … with her hands.
7. I have many friends and I have a … girl-friend.
8. In winter my friends and I often go to the … .
9. I’ll get a well-paid and interesting … and justify the hopes of my parents.
Exercise 5: Translate the following sentences into English:
1. ß ðîäèëñÿ 23 ìàðòà 1995 ãîäà â Ìîñêâå.
2.  ïðîøëîì ãîäó ÿ ïîñòóïèë â Òåõíè÷åñêèé Óíèâåðñèòåò.
3. ß óâëåêàþñü ñïîðòîì, îñîáåííî ÿ ëþáëþ èãðàòü â ôóòáîë.
4. Ìîé ñòàðøèé áðàò ïîõîæ íà îòöà, îí ñâåòëîâîëîñûé è øèðîêîïëå÷èé.
5. Ó ìåíÿ î÷åíü ìíîãî ðîäñòâåííèêîâ â Àñòðàõàíè, è ìû â î÷åíü õîðîøèõ îòíîøåíèÿõ.
6. Ìîÿ ìàìà ðàáîòàåò áóõãàëòåðîì, à ìîé ïàïà – äîêòîð.
7. ß ÷àñòî åçæó ê ñâîåé áàáóøêå â Âîëãîãðàä, êîòîðàÿ ñåé÷àñ íà ïåíñèè.
8. Ìîÿ ìëàäøàÿ ñåñòðà ÷àñòî ïîìîãàåò ìàìå ñ ðàáîòîé ïî äîìó.
9. Ìîé ñòàðøèé áðàò íå æèâåò ñ íàìè, îí ñíèìàåò êâàðòèðó.
10. Ìîÿ ìëàäøàÿ ñåñòðà çàêîí÷èò øêîëó ÷åðåç ãîä è ñòàíåò ñòóäåíòêîé íàøåãî óíèâåðñèòåòà.
11. ß ëþáëþ ïðîâîäèòü ñâîáîäíîå âðåìÿ ñî ñâîèìè äðóçüÿìè, ìû ÷àñòî õîäèì â êèíî.
12. Ëåòîì, êîãäà ïîãîäà õîðîøàÿ, ìû ëþáèì åçäèòü çà ãîðîä, ëåæàòü íà ñîëíöå, ïëàâàòü; çèìîé, ìû ÷àñòî êàòàåìñÿ íà êîíüêàõ è íà ëûæàõ.
13. ß õî÷ó ñòàòü õîðîøèì ñïåöèàëèñòîì è íàéòè õîðîøî-îïëà÷èâàåìóþ ðàáîòó ïîñëå îêîí÷àíèÿ óíèâåðñèòåòà.
Exercise 6: Retell about your family, your studies, hobbies, free time using the active vocabulary from the text.
Exercise 7. Read and translate the dialogue into Russian, learn it by heart:
Nick:Pleased to meet you. My name is Nick and yours?
Peter:My full name is Peter Popov. I am very glad to share a room with you in a hostel. I think we’ll get on well, shan’t we?
N: I hope so. What year student are you?
P: I’m a first-year student of the law faculty, I’m only 17. And you?
N: I am a second-year student. You see, I entered the University after the Army. So I’ll be 22 in two days.
P: My best congratulations, Nick. And what place do you come from?
N: I was born in Brest. It’s rather far from here. My family lives in the country. And what about your family?
P: My parents live in Molodechno. It’s not far from Minsk. It takes me two hours to get there by electric train. My father is an engineer and my mother is a teacher. I am the only child in our family. And have you got brothers or sisters?
N: Oh, my family is very large. I have parents, grandparents, two sisters and a brother.
P: Do you live together?
N: We all live in a big private house. The remarkable thing is that we practically never quarrel. Come and see us. I’ll be glad to introduce you to my family.
P: All right. I’ll be glad to know them all.
Exercise 8. Translate the sentences into English:
Ìåíÿ çîâóò Ìèõàèë. Ìíå 20 ëåò. ß ñòóäåíò âòîðîãî êóðñà ìåäèöèíñêîé àêàäåìèè. ß õî÷ó ñòàòü âðà÷îì è ðàáîòàòü â áîëüíèöå íàøåãî ãîðîäà. Ìíå íðàâÿòñÿ çàíÿòèÿ â èíñòèòóòå, è ÿ ñòàðàþñü íå ïðîïóñêàòü èõ.
ß ðîäèëñÿ â Âîëãîãðàäå, çàêîí÷èë øêîëó ¹5 è óåõàë ê áàáóøêå â Àñòðàõàíü. Ëåòîì ÿ îáû÷íî åçæó ê ðîäèòåëÿì. ß íå æåíàò, íî ó ìåíÿ åñòü äåâóøêà. Îíà òîæå ñòóäåíòêà ìåäèöèíñêîé àêàäåìèè.
Exercise 9. Read and translate the dialogue into Russian:
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! (Î áîæå!) But you are only 18. I hope you are not serious.
Nick: Absolutely serious.
Mother: But who is that poor thing? (áåäíÿæêà)
Nick: It’s Helen, you know her. Helen is my dream, the best girl I’ve ever met! I can’t see my life without her.
Mother: Oh, no! She is too young. She can’t even cook, likes good clothes and doesn’t work yet. Your marriage is sure to fall on my shoulders.
Nick: Don’t worry. It is not as bad as that. We are going to live with her family.
Exercise 10. Read and translate the text, learn the active vocabulary: