Everyday English: About myself

Название: Everyday English: About myself / Английский язык в ситуациях общения: Как рассказать о себе
Уровень: Elementary – Pre-Intermediate

Basic Situation (Основная ситуация):
You find out when your new friend was born; when he (she) entered and left school, studied at the university, started work; how large his (her) family is; you answer similar questions.

Topical Words (Тематическая лексика):
age, birthday, party, present; parent, relative, uncle, nephew, cousin; single; to apply; to enter; to pass an exam, to fail an exam; to invite, to wonder; to marry, to divorce; elder, junior

Speech Patterns (Речевые образцы):
1.
How old are you? – I’m twenty-two years old.
How old are you, Jim? – I’ll be twenty-five next week.
How old is Miss Brown? – I think she’s about twenty.
How old is your friend? – He’s nineteen.
2.
When were you born? – I was born on the 26th of October I9… .
When is your birthday? – My birthday is on the 2nd of March.
Where were you born? – I was born in Kiev. It’s my home town.
3.
When did you start school? – I went to school at the age of six. (I went to school in 19… when I was six.)
When did you enter the university? – I entered it in 19… .
When did you begin work? – I began work in May 19… .
How long did you work in the office? – I worked there four years.
4.
I wonder how old Pete is.
I wonder where you were born.
I’d like to know where you live.
I’d like to know where you are from.
5.
Many happy returns (of the day)! – Thank you.
Happy birthday to you! – Thank you.
Here’s something for your birthday. – Thank you. It’s very kind of you.
6.
Is your family large? – Not very. There are only two of us.
Is Mr Ball’s family big? – Yes, rather. There are seven of them.
Is your sister married yet? – Not yet. But she’s engaged.
Is your elder brother married? – No, he isn’t. He says he isn’t going to.
7.
Is he single or married? – He is a family man.
Is Mr Gray single or married? – Oh, he is an old bachelor.
Is she single or married? – She is a widow.
Is Ann single or married? – She is divorced. (Her husband has divorced her. She and her husband have separated.)

8.
My father wants me to get a good education.
My sister wants me to help her with her Italian.
My mother doesn”t like me coming home late.
My uncle would like me to become a school teacher like him.
My elder brother wants me to become a football player.
My future wife wants me to be just a good man.

Exercises (Упражнения):

I. Прочитайте несколько раз в парах следующие диалоги, отражающие различные варианты основной ситуации. Постарайтесь воспроизвести их по памяти, лишь изредка заглядывая в текст.
1.
A: I’d like to know you better, Tony. How old are you?
B: I’m twenty-eight.
A: Oh, you look much younger.
B: Thank you. In fact you are the first person who tells me that. Everybody thinks I’m older.
2.
A: When were you born, Boris?
B: On the 10th of September 1959.
A: You are almost half my age.
B: Oh, is it really possible? You look so young!
A: Well, you can look at my date of birth in my passport. Here you are.
B: Honestly, you don’t look your age, really.
3.
Professor: When was Charles Dickens born?
Student: In the XIXth century… Well, I don’t know exactly.
Professor: And do you know when George Bernard Shaw was born?
Student: I’m afraid I can’t remember that either.
Professor: You should know such dates if you want to become an English teacher.
4.
Husband: Now we have to fill in this form. Well, to-day’s date is (writing down) 18 August 2011. Name. Smith Paul and Nancy. Nationality. British. Date of birth. Mine is 11 December 1965. Yours? When were you born, Nancy?
Wife: Stop joking, Paul. You know pretty well when I was born.
Husband: Ah yes. 22 August 1962. Let’s go on. Place of birth. I was born in Leeds. You? I can never remember that place.
Wife: You are talking too much, Paul. Put down, Llanwern.
Husband: Thank you. That’s all. We are through with it.
5.
A: Many happy returns, Susan!
B: Thank you, Tom. I’m very glad you have come. I only mentioned the date of my birthday. I didn’t expect you remember it.
A: I remembered it as you see, Susan. Now here’s a long-playing record for your birthday present. It’s Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.
B: Oh, thank you very much. It’s just what I always wanted.
6.
A: Is your family big, Mr Morton?
B: Not very. To be exact, very small. I’m single.
A: You have never married, have you?
B: No. In fact I’m a bachelor.
A: I hope you don’t mind my asking, but aren’t you thinking of marrying some day?
B: That’s all right, Mr Glen. Well, one can never tell.
7.
A: Is your family large, Mrs Hall?
B: Yes, rather. I have a husband and three children. I have also a mother but she lives in another town.
A: Are your children grown yet?
B: Oh yes. The elder son, Paul, works at a factory, our daughter, Nancy, studies at a Secretarial College, and the younger son, Alan, is finishing school.
8.
A: Tell me, Nancy, do your children work yet? What do they do?
B: Well, John is a driver and Ann works in a hospital.
A: Do they help you much about the house?
B: Not very much. They come home very tired. Anyhow John likes to do something in the garden on Sunday and Ann cleans the rooms, does some shopping and cooking.
9.
A: You say you have an elder sister. What’s her name?
B: Katrine, Kate for short. She was named after our granny (grandmother). Father wanted her to be named after his mother.
A: Really? Isn’t that funny? We both have sisters and each of them is called Katrine.
B: Well, Kate is quite a popular British name just as Katya is with Russians.
A: I’d like to introduce them to each other some day.

