III. Reading. Read the article “WHERE AN I FROM?

Read the article “WHERE AN I FROM? WHO AM I FROM?”

What was your grandmother's grandfather's job? Like many English people, I didn't know the answer to this question and I wasn't very interested. But more and more people want to know this sort of thing. Family history (or genealogy) is now the second most popular hobby in the UK. Websites like genealogy.com and ancestors.com have millions of visitors every day. What are the reasons for this change?

One reason is the internet. Now you can do a lot of family history work on your computer. But why do people do it? Is it because they want to find famous relations? 'No, it isn't,' says Eve Fuller from familyfinder.com, 'I started when my grandmother died. I wanted to know more about her background. It's my history.' Another genealogy fan, Adam Deen, says it's 'the Sherlock Holmes thing', the detective work: 'You look for clues,' he says. 'You learn surprising things.'

Some people learn things they don't want to know. 'Now I know why my family moved to New Zealand,' says Jenny Draper. 'My great-great-uncle murdered his wife!' Others find relations they don't want to know. Frank Stevens got in touch with a great-uncle: 'Now he phones me every day! But we have nothing in common!'

So, what was my great-great-grandfather's job? I found the answer after a few hours on familyfinder.com. He was a sheep farmer in Yorkshire. 'How boring!' I thought. 'Why am I doing this?' I still don't know why. But last weekend I took my daughter to a little Yorkshire village. 'This is where your great-great-great-grandfather lived,' I told her. 'Can we go home now?' she replied.

Match the paragraphs 1-4 to the descriptions a-d.

a The writer learns about her great-great-grandfather.

b The writer gives some reasons why family history is popular.

с The writer tells us that family history is popular in the UK.

d The writer finds that family history is not always a safe, quiet hobby.

Read the article again and tick True (T) or False (F) sentences.

1) A lot of people in the UK are now interested in family history.

2) Eve Fuller wants to find a famous relative.

3) One of Adam Deen's relatives was a detective.

4) Frank Stevens wants to talk to his great-great-uncle every day.

5) One of the writer's relatives worked with animals.

IV. Writing