Файл: тексты 1 курс.docx

Unit I. Me and my world. Part 1. About myself.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

About myself.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Helen. I am sixteen. I was born in Moscow and live in this city. I am a schoolgirl. My school is not far from my house. It takes me 15 minutes to walk there.

I am in the eleventh form and this year I am going to finish school. We’ll have our final exams in June. Now I have to work hard at all the subjects. I like school. I’m having a great time there. My favourite subject is English. My teacher is a well-educated woman with deep knowledge of the subject.

I’m very busy now preparing for classes and I have a little time for my hobbies, which are music and reading. I like music, especially, pop music and I collect CDs of my favourite groups and singers. I’m fond of pets. I have a cat and some fish, which I take care of every day. I am keen on reading. My favourite writer is O. Henry.

I’m also interested in sport. I’m a member of a tennis club, which I attend twice a week.

I enjoy school mainly because of the number of friends I have there and I get on with them. We discuss our school problems and plans for the future. I also hate being alone. I believe that if I center my full attention on either one or the other I will lose out somewhere.

I also take an active part in social life and attend sport clubs. I really enjoy working with people. I want to be a doctor. It’s a difficult job, but I’m not keen on the idea of being a stereotypical housewife. I like the idea of working in a caring profession.

Exercise 1. Translate into Russian: to live in this city; not far from my house; school problems; take an active part in social life; to have a little time for hobbies; to attend classes twice a week; working in a caring profession; to work hard at all the subjects.

Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of these expressions in the text: посещать спортклубы; работа с людьми; трудная работа; закончить школу; образованная женщина; увлекаться чтением; планы на будущее; глубокие знания по предмету; требуется 15 минут, чтобы дойти туда; любимые группы и исполнители.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions:

1. What are three things that you enjoy doing most of all and three that you hate doing?

2. How many close friends have you got?

3. What do you do in your free time?

4. What do you want to do after your leaving the college?

5. Why is it good to be different?

6. Do you have much contact with your neighbours?

Exercise 4. Decide which of the verbs on the left collocate with the nouns on the right.

1. to finish a) a tennis club

2. to have b) plans

3. to take care of c) school

4. to attend d) pets

5. to enjoy e) final exams

6. to discuss f) school

Exercise 5. Make up as many sentences as you can. Who can make up the longest sentence?

Part 2. Seasons.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

Autumn.

Autumn begins in September. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The weather becomes cooler than in summer. The leaves on the trees change their colour. They turn yellow, red and brown and fall on the ground. Forests look so beautiful in their autumn attire. The sky is grey and cloudy. It often rains and there are a lot of puddles in the streets. But there is a period of fine weather in early autumn which is called Indian summer. Most birds fly away to warm countries. Farmers gather their crops and there are a lot of vegetables and fruit on sale.

In October and November it gets colder and colder. The earth is muddy, the streets are covered with slush, everything looks gloomy and wet which makes autumn an unpleasant season.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

Winter.

Winter comes in December. The weather is cold and frosty. The sky is pale, grey and covered with low clouds. The sun shines seldom, it sets early and rises late. The snowflakes cover the ground with a white sheet. A cold north wind blows and drives the snow into snowdrifts. There is much snow everywhere. The rivers and lakes are covered with a thick sheet of ice.

Sometimes it is slippery. Sometimes a thaw sets in, it sleets and the roads become slushy.

I like winter because we have a wonderful holiday – New Year. I enjoy decorating a New Year tree with tinsel, toys and silver bells. My mother cooks many tasty things, a lot of guests come to our place, I get many presents and we make merry.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

Spring.

Spring comes in March. In early spring the weather is still cold and frosty. But the sky is clear and blue. The sun shines brightly longer and longer. In the bright sun rays snow begins to melt. The icy sheet on rivers and lakes cracks and begins to melt too. Soon we can see the floating of ice. There is slush and brooks everywhere. The air is fresh and it smells of damp earth.

Nature awakens from its winter sleep. Thin blades of grass come out, the trees burst into leaf. Snowdrops, coltsfoots, lungworts, violets, lilies-of-the-valley burst into flower in the forests.

If a shower comes down, it doesn’t last long. The clouds soon lift, it clears up and a rainbow appears in the sky. The birds come back from the warm lands, build their nests and sing spring songs. Everything looks fresh, new and joyous.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

Summer.

After spring summer comes. In summer the weather is sunny, dry and hot. There are no clouds in the sky and there is no wind blowing. Sometimes there are storms with thunder and lightning. After claps of thunder and flashes of lightning it pours. But soon it clears up and the sun comes out.

There are a lot of colourful flowers everywhere and they smell so sweet. June is the month of roses, daisies and dandelions.

Many people are fond of going to the forest to gather mushrooms, pick berries or just on a hike to enjoy nature. Strawberries are ripe late in June, raspberries and blueberries ripen in July and August.

I like summer because I have summer holidays. In summer I enjoy swimming, sunbathing, going in for sports, going fishing and boating.

Exercise 1. Translate into Russian: to change colour; turn yellow, red, brown; to look beautiful in autumn attire; unpleasant season; covered with low clouds; decorate with tinsel, toys and silver bells; a cold north wind; make merry; cold and frosty; thin blades of grass come out; lily-of-the-valley; storms with thunder and lightning; month of roses, daises and dandelions; to go on a hike.

Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of these expressions in the texts: падать на землю; становиться короче; бабье лето; тёплые страны; наслаждаться украшением новогодней ёлки; покрывать толстым слоем льда; получать подарки; под солнечными лучами; ранняя весна; просыпаться от зимнего сна; возвращаться из тёплых стран; удар грома; вспышка молнии; собирать грибы и ягоды; ходить на рыбалку.