II. Разыграйте с партнером микродиалоги, заменяя выделенное курсивом словами из подстановки:

1.
- How old are you?
- I’m twenty-two.
_____________________________________________
nineteen, twenty-nine, over forty, fifty odd, forty-five
2.
- What were you doing in 1990?
- I was in the army in 1990.
_____________________________________________
winter 1998, summer 1993, July last year;
I had just finished school, I was just sitting for my exams at the college, I was travelling in France, I was just visiting Russia
3.
-What relation are you to Patrick Brooks (Ann Hill)?
- He (She) is my cousin.
_____________________________________________
brother-in-law, mother-in-law, stepmother, grandfather, aunt, niece, nephew
4.
- What relation is Philip to Nancy?
- Well, they are cousins.
_____________________________________________
husband and wife, uncle and niece, brother and sister, just friends, bride and bridegroom, newly weds
5.
- Is his (her) family large or small?
- Well, he is a bachelor (she is single).
_____________________________________________
unmarried, a widower (widow), single, divorced, an orphan, childless

III. Отреагируйте на высказывание собеседника:

Model 1:
- I was born in 1975.
- So now you are thirty-seven (years old).

Model 2:
- I graduated from the university in July 2005.
- So seven years have passed since you graduated from the university.
_____________________________________________
1. I visited Spain in … last.
2. My new friend, Mr Smith, was born in … .
3. Miss Hill finished school in August … .
4. I left Moscow for Kiev in … .
5. My father was born on the 18th of May … .
6. I left Oxford University in … .
7. Mr Allen left the College in … .
8. Ahmed Farid entered Lumumba University in …

IV. Составьте высказывания, используя данные ниже слова и словосочетания.

Model 1:
- forty-eight
- My father is forty-eight.

Model 2:
- next Sunday
- Next Sunday I’ll be twenty-four.
_____________________________________________
Katya Frolova, next Thursday, ninety-two, on the 28th of February, Wednesday next week, my younger sister, sixteen, Cambridge University, Mr Bill Walker, my new acquaintance Belov, thirty-six, next year

V. Ответьте на вопросы, используя слова и словосочетания, данные скобках, и употребляя Past Perfect Tense.

Model:
- Why did the young Browns look so happy? (book a tour of Russia)
- The young Browns looked happy because they had booked a tour of Russia.
_____________________________________________
1. Why did Grisha look so upset? (fail the exam)
2. Why did your son come home so soon from his holiday? (spend all his money)
3. Why was Paul Rawlings so upset? (lose his job)
4. Why was your cousin Mabel so tired? (give a birthday party)
5. What did she learn about her father from a letter she received yesterday? (be ill for a month)
6. Why didn’t you see your daughter when you came to Samara? (leave)
7. What did Ellen write to you about herself and her husband? (divorce)

VI. Дайте определение нижеприведенным словам.

Model:
- grandfather
- My grandfather is my mother’s father or my father’s father.
_____________________________________________
grandmother, uncle, aunt, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, niece, nephew, cousin, widower, bachelor, stepfather, orphan

VII. Преобразуйте прямые вопросы в косвенные и дайте на них ответы.

Model:
- How old is Pete?
- I wonder how old Pete is.
- I’d like to know how old Pete is.
- Everyone wants to know how old Pete is.
_____________________________________________
1. When were you born?
2. When did you enter the university?
3. How long did Mr West last stay in the Crimea?
4. Why does Klimov never come to your birthday party?
5. When did you first meet Dr Lomov?
6. How old is your daughter Jane?
7. How many years have passed since you graduated from the university?
8. What Russian cities did you visit last year?
9. What did you buy for Susan’s birthday present?
10. Where did you buy such beautiful flowers?
11. Who is your best friend?
12. Whom (among the Russian specialists) did you make friends with?

VIII. Составьте высказывания, развивая предложенную ниже ситуацию и употребляя Complex Object.

Jane Mitchell studies at a London Secretarial College. She is a long way from home. Her family wants her to do a lot of things. For example:

Model:
- a good typist
- They (the family) want Jane to become a good typist.
_____________________________________________
good marks in her tests, a letter home every week, eat regularly, with a good family in London, home for holiday, her birthday with her new friends, a new warm coat, good shoes and a hat, a good job later

IX. Проведем беседу. Все участники беседы по-разному реагируют на первоначальное высказывание, следуя приведенной ниже схеме типичных реплик-реакций.

