About My Family and Myself

My name is Natasha Novikova and I was born in Moscow on the fifth of October 1985. My family is not very large: I have a father, a mother and a brother. I was named after my granny and I'm very proud of it. I descend from the family of the office-workers.

My mother-tongue is Russian. I can also speak English a little as I learned it when at school.

Now I'm going to speak about my father. His name is Alexander Petrovich. He is 45. He is a computer engineer by education, but he is in business now. Their firm deals in modern TV sets and computers. He often goes on business trips to different cities of the country and abroad. After his trips he tells us many interesting stories about people, about different countries and their traditions. Though my father is a very busy man, he always finds time to sing a song with us and to listen to our problems. He is also handy with many things. He can fix almost everything: a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner, a fridge and what not. He likes sports. Basketball is his favourite. That's why he is still a very handsome tall man with broad shoulders, fair hair and grey eyes.

My mother's name is Anna Vladimirovna. She is four years younger than my father. She is shorter than my father. Her brown hair, small thin nose, blue eyes and open smile make her very beautiful. She is a doctor and she likes her work very much. My mum is fond of music and poetry. She also likes dancing and singing. She attended a music school. My mum plays the piano fairly well. She also does most of the cooking, washing, cleaning and tidying. She seems to be never tired. It's a wonder what her small but strong hands can do. Of course, we always try to help her as much as we can.

My brother's name is Victor. He is 12 and, naturally, he is still at school. He does very well at school, so his school reports are always excellent. He is especially very good at Maths and English. They are his favourite subjects. He says he wants to become a programmer.

He is like our mother: same hair, same eyes, same voice and same manners. Just like our mother, he is fond of music and likes singing and dancing very much. Just like our father, he is fond of sports. My brother is of great help to my parents.

I have a grandmother and a grandfather. They are my grandparents on my mother's side. As for my grandparents on my father's side, they are no more with us. They died many years ago, when I was a child.

My grandparents on my mother's side are not very old. They are under 65, and they are still in good health. My grandfather usually says that years are not important, for you are actually as old as you feel. As they live in the country they have a plot of land with a garden near their house and keep a small household. They are retired now. My Granny and Grandad enjoy seeing us at their house very much. So we often go to see them at weekends.

Besides, when summer comes, my brother likes to spend his holidays in the country at our grandparents'. So did I when I was his age.

I am a first-year student now. I left school last year. Choosing the right career to follow is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. As for me, I made my choice long ago. I want to become a good economist. That is why I have to study twice as hard as an ordinary student. I do not only do my best at the university, I also attend different student clubs and societies at the university. I am always very busy, but when I am free I like to read books and to visit the museums and art galleries. I have many friends and I like to travel. We visited a lot of interesting places in Russia and abroad.

Our family is very united. We enjoy the honest and open relationship in the family. There's never been a division between us, the children, and them, our parents. Freedom has made us close. Despite being very busy at home every day, my parents always find time to talk to us, to get aware of all our troubles and problems, to teach us basic practical skills. As you can see, we are all great friends in the family.

My Friend

I'd like to speak about my friend. His name is Nick and I consider him to be my best friend. He is 18 years old. He is of medium height, has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He is usually serious but when he smiles you can see at once his friendly nature.

Nick is a student of Yaroslavl University, Philological Department. It was not easy for him to enter the University, but he is so hardworking and intelligent that I never doubted his success.

Speaking about his family, I‘d like to say that it is not large. There are four of them, He has a father, a mother and a brother. They live in a new flat in the centre of Yaroslavl. His father's name is Victor Pavlovich. He is 45. He is a tall and well-built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He works at a plant as an engineer. He likes his job and spends most of his time there. His father is a quiet man while his mother is energetic and talkative. His mother's name is Anna Petrovna. She is a teacher of music and plays the piano very well. She always has a lot of work at her school, but of course she manages to combine work and housekeeping. Nick's mother is a pleasant woman of 40 with beautiful chestnut hair and dark brown eyes.

Nick's brother Vitalik is only 11 and he goes to school. Vitalik is very funny and inquisitive. Besides, he is a football fan.

I could call their family friendly if Nick had no problems with his parents. They do not like the way he dresses, the kind of music he listens to and his hobbies. Nick does not care about getting dressed in the latest fashion, but he always looks neat. He prefers a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He is a Taurus [ 'to:res ] by the sign of the zodiac. As you know, Taurus means "the Bull", and he really has some traits of character that remind of this animal. He cannot only work hard, he can also go towards his goal steadily. And what I most like about him is that he knows what duty is. If he is to do something, he would do it.

