Activity 4. “Job hunting. Doing well at an interview.”

INTRODUCING MYSELF

1. Getting acquainted. Hobbies. Preferences.

2. Family relations. Household chores.

Lesson 1

Getting acquainted. Hobbies. Preferences.

Activity 1. “A good name is a second inheritance.” (German proverb)

You’re at an international students’ conference in Helsinki, Finland and want to get acquainted with some participants.

Step 1. “Clothes count only for first impressions.” (A proverb)

What questions will you ask them? Use the prompts to help you make up as many questions as possible.

NAME	What / you / name? ______________________
PATRONYMIC	You / have / patronymic? __________________ What / you / patronymic? __________________
FAMILY NAME (SURNAME)	What / you / family name? _________________
AGE	What / you / age? ________________________ How / old / you? _________________________
COUNTRY	Where / you / come from? _________________ What / country / you / from? _______________
CITY/VILLAGE	What / city (village) / you / come from? ______ What / city (village) / you / live / in? _________ What / your / native / city (village)? __________
UNIVERSITY	What / university / you / go to? _____________ What / university/ you / attend (formal)? ______ What / university / you / study at? ___________
SCHOOL/FACULTY	What / school (faculty) / you / study at? ______
FUTURE PROFESSION	What / you / future profession (speciality)? ____
LANGUAGES	What / languages / you / speak? _____________
HOBBY	What / you / hobby? ______________________ What / you / like / doing / in / you / free (spare) / time? __________________________________ What / you / keen on (doing)? ______________ What / you / good at? _____________________ What / you / interested in? _________________ What / you / fond of? _____________________

Step 2. “Let’s get acquainted, shall we?”

Your partner is one of those participants. Get acquainted with each other. You’re welcome to use the prompts (Step 1) to help you speak about yourself. You may start with:

Let me introduce myself. My name is …

I am … (name) from … (country/city)

I’d like you to meet my … (groupmate/roommate/friend/colleague and so on)

I’d like to introduce you to … (our new friend/professor and so on)

Step 3. “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people do not know.” (Arthur Conan Doyle “The adventure of the blue carbuncle”)

Introduce yourself as if:

В· you were a mayor of the city;

В· you were a coach of a football team;

В· you were a dean of the department;

В· you were 20 years older;

В· you were an Oscar winner;

В· your parents were describing you;

В· you were exact antithesis of yourself.

Activity 2. “What is a friend of mine keen on doing?”

Your new friend wants to add some more activities to his/her hobby-list. However, you know that selecting another hobby may be quite confusing for some people as there are so many other options out there. Trying to help him/her, you’ve come across an exciting test defining “hobby-types” of people.

Step 1. “A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.” (Phyllis McGinley, an American author of children’s books and poetry)

Ask your friend:

- to do it;

- to top his/her hearts ♥, diamonds ♦, clubs ♣ and spades ♠after he/she has done it. You’re welcome to do it, too.

1. Do you like pop music?

в™ЈYes, I do. I think it's cool. в™I don't mind. I think it's OK. ♥No, I don't. I think it's rubbish!

2. Do you like Facebook/VKontakte/Odnoklassniki?

♦Yes, I do. I think it's great. ♣I don't mind. I think it's interesting. ♥No, I don't. I think it's boring!

3. Do you like football?

♥Yes, I do. I think it's great fun. ♦I don't mind. I think it's cool. в™No, I don't. I 'm very bad at it!

4. Do you like painting?

в™Yes, I do. I think it's amusing. ♦I don't mind. I think it's OK. ♥No, I don't. I think it's difficult!

5. Do you like watching video clips on youtube?

в™ЈYes, I do. I think it's pleasant. в™I don't mind. I think it's OK. ♥No, I don't. I think it's boring!

6. Do you like surfing on the Internet?

♦Yes, I do. I think it's interesting. ♣I don't mind. I think it's cool. ♥No, I don't. I think it's boring!

7. Do you like riding your bike?

♥Yes, I do. I think it's fun. в™I don't mind. I think it's cool. в™ЈNo, I don't. I think it's tiring!

8. Do you like drawing?

в™Yes, I do. I think it's brilliant. ♦I don't mind. I think it's easy. ♥No, I don't. I think it's hard!

9. Do you like dancing?

♣Yes, I do. I think it's brilliant. ♥I don't mind. I think it's OK. ♦No, I don't. I think it's rubbish!

10. Do you like playing computer games?

♦Yes, I do. I think it's great. в™ЈI don't mind. I think it's fun. в™No, I don't. I think it's stressful!

11. Do you like rollerblading?

♥Yes, I do. I think it's cool. в™ЈI don't mind. I think it's OK. в™No, I don't. I 'm hopeless!

12. Do you like visiting museums?

в™Yes, I do. I think it's very interesting. ♦I don't mind. I think it's fun. в™ЈNo, I don't. I think it's boring!

13. Do you like going to concerts?

в™ЈYes, I do. I think it's brilliant. в™I don't mind. I think it's great. ♦No, I don't. I think it's not fun!

14. Do you like playing video games?

♦Yes, I do. I think it's amusing. ♥I don't mind. I think it's OK. ♣No, I don't. I think it's irritating!

