Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

1. Народы мира такие разные. Итальянцы открытые, они ценят семейные отношения, а англичане считаются сдержанными людьми, которые не любят выносить сор из избы (wash out one's dirty linen in public).

2. Нина и Вера - близнецы и, естественно, очень похожи внешне друг на друга. Но они совершенно не похожи по характеру. Нина спокойная, от-

крытая, приветливая. А Вера - довольно замкнутая, сдержанная. С ней не очень-то легко иметь дело. Но ее друзья говорят, что Вера - это тот человек, на которого можно полностью положиться.

3. В нашей группе учится один молодой человек, внешне ничем не примечательный. Но когда я узнала его лучше (to come to know), то поразилась его разносторонним интересам и способностям. Тут-то я и убедилась в правильности пословицы "По одежке встречают, по уму провожают" (Appearances can be deceptive).

4. Что вы делаете в свободное время? - Честно говоря, у меня его не так много. Но если выпадает свободный час или два, стараюсь читать книжные новинки. Моя страсть - исторические романы.

5. Представляешь, вчера был в гостях у Игоря. Его комната - настоящая радиомастерская. Он сам собирает приемники. У него просто золотые руки.

6. В детстве я мечтала заниматься художественной гимнастикой (callisthenics), но мои родители отвели меня в секцию фигурного катания (figure skating). К сожалению, у меня не было особых способностей, поэтому я оставила спорт, но всегда вспоминаю о катке с удовольствием.

6. Read the following questions. Choose some of them and ask your class-mate. Then tell us, what you've found out about your partner. You may ask your own questions as well.

1. What's your name?

2. When is your birthday?

3. Where are you from?

4. What school did you finish?

5. Did you do well at school?

6. Why did you go to the University?

7. What's your favourite pastime?

8. What things or activities can't you stand (dislike)?

9. What has been your greatest achievement up to now?

10. Who's your favourite writer?

11. What's your dream?

12. How can you characterize your own personality?

13. What things couldn't you live without?

14. Do you like to study?

15. Are you a handy person?

16. What would you do if you won a lot of money?

17. Do you prefer staying at home or going out?

18. What's the best way of relaxation for you?

19. Is there anything you wish you could do?

20. Are there any traits of your personality you don't like? What are they?

21. What animal do you associate yourself with?

22. Do you remember any cases when you were surprised with yourself?

23. Do you remember yourself as a child? What kind of child were you?

7. Write a short composition about yourself. Tell us a little about your likes and dislikes, your interests, your personality traits, your achievements and dreams.

UNIT 2 I. Text. My family

Hi, again. As you already know, my name is Andrey. Now I'd like to tell you about my family. On the whole, our family is large. There are three generations there. They are my great-grandmother, my grandparents and my parents. My father has a brother - he's my uncle, my mother has two sisters - my aunts; they have their children - my cousins. Besides, there are many in-laws in the family. I don't have any nephews or nieces, but I have a brother.

I don't see all my relatives very often - mostly on some special occasions. The last happy event was my cousin's wedding the previous year, it gathered all our family.

But speaking about a family we usually mean our blood relations, i.e. mother, father, sisters or brothers. My parents are rather young. My father is 39, my mother is 37. My mother's name is Tatyana Petrovna. She's an accountant in a big trading company. She has to work hard and must be very attentive, so she comes home very tired and I do my best to help her. I'm proud of my mother and love her very much. She's smart and good-looking. My father's name is Aleksey Ivanovitch. He is an engineer. He's clever, industrious, but a bit absent-minded sometimes. He has a perfect sense of humour. He has his own way in everything, and I respect him for that. My grandmother Lydia Stepanovna (my mother's mother) also lives with us. She's in her late sixties, but she's quite young in spirit. She likes reading and gardening. She's a very active person. She's either mending something or making something or doing something to entertain herself.

There's no one we call the head of the family, but my granny's advice and opinion are very important in any decision we take.

I have a brother called Dima. We are very much the same in character and appearance, only he is four years my junior. But in spite of the age difference we're very close. We have common interests - we both like sport, reading and computer, but I should say he is too inconsistent and rarely does his best. In other words, he is not bad, when he makes an effort. He is very energetic. It takes him half an hour to do his homework and then he rushes out to play football because he is crazy about it. There is one more member of the family. Our dog is the most important person in our house. Rex is a sheep-dog. He is very

gallant and devoted to his masters. He does not like to stay alone when we are out, but whenever we return he meets us with such a joy and energy that make our spirits bright.

I don't think that our family is an ideal one, but it is a very stable, ordinary family. We are very close; often take care of one another when someone has a problem. We support each other, we are helpful when we have some difficulties, and though sometimes we have some rows, we always try to find a compromise.

Active vocabulary

1. generation - поколение

2. relative = relation - родственник

close (near) relative - близкий родственник distant relative - дальний родственник blood relative - кровный родственник

3. in-law - родня со стороны жены или мужа
mother-in-law - теща, свекровь
father-in-law - тесть, свекор
daughter-in-law - невестка, сноха
son-in-law - зять

sister-in-law - невестка, золовка brother-in-law - зять, шурин

4. accountant = book-keeper - бухгалтер

5. industrious = hard-working -трудолюбивый

6. absent-minded - рассеянный

7. be in one's early (last, late) sixties, etc. - быть слегка за 60, (между 60 и 70, под 70)

8. wedding - свадьба

9. be 5 (6, 7 ) years smb's junior (senior) - быть на 5 (6, 7 ) лет младше (старше) кого-либо

10. have rows = to quarrel - ссориться

11. be a pensioner = be retired - быть на пенсии

12. an only child - единственный ребенок

13. twins - близнецы

14. orphan -сирота