Self-assured selfish self-centred

My Family.

Hi! My name is Thomas(though my friends call me Tom). I’m fifteen. I’ve got a Mum, A Dad, a brother and two sisters, three aunts and uncles and two grandmothers who live in New Zealand.

I’m the youngest. It is pretty dire at times when my elder sisters and brother try to boss me around, but sometimes it’s OK because I get away with doing things with them- like going off up to London for the day, staying up really late to watch videos and going off to the pub for a drink (cola, of course, because I’m not 18 yet). I think there are some advantages of being the youngest. I can learn from my sisters’ and brother’s mistakes, and they’ve fought some of the battles with my parents for freedom.

My eldest brother Mark is 20 and is studying at the university in York. My sister Laura is 18 and in her last year at school. She is doing Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths “A” levels. She wants to become a doctor.

Liz is my other sister. She has a beautiful smile. She is 16. My sister Liz was born lucky. When she does something bad, she smiles and my parents are not angry with her. She eats a lot and does not get fat. Her favourite meal is a double cheeseburger with French fries, a milkshake, and an ice cream sundae. She does not study hard but always gets good marks. After school she does her homework in five minutes while she watches television at the same time.

I’ m close to all three but possibly closest to Liz. She sometimes comes to me for advice and I sometimes go to her. But I would have liked to have a younger brother. I’d have liked to have someone to have a laugh with, someone to take out to football with me. My sisters and Mark don’t always share my sense of humour.

My Dad is a civil servant and works in central London. Mum is a teacher and works in Croydon, a town on the outskirts of London.

If I go out, my parents like to know where I’m going, who I’m with and what time I’m coming home, but that’s fair enough.

Of all my relatives best of all I like my Granny Dotty. She loves adventure. On her sixtieth birthday she went mountain climbing in the Alps. On her seventieth birthday she went on a trip to the North Pole. When she was eighty, she drove, alone, across the United States. She loves to eat chocolate. We all wonder what she will do when she is ninety.

Vocabulary:

Pretty dire довольно неприятно

Advantages преимущества

To get away with провернуть какое- либо дельце

To go off уезжать, сбегать

To stay up не ложиться спать

A battle битва

Freedom свобода

Further Maths высшая математика

Be angry (with) сердиться (на)

Get fat поправляться, становиться толстым

Milkshake молочный коктейль

Ice cream sundae пломбир с сиропом, орехами, фруктами

Be close(to) быть в близких отношениях

Share делить, разделять

Sense of humour чувство юмора

Civil servant служащий

Outskirts пригород

Fair справедливый

Mountain climbing альпинизм

North Pole Северный полюс

Find English equivalents in the text:

Мои друзья называют меня Томом; самый младший; временами довольно неприятно; старшие сёстры; пытаться командовать; провернуть какое-либо дельце; поездки в Лондон; на день; допоздна не ложиться спать; смотреть видео; вылазки в бар; некоторые преимущества; ошибки сестёр и брата; битвы за свободу; старший брат; последний год в школе; она занимается биологией; моя вторая сестра; родилась счастливой; красивая улыбка; она много ест; она не поправляется; любимая еда; молочный коктейль; пломбир; всегда получает хорошие оценки; делает домашнее задание за пять минут; делает домашнее задание и смотрит телевизор одновременно; я близок со всеми тремя; она приходит ко мне за советом; как же мне хотелось; младший брат; кто-то, с кем можно посмеяться; кто-то с кем можно пойти на футбол; не всегда понимают мой юмор; служащий; куда я иду; с кем я; в какое время я вернусь домой; достаточно справедливо; из всех своих родственников; больше всех; в свои шестьдесят (семьдесят, восемьдесят); путешествие на северный полюс; через Соединённые Штаты; всем нам хотелось бы знать; когда ей будет девяносто.

Translate the following into English:

Привет! Меня зовут Мария, хотя друзья зовут меня Маша. Мне 16 и я учусь в выпускном классе в школе. У меня есть мама, папа, брат, сестра, тётя, дядя и бабушка, которая живёт в Сибири.