Nick has a good sense of humour. He is a good mixer but he may be too direct. Sometimes his words offend me or other people. He says he does not care about people who are of no interest to him, and I think it is bad. I myself do not find it difficult to be tactful and friendly with the people I know. But this is the only thing we quarrel about. Very often I find his company terribly interesting.

My friend reads books. So do I. He is crazy about science fiction and historical novels. Sometimes we discuss the books we read and after these discussions I often learn something new about the life and the world around me. Nick is fond of modern pop and rock music. His favourite singers are Andrei Makarevich and Yuri Shevchuk.

As you see, my friend is an ordinary boy with his own merits and drawbacks. But as the English proverb says, "Nobody is perfect". To my mind, people can always change for the better if they want to. Of course, it also depends on those who he deals with. The main thing is that we trust each other and I am sure that when I am in trouble, he will be a friend indeed.

Unit Two

My Working Day

On weekdays the alarm-clock wakes me up at 7.30 and my working day begins. I'm not an early riser, that's why it's very difficult for me to get out of bed, especially in winter. I open the window to let the fresh morning air in, switch on my music centre and do my morning exercises to the music. Then I go to the bathroom, takea warm shower, clean my teeth and dry myself on the towel. After that I go to my bedroom, do my bed and get dressed.

Usually my mother makes breakfast for me. But when she is away on business or just doesn't have to get up early, I make breakfast myself. While having breakfast, I listen to the latest news on the television.

I leave the house at 8 and go to the nearest bus stop. But very often I go to the University on foot with some of my fellow students, as it is not far from our house. It doesn't take me long to get there.

I am a full-time student of the Day Department of the University. We have 3 or 4 classes a day. Our classes last for an hour and a half, as a rule. I'm proud of the fact that very good and famous professors teach at our University. Most of our lectures are very interesting and we don't notice how the time flies. But unfortunately sometimes they are too boring and we can hardly stand them. Besides all different subjects, we have English classes as well. We have two (four) English lessons a week. I have to spend much time in the reading-room of our library to get ready for the next day classes. It is not so easy to study at the University but I feel great satisfaction when I think of the future. At 3 o'clock I leave the University for home. At home I have my dinner first. After dinner I have a short rest: I listen to my favourite music, read books or just watch TV. Then I sit to my desk in the study and start doing my homework for the next day classes. It takes me much time to do it, you know.

In the evening when my parents come home from work, their supper is usually ready and tea is hot. I get it ready for them. We have our supper together. Then we sit in the living-room, talk to each other, discuss our problems and try to help everybody. At that time we usually sum up the results of the day and think of our plans for the future.

Sometimes I go for a walk with my friends when my homework is done. Very often we go to the Volga embankment. It is our favourite place in the city. We walk there, sometimes we sit on a bench and talk and enjoy a lovely view on the river. It is especially pleasant to walk there in autumn and in summer.

Occasionally I have to stay at the University till 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening. When I have a lot of things to do, I go to the library, laboratory or our computer centre to work. We often have to write different tasks, tests and make reports on different topics. But it is very interesting. They say 'No pain no gain'. I fully agree with that saying, because to my mind if a person wants to succeed in something he must work hard.

So as you see, I am very busy especially during the examinations. It is a very hard time for all students, you know. But after the exams are over we are happy to have our holidays. It is a real enjoyment and time for our hobbies and interests.

All the same I can say that I like being a student.

As for the bedtime, I can't say that I always go to bed at the same time. It depends on the things I have to do. Of course on weekdays I go to bed late at night, but at weekends my usual bedtime is 11 o'clock as I want to have a good sleep before starting a new week of studies.

Unit Three

Our Flat

Our family lives in a flat in Yaroslavl. We have a three-room flat in a multistory block of flats of modern construction. Our windows look out over the river. There's a big yard with the children's playground near our house. There are some shops here and it is very convenient.

Our flat is neither big nor small. It is on the fifth floor. We moved here four years ago. Its number is 36. We have all modern conveniences in our flat: cold and hot running water, central heating, electricity and the telephone. Our flat has 3 rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a hall.

Our hall is rather small. We keep only a hall-stand, a mirror and a small chest of drawers with a telephone on it there.

Our living-room is the largest in the flat. It is light, because it has two big windows. You can see a piano on the left. There is a small round stool near the piano. The piano is new and black. The colour TV-set is on the right. You can see an arm­chair and a sofa near the TV- set. There is also a round table in the middle of the room. A thick carpetlies spread on the floor. You can see four chairs round the table. The set of wall unitsis on the left. There are some pictures of modern painters on the walls. The walls are soft green and the curtains match the walls.

