I am Alex Sidorov. Alex is my first name and Sidorov is my surname. I am seventeen years old. I want to tell you a few words about my family. My family is large. I've got a mother, a father, a sister, a brother and a grandmother. There are six of us in the family. My mother is a teacher of biology. She works in a college. She likes her profession. She is a good-looking woman with brown hair and green eyes. She is forty-four but she looks much younger. She is tall and slim. My father is a computer programmer. He is very experienced. He is a broad-shouldered, tall man with fair hair and grey eyes. He is forty-six. My father often sings and when we are at home and have some free time, I play the guitar and we sing together. My father knows all about new radio sets and likes to repair old ones. He is also handy with many things. When he was small, he liked to take everything to pieces. My grandmother told me a story that once my father tried to "repair" their kitchen clock. He managed to put all the wheels and screws back again — but the clock did not work. They had to give it to a repairman. But that happened a long time ago. Now he can fix almost everything: a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a fridge and what not. He's got a few shelves where he keeps everything he needs. On the table there's always a radio in pieces. My parents have been married for twenty-six years. They have much in common, but they have different views on music, books and films. For example, my father likes horror films and my mother likes "soap operas". My father is fond of tennis. My mother isn't interested in sports. But my parents have the same opinion about my education and upbringing. My parents are hard-working people. My mother keeps house and takes care of me and my father. She is very good at cooking and she is clever with her hands. She is very practical. My father and I try to help her with the housework. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy our flat. My grandmother is a pensioner. She lives with us and helps to run the house. She is fond of knitting. My sister Helen is twenty-five. She is married and has a family of her own. She works as an accountant for a small business company. Her husband is a scientist. They've got twins: a daughter and a son. They go to a nursery school.My brother Boris is eleven. He is a schoolboy. He wants to become a doctor but he is not sure yet. Three months ago he dreamed of being a cosmonaut. I want to become a student. I'd like to learn foreign languages. I think I take after my father. I'm tall, fair-haired and even-tempered. I always try to be in a good mood. We've got a lot of relatives. We are deeply attached to each other and we get on very well.
Vocabulary good-looking красивый, миловидный to go in for smth заниматься чем-либо slim стройный opinion [ a'pinjan] мнение experienced [ik'spiarianst] опытный, квалифициро- upbringing ['Ap,briniQ] воспитание ванный, со стажем to take care f kea] of smb заботиться о ком-либо broad-shouldered Lbroid'Jaulded] широкоплечий she is good at cooking она хорошо готовит to play the guitar [gi'ta:] играть на гитаре she is clever with her hands у нее умелые руки to repair [itpea] чинить, исправлять to tidy [laidi] убирать, приводить в порядок to be handy with smth уметь делать что-либо, быть pensioner ['penfana] пенсионер искусным в чем-либо to run the house вести хозяйство to take to pieces ['pirsiz] разбирать на части to knit [nit] вязать to manage ['тзетйз] суметь, справиться, ухитриться accountant [a'kauntant] бухгалтер wheels [wi:lz] and screws [skru:z] колесики и винтики scientist ['saiantist] ученый to fix чинить, исправлять twins близнецы vacuum cleaner [vaekjuam,kli:na] пылесос nursery ['пз:зэп] school детский сад washing machine ['wojio ma'Jm] стиральная машина cosmonaut ['kozmanoit] космонавт fridge [frid3] холодильник to take after быть похожим, пойти (в кого-либо из and what not и так далее, и тому подобное родителей) in pieces разобранный на части fair-haired [fea'head] светловолосый to have much in common иметь много общего even-tempered [,i:vn'tempad] уравновешенный views [vju:z] on smth взгляды на ... to be in a good mood быть в хорошем настроении horror ['hora ] film фильм ужасов to be deeply attached [a'taetjt] to smb быть сильно "soap opera" "мыльная опера", многосерийная привязанным к кому-либо мелодрама to get on well быть в хороших отношениях, ладить to be fond of smth увлекаться чем-либо друг с другом
Questions 1. What is your first name? What is your surname? 2. How old are you? 3. When is your birthday? 4. Is your family large? How many are you in the family? 5. Have you got any brothers or sisters? 6. What are your parents? Where do they work? 7. How long have your parents been married? 8. Do they have much in common? 9. Do you spend a lot of time with your family? 10. What sort of things do you do together? 11. Do you go out with your parents? 12. Who runs the house in your family? 13. What are your household duties? 14. What is your father's hobby? 15. Can you describe your mother?
