Vocabulary Notes on the Text

My family

Let me introduce myself. My name is Alexander, Alec for short. My full name is Alexander Sergeyevich Orlov. Orlov is my surname, Alexander is my first name and Sergeyevich is my patronymic. I am not yet nineteen.

At the moment I am a first-year student at the University.

My parents have two more children besides me. Thus I have an older brother and a younger sister. My sister Helen is just out of school. She is seventeen. She is a pretty girl with brown hair and soft dark-brown eyes. Her dream is to become a pianist.

My brother, whose name is Michael, is eight years my senior. He is twenty seven already. He is a builder. He is married and has a family of his own. They are four in the family. He has a wife and two children – a son and a daughter. They are twins. They are lovely little children with golden hair and dark-blue eyes. They are always full of joy and gaiety. He’s wife’s name is Nina. She is a surgeon by profession. They are not in Leningrad. They are in the Far East.

My parents are not old at all. Father is fifty, and Mother is three years his junior. My grandparents are already pensioners but they are still full of life and energy. They have a house in the country. Aunt Mary is with them.

She is a pleasant looking woman of about forty. Uncle Nick, her husband, is a librarian. He is a clever man but a little unpractical. Aunt Mary, on the other hand, is very practical and full of common sense.

They have a son. He is my cousin. Peter is nineteen, tall, and a fine manly fellow. He is at the University and is studying to be a chemist. He is a clever, hard-working student, a first-class footballer, and a good runner. He is strong, quiet and thoughtful like his father.

Vocabulary Notes on the Text

1. Английское name соответствует русским «имя», «фамилия» или «полное имя». На вопрос What’s your name? отвечающий может сообщить полностью имя и фамилию, но также только имя или только фамилию. Если спрашивающий не удовлетворён ответом, он может задать уточняющий вопрос:

What is your first (Christian) name?

My first (Christian) name is Nina.

What is your surname (family name)?

My surname (family name) is Smirnova.

2. to introduce oneself – представиться, познакомиться:

Let me introduce myself.

to introduce smb to smb – познакомить кого-л. с кем-л.

Let me introduce my friend to you.

Let me introduce Nina’s friend to you.

Let me introduce a friend of mine to you.

Менее официально:

Meet my friend, father.

Обычный обмен приветствиями во время знакомства:

How do you do? – How do you do? I’m very glad to meet you.

I’m very glad to make your acquaintance. – Очень рад(а) с вами познакомиться.

3. В тексте встречаются слова more, yet, и still в значении «ещё».

More употребляется с исчисляемыми и неисчисляемыми существительными при наличии числительного или обобщающего местоимения:

Give me two more books, please (или: two books more).

Have some more tea, please.

Yet обычно употребляется в отрицательных и вопросительно-отрицательных предложениях, где оно может стоять после отрицательной частицы not или в конце предложения:

He is not yet here. (или: He is not here yet.)

Isn’t he ready yet?

В положительном значении «ещё», «всё ещё» передается словом still:

He is still a schoolboy.

Are they still in Leningrad?

4. to be fond of smb. smth – любить кого-л., что-л.

Are you fond of this book?

She is very fond of her little nephew.

5. to be married (to) – быть женатым (на ком-л), замужем за (кем-л.)

He is not yet married.

She is married to Bob N. (to an artist).

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