We celebrate our family holidays, receive guests and watch TV there. I like our living-room and I often spend my free time watching TV and reading newspapers and magazines in it.

My parents' bedroom is not large but it has a balcony looking out on the park. There is not much furniture in this room: a double bed with two bedside cabinets, a wardrobe and a dressing table with a mirror. White net curtains make the room lighter.

I have my own room. It is the smallest in the flat. My room is not very light, because there is only one window. The furniture in my room is simple. There is a sofa on the right on which I sleep at night and take a rest in the day time. A small desk at which I usually do my lessons is at the window. There are two chairs at the desk and a TV set in the corner of the room. There is also a wardrobe to keep my clothes and a bookcase containing my collection of books. You can see Russian and English books there. I give my room a regular cleaning and tidying as I want it to look cosy and comfortable. I like my room very much. When my friends come to see me I invite them into my room. We watch TV, listen to music or just chat.

Our kitchen looks like any other kitchen you can see in modern blocks of flats. It is small but very comfortable. The furniture in the kitchen is not dark, it is light. There is a dining-table with four stools round it, a fridge and a cupboard there. If I mention a nice picture and a wall clock above the table, net curtains on the window and pot plants on its sill, it will be practically all that we have in the kitchen. But it is the real centre of our family life. We meet here every morning and every evening. We usually have breakfast and supper in the kitchen. Here we listen to the radio and get to know the latest news. Here we share our plans and our troubles.

Our bathroom is near the kitchen. It is small. There is nothing special in it, just the usual set of facilities for such a place: a bath-tub with a shower, a wash-basin with a mirror above it and a towel rack. There is also a shelf for washing things and a mat on the floor. You can see a washing-machine near the door.

We all like our flat. My friends say that it is a good one.

Home Duties

Speaking about the responsibilities, I'd like to say that everyone in our family has his own duties about the house. My mother is usually responsible for making dinner, doing the flat, washing and ironing the linen, washing up and so on. My father always helps my mother in her work about the house. As a rule he does everything she asks him about, and he often cleans the carpets with a vacuum-cleaner, takes the rubbish out, and does shopping. Besides I'd like to mention that my daddy is very good at cooking, he likes to cook dinner, to make sandwiches and toasts for breakfast, and helps my mother and me in baking cakes and biscuits.

When the weather is fine, my father makes us run in the stadium. So he cares much of our health.

And now I'd like to tell you some words about my duties. Of course, my first duty is studying. Besides that I have very much to do. I always keep our flat in order: I sweep the floor and wash it, sometimes I clean it with a vacuum cleaner, dust the furniture, wash up, water the flowers. As I am fond of cooking, I help my mother to do it, and very often I make dinner all by myself.

As our family is very friendly, we often receive guests. At that time we know our responsibilities quite well. As for me, usually I lay the table, my mother is busy cooking meals, and my daddy helps her and we all think of the plan to entertain our guests. They say "two heads are better than one". When we think all together, very nice ideas usually come to our minds. As a rule not only we are satisfied with the receiving our guests, but they are glad as well.

I make such a conclusion because our guests come to us often and invite us to their place.

Now, as you see, it is the best way when everybody in the family has his own duties. When it is so, there is never fuss about anything.

Unit Four

English Meals

The English usually have four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, tea (5 o'clock) and dinner. Breakfast can be a full "English breakfast" of cornflakes with milk and sugar, or bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, tea or coffee. Some people, however, have just a cup of tea or coffee with a toast or something similar. This is usually called a "continental breakfast".

At midday everything is stopped for lunch. Most offices and small shops are closed for an hour and the city pavements are full of people on their way to cafes, coffee bars, restaurants. Factory workers usually eat in their canteens.

The English like what they call "good plain food". They must be able to recognize what they are eating. Usually they like steak, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and fish and chips.

Afternoon tea is taken at about 5 o'clock, but it can hardly be called a meal. It is a cup of tea and cake or biscuits. At the weekends afternoon tea is a special occasion. Friends and visitors are often invited to have a chat over a cup of tea.

Dinner is the most substantial meal of the day. It is usually eaten at 7 o'clock. The first course may be soup (though the English don't like it very much). The main course will often be fish or meat, perhaps the traditional roast beef of old England, and a lot of vegetables. The next course will be something sweet and often cooked, such as a fruit pie. Last of all there may be cheese, often with biscuits. It is common knowledge that the English are very fond of tea. They like to have "a nice cup of tea" 6 or 8 times a day, sometimes even more.

