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Unit One

About My Family and Myself

My name is Natasha Novikova and I was born in Moscow on the fifth of October 1985. My family is not very large: I have a father, a mother and a brother. I was named after my granny and I'm very proud of it. I descend from the family of the office-workers.

My mother-tongue is Russian. I can also speak English a little as I learned it when at school.

Now I'm going to speak about my father. His name is Alexander Petrovich. He is 45. He is a computer engineer by education, but he is in business now. Their firm deals in modern TV sets and computers. He often goes on business trips to different cities of the country and abroad. After his trips he tells us many interesting stories about people, about different countries and their traditions. Though my father is a very busy man, he always finds time to sing a song with us and to listen to our problems. He is also handy with many things. He can fix almost everything: a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner, a fridge and what not. He likes sports. Basketball is his favourite. That's why he is still a very handsome tall man with broad shoulders, fair hair and grey eyes.

My mother's name is Anna Vladimirovna. She is four years younger than my father. She is shorter than my father. Her brown hair, small thin nose, blue eyes and open smile make her very beautiful. She is a doctor and she likes her work very much. My mum is fond of music and poetry. She also likes dancing and singing. She attended a music school. My mum plays the piano fairly well. She also does most of the cooking, washing, cleaning and tidying. She seems to be never tired. It's a wonder what her small but strong hands can do. Of course, we always try to help her as much as we can.

My brother's name is Victor. He is 12 and, naturally, he is still at school. He does very well at school, so his school reports are always excellent. He is especially very good at Maths and English. They are his favourite subjects. He says he wants to become a programmer.

He is like our mother: same hair, same eyes, same voice and same manners. Just like our mother, he is fond of music and likes singing and dancing very much. Just like our father, he is fond of sports. My brother is of great help to my parents.

I have a grandmother and a grandfather. They are my grandparents on my mother's side. As for my grandparents on my father's side, they are no more with us. They died many years ago, when I was a child.

My grandparents on my mother's side are not very old. They are under 65, and they are still in good health. My grandfather usually says that years are not important, for you are actually as old as you feel. As they live in the country they have a plot of land with a garden near their house and keep a small household. They are retired now. My Granny and Grandad enjoy seeing us at their house very much. So we often go to see them at weekends.

Besides, when summer comes, my brother likes to spend his holidays in the country at our grandparents'. So did I when I was his age.

I am a first-year student now. I left school last year. Choosing the right career to follow is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. As for me, I made my choice long ago. I want to become a good economist. That is why I have to study twice as hard as an ordinary student. I do not only do my best at the university, I also attend different student clubs and societies at the university. I am always very busy, but when I am free I like to read books and to visit the museums and art galleries. I have many friends and I like to travel. We visited a lot of interesting places in Russia and abroad.

Our family is very united. We enjoy the honest and open relationship in the family. There's never been a division between us, the children, and them, our parents. Freedom has made us close. Despite being very busy at home every day, my parents always find time to talk to us, to get aware of all our troubles and problems, to teach us basic practical skills. As you can see, we are all great friends in the family.

My Friend

I'd like to speak about my friend. His name is Nick and I consider him to be my best friend. He is 18 years old. He is of medium height, has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He is usually serious but when he smiles you can see at once his friendly nature.

Nick is a student of Yaroslavl University, Philological Department. It was not easy for him to enter the University, but he is so hardworking and intelligent that I never doubted his success.

Speaking about his family, I`d like to say that it is not large. There are four of them, He has a father, a mother and a brother. They live in a new flat in the centre of Yaroslavl. His father's name is Victor Pavlovich. He is 45. He is a tall and well-built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He works at a plant as an engineer. He likes his job and spends most of his time there. His father is a quiet man while his mother is energetic and talkative. His mother's name is Anna Petrovna. She is a teacher of music and plays the piano very well. She always has a lot of work at her school, but of course she manages to combine work and housekeeping. Nick's mother is a pleasant woman of 40 with beautiful chestnut hair and dark brown eyes.

Nick's brother Vitalik is only 11 and he goes to school. Vitalik is very funny and inquisitive. Besides, he is a football fan.

I could call their family friendly if Nick had no problems with his parents. They do not like the way he dresses, the kind of music he listens to and his hobbies. Nick does not care about getting dressed in the latest fashion, but he always looks neat. He prefers a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He is a Taurus [ 'to:res ] by the sign of the zodiac. As you know, Taurus means "the Bull", and he really has some traits of character that remind of this animal. He cannot only work hard, he can also go towards his goal steadily. And what I most like about him is that he knows what duty is. If he is to do something, he would do it.

Nick has a good sense of humour. He is a good mixer but he may be too direct. Sometimes his words offend me or other people. He says he does not care about people who are of no interest to him, and I think it is bad. I myself do not find it difficult to be tactful and friendly with the people I know. But this is the only thing we quarrel about. Very often I find his company terribly interesting.

My friend reads books. So do I. He is crazy about science fiction and historical novels. Sometimes we discuss the books we read and after these discussions I often learn something new about the life and the world around me. Nick is fond of modern pop and rock music. His favourite singers are Andrei Makarevich and Yuri Shevchuk.

As you see, my friend is an ordinary boy with his own merits and drawbacks. But as the English proverb says, "Nobody is perfect". To my mind, people can always change for the better if they want to. Of course, it also depends on those who he deals with. The main thing is that we trust each other and I am sure that when I am in trouble, he will be a friend indeed.


Далее: Unit Two Вверх: SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL    Unit One Назад: SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL    Unit One

ЯГПУ, Отдел образовательных информационных технологий
28.01.2011