15. Do you like jumping on a trampoline?

♥Yes, I do. I think it's great fun. ♦I don't mind. I think it's cool. в™No, I don't. I think it's tiring!

16. Do you like going to the cinema?

в™Yes, I do. I think it's cool. в™ЈI don't mind. I think it's interesting. ♥No, I don't. I think it's boring!

Step 2. “Every man has his hobby-horse.” (A proverb)

Give him/her advice on what “hobby-type” he/she is and what hobby (hobbies) he/she could add to his/her hobby-list. Open Appendix 1. Use the prompts to help you:

You should/shouldn’t … (+ an infinitive without “to”)

You ought to … (+ an infinitive without “to”)

Why don’t you … (+ an infinitive without “to”)?

How about … (+ a verb+ing)?

If I were you, I would …(+ an infinitive without “to”)

You’d better … (+ an infinitive without “to”)

I suggest …(+ a verb+ing)

I recommend … (+ a verb+ing)

My advice is to …

In my experience, … works really well.

The best thing to do is …

In this kind of situation, I would advise …

Have you tried … (+ a verb+ing)?

Have you thought about … (+a verb+ing)?

I can’t recommend … strongly enough.

Step 3. Exchange your roles: your partner now gives you advice using the information in Appendix 1 and the prompts above.

Activity 3. “Introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.” (Kendall Hailey, an American writer and autodidact)

There are 18 role cards for your group that will help you to review basic introductions. Each card gives the student a role freely based on a celebrity. You all meet at a party. You need to speak with at least 3 people to get to know each other. As a follow-up activity, you need to introduce your new friends to your teacher/to your partner.

You’re Pharrell. You’re an American singer. You’re 41 and you live in Virginia. You’re single. You like music and fashion.	You’re Michelle. You’re an American lawyer. You’re 50 years old. You’re from Chicago but now you live in Washington, D.C.. You’re married and you have 2 kids. You like cooking.	You’re Miley. You’re an American actress and singer. You’re 21 and you’re from Nashville, Tennessee. You’re single. You like smoking and partying.
You’re Jamie. You’re an English chef. You’re 39 and you live in London. You’re in a relationship. You like cooking and reading.	You’re Angela. You’re a German politician. You’re 60 and you live in Berlin. You’re married. You like films and swimming.	You’re Manuel. You’re French and Spanish. You’re 52 and you’re married. You work in logistics and you live in Paris. You love cars and football.
You’re Daniel. You’re an Australian musician. You’re 35 and you live in Camberra. You’re divorced. You love music and art.	You’re Jean-Claude. You’re a Belgian actor and philosopher. You’re 54 and you live in Canada. You’re divorced and you have 3 children. You like sports and reading.	You’re Cristiano. You’re a Portuguese football player. You’re 29 and you have a girlfriend. You like football and fashion.
You’re Dolores. You’re an Irish singer. You’re 42 and you live in Dublin. You’re married and have 3 children. You like singing and politics.	You’re Wladimir. You’re a Russian engineer. You’re 66 and you live in Moscow. You’re single. You like drama.	You’re Maggie. You’re a Chinese actress. You’re 49 and you’re from Hong-Kong but you live in France. You’re divorced. You like travelling.
You’re Akira. You’re a Japanese artist. You’re 59 and you live in Tokyo. You’re married. You like manga and cinema.	You’re Jennifer. You’re an American singer. You’re married. You’re 44 and you live in New York. You like dancing.	You’re Tony. You’re a French basketball player. You’re divorced. You’re 32 and you live in San Antonio. You like fast cars and burgers.
You’re Silvio. You’re an Italian businessman. You’re 78 and you live in Milan. You’re divorced. You like partying and women.	You’re Isabel. You’re a Columbian singer and dancer. You’re 37 and you have 1 son. You live in Los Angeles. You like helping people.	You’re Derek. You’re a Saint-Lucian teacher and writer. You’re 84 and you live in England. You have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. You like poetry and drama.

Activity 4. “Job hunting. Doing well at an interview.”

Step 1. “Your first impression of someone is usually an accurate impression.” (A proverb)

Have a look at the report written by a secretary during a job interview. Then listen to the interview, find and correct all the misrepresentations. Then, in turns, report it back to the teacher.

The interviewee entered a Bachelor’s program in philology in 1985. Two years later she earned a Master’s degree for journalism in the University of California, Los Angeles. After that the Interviewee’s career started in “The New York Times” where she worked for twelve months. However, she got fired because her employer was a suspect. Then she owned “The Bay Area Chronicle” in San Francisco where she published political articles. Being the head of the newspaper, she was supportive and understanding. Nevertheless, the Interviewee left it because she was pregnant and had to take care of her twins. The fact that her husband’s company had become bankrupt and he found a new job in Denver was the reason of her moving there. Having the opportunity to choose from three weekly newspapers, the Interviewee decided to apply for a job with our newspaper because her innovative way of thinking and unique sense of humour concerning political news suited it.

Step 2. “It’s not what you wear, it’s how you present yourself that determines what your first impression will be.” (A proverb)

Student A is an employer. Student B is a prospective employee, and he/she wants to impress his/her future employer. Talk to each other using prompts:

Student A.

Ask your employee about:В -ВВВ his/her educational background;

- work experience;

- three positive and negative traits of his/her character;

- the reason he/she chose your company.

Student B.