On Christmas Day a roast turkey is traditionally cooked for dinner. It is usually followed by Christmas pudding. Long before Christmas housewives begin to plan what cake to make for Christmas. Usually they make fantastic Christmas cakes.

My Meals

It goes without saying that I prefer to have meals at home. At the weekend I like to get up late and have a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, or pancakes, or something like that. But on weekdays I'm always short of time in the morning. So I just have a cup of strong tea or coffee and a couple of sandwiches.

As I spend a lot of time at school (usually six or seven hours) it's necessary to have a snack at midday just to keep me going. That's why I have to go to the school canteen to have lunch. Our school canteen leaves much to be desired. It has become a tradition with our canteen to serve chops and watery mashed potatoes every day with a glass of cocoa or stewed fruit.

But I enjoy my evening meal at home. My mother is a wonderful cook and her dinners are always delicious and various.

To begin with, we usually have some salad — tomato and cucumber salad or mixed salad (I like it very much). For the first course we have some soup - noodle, mushroom or cabbage soup, or maybe some fish for a change. For the main course we have meat, chicken or fish dishes, for example, steak or fried fish with spaghetti or potatoes (boiled or fried). We also have a lot of vegetables - green peas, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers. I prefer meat to fish but my mother makes me eat fish from time to time. She says it's good for my brain.

For dessert we have some fruit, fruit juice or a cup of tea with a slice of cake.

On Sundays we sometimes go to McDonald's. I like everything there: cheeseburgers, hamburgers and Big Macs, cherry pies and fruit cocktails. But unfortunately we can't afford to go there very often, because it's rather expensive for a family and besides, they say it's not very healthy to eat at McDonald's.

So as you see, we have three meals a day and I think that if we eat less, it's much better and healthier for us.

Unit Five

Shopping

When we want to buy something we go to a shop. The shop assistant shows the customer various goods and sells them. He gives the customer a bill which we pay at the cash-desk. The goods can be wrapped up or packed in a box or parcel.

No one in our family goes shopping as often as my mother does. She keeps house, so she knows better than anyone of us what we are running short of.

From time to time my father goes and does some shopping too. Most often he goes for fruits, vegetables, fresh greens or fish to the district's market. Usually, he has a shopping list written by my mother with him.

The prices in our district's market are generally lower than in the state-owned or private shops, but the quality of goods is not always better. If the price doesn't suit you, you can argue about it with the seller and ask for a cut.

My duty is to buy bread for the family. So each time we are running out of bread, I take a shopping bag and money and hurry to the nearest bakery.

When we want to buy food we go to the food store, where you can find almost everything you want, or to some specialized provision shops.

The grocer sells a variety of foodstuffs, such as flour, butter, eggs, biscuits, jams and jellies, cheese, sugar, spice, tinned and frozen foods.

The greengrocer deals in fruit and vegetables.

The florist sells flowers and plants.

We go to the fishmonger for fish. We go to the butcher's to buy some kinds of meat; pork, veal, mutton or beef and we can buy some poultry there as well: chickens, geese or turkeys.

A milk shop is called a dairy. There we buy dairy products: milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, curds and eggs.

When we run out of bread we go to the baker's and ask for a loaf of white or brown bread.

A cake shop sells pastries and cakes of all kinds.

The confectioner always does a good trade selling sweets, chocolates, chocolate bars and other tempting things that make every child's mouth water.

Many large shops called department stores sell various goods under one roof and you can find there everything you need and that is on offer at small specialized shops scattered all around the town;

Department stores have a lot of departments: stationary, hosiery, millinery, footwear, sport goods, leather goods, perfumery, jewellery, ready-made women's and men's clothes and so on. All the things are on the counters and in the shopwindows so the customers can choose what they want.

At the stationary we buy paper, ink, pens, ball-pens, pencils, erasers and felt-tip pens.

In the millinery we buy hats, caps, fur caps and fur collars.

In the shoe or footwear department there are many kinds of shoes, boots, sandals, slippers and top-boots.

In the knitwear department we can find all kinds of knitted goods: pullovers, sweaters, cardigans, etc.

If we want new gloves or ties, handkerchiefs or shirts we go to the men's outfitter's.

In the men's clothing department we can find overcoats, shirts, trousers, pyjamas and other clothing for men.

In the women's clothing department we can choose coats, jackets, dresses, costumes, jumpers, blouses, skirts, underwear and many other things for women.

In the perfumery they have face cream and face powders, lipsticks, scents, lotions and shampoos.

A big store is really a very interesting place. We can simply walk round the store without buying anything at all.

Unit Six

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 2043