Lesson 1. About myself / Знакомство

Exercise 1: Read and translate the text, learn the active vocabulary:

Let me introduce myself and my family

I am Nikita Kuznetsov. I’m 17 years old. I was born on the 5^th 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. – быть похожим, пойти в кого-либо из родителей

fair-haired – светловолосый

even-tempered – уравновешенный

to be in a good mood – быть в хорошем настроении

to be deeply attached to smb. – быть сильно привязанным к кому-либо

to get on well – быть в хороших отношениях, ладить друг с другом

good-looking – красивый, миловидный

slim – стройный

experienced – опытный, со стажем

broad-shouldered – широкоплечий

to repair – чинить

to be handy with smth. – уметь делать что-либо, быть искусным в чем-либо

she is good at cooking – она хорошо готовит

she is clever with her hands – у нее умелые руки

to tidy – убирать, приводить в порядок

retired – вышедший на пенсию

to run the house – вести хозяйство

to knit – вязать

joint stock company – акционерная компания

scientist – ученый

twins – близнецы

nursery school – детский сад

on the way home – по пути домой

to justify the hopes of my parents – оправдывать надежды моих родителей

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. Я родился 23 марта 1995 года в Москве.