How I met my future wife

I had been dating a German woman, Tanja, for 3 years. We had a dysfunctional relationship, but there were times when she was a lot of fun. Tanja had relatives that lived in Delton on a 150 acre parcel. Tanja put together a party there and invited a couple of dozen guests. My future wife was one of them, and we chatted only but a few words the entire night.

Months later, Tanja wanted to go play pool with her friend Mohammad. He wanted to bring his sister, so we met them at the bar. Other than saying "Hello" when we arrived, I didn't speak at all to his sister. But I carried on a conversation with Mohammad.

We went out with them again several months later. This time, while Mohammad and Tanja were chatting, his sister and I were talking away. For a few hours that evening we chatted. At that point I still emotionally belonged to Tanja, so nothing was going to develop from this. But this is where I first socially met my future wife.

So at just over 3 years into our relationship, Tanja and I took a 2 week trip with her parents. Each day we drove about 8 hours. Well, this trip put a strain on our already fragile relationship. About 3 weeks after returning from the trip I realized that I was the unhappiest I had ever been. So on Wednesday, August 23, 1993, I broke up with Tanja.

It was 3 days after I broke up with Tanja, Saturday. One of those items was writing a letter for her friend Mohammad. So I composed a letter with the limited information available to me. I then called the only number I had for him so that I could drop off the letter. Apparently, his sister was living with her twin brother Ali, and Mohammad was in Germany at that time.

At this particular moment in my life, I was NOT looking to start a new relationship; I was struggling to get out of the one I was currently in. So when Mohammad's sister answered the phone I was simply thinking "Can I quickly drop this letter off to you, so I can mark one more thing off my list of things to do?" So Mohammad's sister invited me over, but she was in a hurry and would only be there for 10 minutes or so. So I drove over, knocked on the door, said Hi and handed her the letter. I was ready to turn around and leave. But somehow, a conversation started regarding the content of the letter and we stood there in the hallway of her apartment talking for about 15 minutes. During that 15 minutes I became interested in her.

I found that she was interesting and I wanted to get to know her. So I invited myself along by asking if she would mind having my company.

She was getting ready to move to San Francisco, so she went to a news stand to pick up the San Francisco Chronicle to find an apartment. We browsed for a while, chatted, and then as we were leaving (I didn't want our time together to end), I asked her if she liked coffee.

After she affirmed, I gave her directions to "The Coffee Joint", an art-deco coffee shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. We ended up sitting there for 5 hours talking (I don't drink coffee, yuck). 6 pm rolls around and I still didn't want our date to end, so I asked and we went to see a movie a short time later, "True Lies". I enjoyed the movie and it gave me a little time to think about my own feelings. I began to worry about rebound since I just broke up with my girlfriend of over 3 years. When the movie finished, I was still wanting to spend more time with the woman who now had my full attention.

I'm not that chatty of a person, but we never ran out of things to talk about; there was a natural comfort. We arrived and discovered a pier that stretched out into the lake about a 1/4 of a mile. We walked, and sat, talked and joked, watched the Sun set and the moon come up. We left around 11 pm and I drove her back to her brother's place.

The next day, she invited me to one of her friends birthday party. But in the morning she was unavailable because one of her instructors was to take her flying in his airplane. So we met up again during Sunday afternoon. The party was casual and fun. I met her boyfriend, little Mikey. A three year old boy who gave my wonderful friend a lot of attention. She liked being around kids.

The next day, Monday, I called after getting off of work. My girlfriend was a little concerned because things were going too fast. She wanted to slow down and not see me for a couple of days. So I agreed. We ended up talking on the phone for hours.

Then on Tuesday, I called again, and we talked for about 8 hours with my new girlfriend.

Saturday, we had been walking around the downtown mall. And it felt right for me, it had for several days. So on Saturday, August 27, 1994 on a Mall bench, late at night, at the Kalamazoo Center. I sat on my legs before her while she sat on the bench, I leaned up to her, and I asked her to marry me...

A1 The narrator told that

1) his future wife’s name was Tania

2) he met his future wife at a party

3) they always had a lot of fun with Tania

4) the narrator spoke to Mohammad’s sister at the bar

A2 Tania and the narrator

1) had over 3-year relationship

2) took a 2- week sea journey

3) were very happy together

4) broke up on Monday

A3Mohammad’s sister

1) loved his brother very much

2) was living alone

3) was looking to start a new relationship

4) answered the phone

A4 During those 15 minutes

1) they fell in love

2) the narrator wanted to know more about her

3) they both were in a hurry

4) Mohammad was reading the letter

A5His future wife

1) was living in San Francisco at that moment

2) always wanted to buy a luxurious apartment

3) liked to read San Francisco Chronicle

4) was going to move to San Francisco

A6The narrator

1) hoped to see a thrilling movie

2) wanted his date not to end

3) wasn’t thirsty

4) came from Michigan

A7 His girlfriend was afraid of

1) get married to him

2) long relationship

3) slowing down

4) things going too fast

Раздел 3. ЛЕКСИКА И ГРАММАТИКА

. Прочитайте приведенный ниже текст. Преобразуйте слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами после номеров 1 - 7 так, чтобы они грамматически и лексически соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски полученными словами.

