People from different places

A French family

How close are you as a family? We talked to Corinne Mathieu, from Montpellier, France about her family life.

1.‘We usually see each other at least once a month, maybe more often. We have lunch together on Sunday if we haven’t got anything special to do. We live in Montpellier, which is about an hour and a half away, but we always come to Marseilles where my mother and father live. It’s not so far. Usually my grandmother and my uncle and aunt are there too – we re quite a large family! Sometimes my brother and his girlfriend come over – they live nearby. The meal takes about four hours, we spend a lot of time chatting and there’s always lots to eat.

2.‘There’s no one we call the head of the family, although my father’s advice and opinion are very important in any decisions we take. My uncle Tony is in fact older than my father, so I suppose he’s the real head of the family. When my grandfather was alive he liked to think that the whole family organized itself around him, but these days it’s different but we all try to discuss things together when we meet.

3.‘In most families, it’s a small family group who live in the same house, mother, father and the children before they get married. But if one of the grandparents dies, the other usually sells their home and goes to live with their children. So it’s quite common to have one grandparent living with you, but not more.

4.‘In France most children leave home when they get married, and not before. I lived in Marseilles with my mother and father until I got married. But there are some people who want to lead independent lives and they find a flat as soon as they start their first job, even before they get married. Of course, the main problem is flats are so expensive to rent here, and we simply have to live with our parents.’

Read the text 5 and match the questions with each paragraph. There is one extra question.

a.Who’s the head of the family?

b.How often does the family get together?

c.How many people live in your house?

d.How long do people live with their parents?

e.How many people live in the same house?

Which paragraphs give specific information about Corinne’s family? Which paragraphs give more general information?

6.11.Complete a family tree ...

Task

a) Make a family tree for your family. Write in the names of six people.

b) Decide which extra information you can give about each person. Don’t write it down!

Ask your teacher for any words or phrases you need.

a) my mother b) my father

c) my brother

Complete the gaps.

a) My father is my mother’s …husband……..

b) My mother’s mother is my..........................

c) My mother’s brother is my..........................

d) My sister is my father’s..........................

e) My mother and father are my..........................

Read about four people.

^Who:

a) is an actress? … Beatrice Santini

b) is a taxi driver? ……………………

c) is from France? ……………………

d) are musicians? ……………………

e) is from London? ……………………

f) is from Edinburgh? ……………………

g) is a bus driver? ……………………

h) is 45 years old

Beatrice Santini

Beatrice Santini is from France.

She’s 28 years old, and she’s an actress.

She’s married; her husband is film director,

Karol Bolewski. Karol is 56 years old.

Their home is in Paris.

Danna Fiorelli

Danna Fiorelli is from New York.

She’s a taxi driver. She’s 45 years old

Is she married? ’Yes, I am…I’m

Married to my job.’

Magnus Mills

‘Hello. My name is Magnus Mills.

I’m a bus driver in London.

I’m also a writer: my first book is

Bus Driver on Holiday.’

Plankton

Allan, Doug, Richard and Kirsty are Plankton …

Four musicians from Aberdeen, in Scotland.

Their manager is Betty Booth.

Betty is from Edinburgh, and she’s 25 years old.

6.13. Read the text about the Iglesias family:

Text 6

A Famous Family

Julio Iglesias is from Spain. The world’s number 1 Spanish singer in the 70s and 80s, with songs like Begin the Beguine, he is now the father of a famous family. The three children from his marriage in the 1970s to actress Isabel Preysler – two sons and a daughter – are now all famous too. His daughter, Chaveli, is a TV presenter in the United States. His sons’ names are Julio Junior and Enrique: Julio Junior is a model, actor and singer. His songs are in English and Spanish. Enrique Iglesias is also a singer. His home is in Miami, Florida. He’s got two Porsche cars at home!

6.14. Complete the information in the family tree about the Iglesias family:

…Julio Iglesias… a………………...

b………………… c………………… d…………………

6.15.Complete the gaps withis (‘s) I areorhas (‘s) I have (‘ve) got.

a. My grandmother ...is............... in her d. My dad ............... a moustache,

seventies, but she .............. a very young but he (not) ............... a beard any

face. She ............... lovely teeth and skin more – he shaved it off a few weeks ago!

and she ............... (not) any white hair!

b. My brother and sisters ............... very e. Joe ............... like his father – he

similar to look at – they ............... all ............... very tall and slim.

very pale and they ............... green eyes

and red hair.

c. The baby ............... only a few days old,but she ............... lost and lots of hair.

Test

7.1.Fill box 1 on the card below about yourself, then interview five other people in the class. Only tick (γ) the box if they answer YES. (You will also be asked questions.)