What is your typical day like?

Ø 1) Read the text and answer the questions:

a) How old is the author of the text?

b) Is the author of the text a male or a female?

c)How can you characterize this person?

As many people I have different schedules for weekdays and weekends. I think that it is very important to go to bed before midnight and to get up quite early in the morning, especially on weekdays. Thus you manage to do everything you plan to do. My major duty is to study at the university. My classes usually begin at 8.30 a.m.

Every day I get up at half past six. I go jogging to the park near my place. So I do jogging for about thirty minutes and then do some exercises. After this I do not feel sleepy at all. I feel refreshed and full of energy.

I return home at about 7 o’clock, take a shower and then have breakfast. I know the first thing many people do when they get up in the morning is to turn on TV. They do it automatically because they are used to this artificial noise. And when they have breakfast, they watch the news or morning programs. Well, I think all this is the key to our morning depression or bad mood. It is better to read or hear news later at work. I even hate reading newspapers and entertaining magazines in the morning. I like to talk to my parents while having breakfast.

After breakfast I put all the necessary textbooks into my bag and get dressed. I leave home at about 8 o’clock. I get to my university by bicycle. My classes usually finish at 4 p.m. When classes are over I go to the sports center where I have karate lessons. I have karate lessons three times a week. When I do not have them, I take guitar lessons.

I come home at 7 p.m. I have dinner and start doing my homework at about 8 o’clock. If I have some spare time after doing homework, I play the guitar or read. I go to bed at about half past eleven. On weekends I usually get up at 8 o’clock and do the same things I do on weekdays except going to university. At 12 o’clock I rehearse with the rock band where I play the guitar. Our rehearsal ends late in the evening. On weekends I can stay at home and read books, or go somewhere with my friends.

I think that it is very useful to have a schedule. It prevents us from wasting precious time.

Ø 2) Agree or disagree with the statements from the text:

a)It is very important to go to bed before midnight and to get up quite early in the morning.

b)The first thing many people do when they get up in the morning is to turn on TV.

c)It is very useful to have a schedule.

Ø 3) Find useful words and expressions in the text that describe the usual routine. Compare your typical day with the day of this person.

A BUSY DAY

Ø 1) What other adjectives can you use to describe a day?

Ø 2) Choose the correct answer to the questions:

a) Who is busy? (Barbara, Catherine, none of them)

b) Who doesn’t have a busy day? (Barbara, Catherine, both of them)

c) What are they doing? (shopping, jogging, watching tennis)

d) Why is Barbara driving to school? (to meet some friends, her daughter has a rehearsal, to meet some friends for lunch)

e) What is Katherine doing later today? (going to the park, nothing special, going shopping)

Two friends speaking in a park when they meet each other jogging.

Barbara: Hi, Katherine, how are you today?

Katherine: I’m great and you?

Barbara: Very busy! I’m jogging now, but later I have to do a lot!

Katherine: What do you have to do?

Barbara: Well, first of all, I have to do the shopping. We don’t have anything to eat at home. And then I need to buy a reliable English-German dictionary.

Katherine: What for?

Barbara: Haven’t I told you that I have joined an English class? The lessons are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That keeps me pretty busy.

Katherine: But why would you want that language course? Are you planning to move to your relatives in Los Angeles?

Barbara: Not really. I do speak English a little, and I just want to polish my language skills a bit to get a promotion at my company.

Katherine: You don’t mean to say that the position of a top manager at HR department is now vacant?

Barbara: In fact, it is. And I am working hard to get it! For that I need to be fluent, not just conversant in English. That’s why I know that my investment in the language courses will pay off eventually.

Katherine: It sure will. What are you doing after that?

Barbara: Little Justina has a rehearsal this afternoon. I’m driving her to school, to her drama club.
Katherine: Oh, how is she doing?

Barbara: She’s doing very well. Next week, they’re staging “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. And again, the performance will be in English! So we are helping each other with the language!

Katherine: That’s impressive.

Barbara: Well, Justina likes acting. I’m happy she’s enjoying it. What are you doing today?
Katherine: I’m not doing much. I’m meeting some friends for lunch, but, other than that, I don’t have much to do today.

Barbara: You’re so lucky!

Katherine: No, you’re the lucky one. I’d like to have so many things to do.

Ø 3) Later that evening Barbara and Catherine tell their husbands about the news they have learned. What do they say to their husbands?