In today's world __B1______ is a common word among people who love to post their profile and upload their photographs on social networking sites, __B2_______sites and/or dating sites. But even before the evolution of the Internet, people were familiar with dating in a more __B3_______ way. Dating has evolved from supervised dating to one night stands. A brief ___B4______ of dating in America will help us to know more about the differences of dating between past and the present times. Until the early 1800s,____B5______ were considered more seriously than dating; marriages were based on social standings and not based on couple's __B6__________ or "love at first sight". The late 1800s saw a transition in dating as it became more formal. Approval from parents was needed. At this time dating was ___B7_______ with romantic relationship or courtship.

DATE FRIEND TRADITION HISTORICAL   MARRIAGE ATTRACTIVE   SYNONYME

Прочитайте приведенный ниже текст. Преобразуйте слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами после номеров 8-14 так, чтобы они грамматически соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски полученными словами.

In the early 1900s dating between couples __B8________ by their parents. Guardians observed the interaction and discussion between couples. The ___B9______ mother invited the boy to her house and chaperoned the meeting. This period witnessed a trend in public dating. The mid 1900s ___B10_______a great change in the style and values of dating, People __B11__________ to know about each other through dating and were more influenced by their peers and they determined the rules of dating. People ____B12______by movies and advertisements. There was no "supervision" and interactions between couples were without any commitment. Dating became synonymous with dancing as dancing on the first date ____B13_______ for a more serious relationship. Dating became common among high school students during the 50s and the 60s as there were more weekly dating, exchange of phone calls and physical intimacy which led to early marriages among couples. Prior importance was given to love and this was considered as a main reason for a happier marriages. Presently dating ___B14______ more synonymous with infidelity as married couples are having affairs with either their colleagues or "old school friends". Thanks to the online revolution and transition in thinking!

SUPERVISE GIRL   SEE COME INFLUENCE CONSIDER     BECOME

Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами А8 – А15. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям А8 –15, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Обведите номер выбранного вами варианта ответа.

Most likely it is not A8_________that you have visited Online Dating "Blind Date" website. You feel that it is time to create a strong family. Probably you like beautiful Russian women, but you A9_________that it is really possible to find your love in the Internet. It is normal. However, most people don’t admit it. A10_______1995 we have helped lonely people to meet each other and create a family. Here was their luck! Get our A11______dating service right now. Here you will really find your love!

Anyone and everyone coming to a free dating site are in search of a new date and do you know what: their search might just end at YOU. The point here is how to make your profile more visible to these users amongst whom, you may find new friends. Go ahead and see for yourself the little things that can go a long way in making your profile more A12_______.
Be Regular In Logging On To Online Dating Site
This is as simple as that; when you log on to the dating services; you automatically increase your visibility as all profiles searched are sorted by time and date. The results shown in respect to the search are in accordance with the time you logged in to the dating site Our free online dating site was made with you in A13_______Whether you're interested in finding friends, dating or meeting your mate, this is a great way to meet new people. Best of all, you don't need to sit around waiting for someone to A14______you first. Fill out your profile to A15_______your interests and tell others what you're looking for, then get started! Browse to find other users who interest you, and send messages to start the conversation.

A8 1) accidental 2) unusual 3) occasional 4) bad

A91) think 2) doubt 3) suppose 4) seem

A10 1) till 2) for 3) until 4) since

A111) unique 2) lonely 3) alone 4) sole

A12 1) beautiful 2) attractive 3) clear 4) impressive

A13 1) mind 2) account 3) line 4) favor

A14 1) write 2) message 3) send 4) look

A15 1) show 2) express 3) share 4) choose

A8	A9	A10	A11	A12	A13	A14	A15

Раздел 4. ПИСЬМО

С1.You have 20 minutes to do this task.

You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend Jane who writes

I didn’t think it would be a problem for me to meet a boy. But now I’m 16 and I haven’t even been asked out on a date. I can’t find a boyfriend. I start to wonder if something’s wrong with me. It seems to me that Internet is just the only way to find one. Is it true? If it isn’t, could you suggest any other common ways? Tell me how did you find your boyfriend?

My cousin has just got married…

Write a letter to Jane.

In your letter

- answer her questions

- ask 3 questions about her cousin’s wedding.

Write 100-140 words.

Remember the rules of letter writing.

C2

You have 40 minutes to do this task.

Comment on the following statement.

Dating is often very expensive. In America and many other countries the boy and the girl often share expenses. In Russia it is usually the boy who pays for both people.