Я самая старшая, и иногда это бывает ужасно, особенно когда родители хотят, чтобы я опекала своих младших сестру и брата. Но я думаю, есть некоторые преимущества в том, чтобы быть старшим. Это бывает особенно приятно, когда мне разрешают делать то, что не разрешают моим сестре и брату.

Я думаю, что я родилась счастливой. Я довольно привлекательна, а когда я улыбаюсь, мои родители и учителя не могут сердиться на меня. У меня нет проблем с уроками, и если я даже не занимаюсь очень усердно, я получаю хорошие отметки.

Из всех своих родственников больше всех я люблю свою тётю. Она любит то же, что и я. Как и я, она любит спорт. Как и я, она любит шоколад и мороженое. Мы обе любим поболтать, и всегда весело проводим время вместе.

For additional reading:

1. My sister Jamie is very shy. When there are other people around, she speaks very little. Sometimes she does not speak at all, and even runs away. She is very quiet at home and at school. You do not even know she is there sometimes. She is very shy about her body, too. She never goes to the beach or swimming pool. But she likes ice-cream and cookies.

1. My brother is very selfish. He does not want to share things with other people. For example, when he buys a bar of chocolate, he puts it in a secret place. Then he eats it all, by himself. He never helps anyone. He says he is busy. For example, a game of tennis or Nintendo makes him very busy. He does not care if something he does bothers other people. For instance, last night he played loud rock’n’roll music until four o’clock in the morning. In conclusion, my brother is selfish, and will always be selfish.
2. On the whole I get on well with my sister Alice. She’s 18. Occasionally we argue, mostly about clothes. For example, if I borrow her clothes without asking, she gets annoyed. We don’t feel competitive because we have different interests. I’m more artistic and she is more academic.

Does she ever try to boss me around? Sometimes, but I tell her to mind her own business. How does she try to control me? She tells my parents that I shouldn’t go somewhere because it’s not suitable. Or she tells them that I should be doing more work. I think she thinks that she’s being helpful, but she’s not. She was a lot worse than me at this age, went out a lot and went to a lot of clubs which I don’t really do.

1. I’m a middle child. My elder brother is 18 and my younger brother is 11. I suppose I get on better with my elder brother. I don’t feel competitive with him. We’re good at the same sort of things and we’re treated quite equally. Sometimes my elder brother is allowed more freedom than me but I understand the reason why. I suppose girls are more at risk in the streets at night. But I don’t think he should be allowed to stay out too much later than me. A little bit later, maybe!

I’m quite motherly towards my little brother. I make sure he looks tidy. Sometimes when he’s at a friend’s house he calls me and I have a chat with him on the phone. It’s nice that he asks to speak to me.

I used to wish I had a sister but I have my schoolfriends and I can confide in my elder brother like a friend. I’d confide in him about problems. He’s been through the same ones so he understands.

1. I try to finish all my college work during the day. It’s difficult to study at home with two younger sisters and a brother at my elbow.

My brother Robbie is eight. He has already grown out of doing what I tell him to. He’s quite funny and a good company. But he doesn’t know where to stop. He’ll try the same joke over and over again.

As Robbie is the only boy in the family, I want him to be able to come to me. I don’t want him to feel really alone. I want us to be good friends.

Living in a big family I’ve learnt not to have all the attention focused on me. I think it’s a good thing If you’re an only child, you always have all the attention and I suppose you can get a bit self- centred.

Learn the new words concerning human qualities and appearance:

Nouns: beauty intelligence honesty

humour seriousness success

generosity kindness energy

Adjectives: athletic intellectual romantic protective

Artistic peaceful ambitious successful

Shy strong reliable brave

Talented optimistic witty honest

Sincere organized helpful confident

Self-assured selfish self-centred

DATING. Read and find out.

In the United States dating starts early. In some families thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boys and girls go out on dates. When young teenagers go on dates they often go with a group, and usually the group has a chaperon. But older teenagers usually do not have a chaperon on their dates.

When a third person arranges a date between two strangers, it is a blind date. Some people send information about themselves to a computer dating bureau, which matches them with blind dates.

In the past it was customary for a boy to pay for a date. Sometimes today a girl pays for herself. This is called going dutch. Frequently a boy asks a girl for a date, but more and more often girls are asking boys for dates.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16