Model:
Pavel Dmitriyev: I’ve just received a telegram, my elder son has entered the Institute.

a) Exclamations:
- Congratulations!
- Splendid!

b) Questions:
- What ([kind of) institute has he entered?
- What is your son’s name?

c) Statement:
- So our children have entered the age of finishing school, entering colleges, getting married. We are getting old, aren’t we?

d) Request:
- I’d like to ask your son to write something about his institute. Maybe my daughter will try to enter it next year.

e) Suggestion:
- I think this event must be celebrated somehow.
_____________________________________________
1. Mrs Roberts: I’m going to visit Russia.
2. Bill Day: My brother is going to enter a university.
3. Mrs White: I can’t take Davy to see that film.
4. Mr Ball: My son has finished school at last.
5. Miss Jenkinson: Well, I’ll be seventy-nine next month.
6. Dr Weston: It’s my second marriage.
7. Mrs White: I learned from the letter I received yesterday that my daughter and Mr Hill had been married.
8. Mrs Cooper: Unfortunately, I can’t say that the relations between John and his stepfather are always good.

X. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. How many brothers (sisters) have you got?
2. What is your sister’s (brother’s) profession (trade)?
3. Where do your parents come from?
4. Who is your sister married to? (Who is your sister’s husband?)
5. What’s the name of your mother-in-law?
6. What relation is Peter to Mary?
7. What are your uncles’ names?
8. What can you say about your family?
9. In what towns or countries do your relatives live?

XI. Скажите по-английски.

1. Сколько вам лет? – Мне двадцать два года.
2. Когда вы родились? – Я родился 26 июля 1964 года.
3. Сколько лет вашему сыну? – Ему четырнадцать.
4. Где вы родились, м-р Браун? – Я родился в Канаде, но мои отец и мать британцы. Так что я англичанин.
5. Я гражданин России, я родился в 1970 году в городе Калуге.
6. Когда у вас день рождения? Мне хотелось бы вас поздравить.
7. Интересно, сколько лет м-ру Смиту. Он выглядит очень молодо.
8. Мне хотелось бы знать, где вы живете.
9. Вам следует знать, когда родились Диккенс и Вальтер Скотт, ведь вы будущий преподаватель английского языка.
10. Попроси, чтобы Леонов купил в Москве эту книгу. Она мне очень нужна.
11. Дианов не сможет прийти ко мне на день рождения, его не будет в городе.
12. У вас большая семья? – Моя семья небольшая: я, жена, ребенок.
13. Ваш сын уже женат? – Нет, он еще холост.
14. Отец мой хочет, чтобы я получил хорошее образование.
15. Энн Хопкинс живет одна, она развелась с мужем.
16. – Кто та девушка? Она ваша дочь? – Что вы! Неужели я так стар? Джейн – моя двоюродная сестра. Правда, она на много лет младше меня.
- Вот видите. Я не очень ошибся. Все-таки вы родственники, она очень похожа на вас.
17. Вчера я получил письмо от Кейт из которого я узнал, что у нее родилась дочь.
18. У вас довольно редкое имя. – Да, меня назвали в честь известного музыканта, которого очень уважали в нашей семье.

XII. Опишите проблемные ситуации. Обсудите (разыграйте) их.

1. There are many things which Olga (a student of the Department of Languages and Literature) likes and there are some which she doesn’t. She doesn’t like talking much. She usually tells people things straight to their face. She doesn’t like mixing with fellow students. It’s hard for her to make friends with people. She doesn’t like crowds. She likes to stay at home reading or listening in. Anyhow Olga doesn’t think all this is good for her career.
_____________________________________________
1. What is Olga going to be (where does she study)?
2. Does Olga’s character suit the field of teaching?
3. Does she realize that?
4. What must she do?
5. Dramatise a talk between Olga and her best friend.

2. You are a Russian oil specialist in an Asian country where English is also spoken. You need some workers and a secretary. A lady applies for a job. Now you are interviewing her. You ask all sorts of questions as you want to know as much as possible about your future employee (co-worker).
_____________________________________________
1. Where are you?
2. What is your problem?
3. What are typical interview questions?
4. Dramatise a talk between you and your prospective secretary.

XIII. Расскажите о себе, своей семье или семье своего товарища, придерживаясь плана, который дается ниже.

1. Say a few words about yourself.
2. Say how many people there are in your family.
3. Then tell us where your family members live (country, town; in a flat or in a cottage).
4. Describe each member of the family: indicating his or her name, age, place of birth, occupation, plans for the future.
5. Say a few words about relations between the members of your family.
6. Give other comments.

COMMENTARY
1. 26th of October 1980. – В письменном (печатном) тексте предлог of, как правило, опускается.
2. to be through with smth. – закончить какое-л. дело
3. One can never tell. – Трудно сказать.
4. Не is 40 odd. – Ему сорок с лишним (за сорок).
5. to listen in – слушать радио

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