Virgo (Earth)

23^rd August-22^nd September

You are quiet and shy and don't like crowds. You tend to be a loner and keep yourself to yourself. You are a perfectionist – you want everybody and everything to be perfect and this makes it difficult for people to live up to your high standards. You prefer to play a supporting role at work and in relationships.

LIBRA (Air)

23^rd September-22^nd October

You are sympathetic, tolerant and a good listener, so when a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, they turn to you. Love is important for you and you are always falling for people. However, you are indecisive. You spend a lot of time weighing up all the possibilities before you make up your mind.

SCORPIO (Water)

23^rd October - 22^nd November

You have strong likes and dislikes and tend to see things in black and white. As a result, you tend to make instant judgements and rarefy change your mind about things or people. You are ambitious, but love is more important to you than success. You are very secretive and hide your true feelings. If you are hurt you always take revenge.

SAGITTARIUS (Fire)

23^rd November - 22^nd December

You are friendly, extrovert and outspoken. You rebel against authority and have a tendency to speak your mind when it would be better to remain silent. You hate pretence and deception. You are intelligent and like to show off your knowledge to other people. You love travel and danger and you have a hot temper.

CAPRICORN (Earth)

23^rd December - 20^th January reliable, careful, patient, inflexible, pessimistic, mean

AQUARIUS (Air)

21^st January - 18^th February

You are practical and realistic about what is important in life – you have your feet firmly on the ground. You are intelligent and love thinking up new ideas but you sometimes have a memory like a sieve. Once you have made a promise, you never go back on it. You like change and often wear outrageous clothes that make you stand out in a crowd.

PISCES (Water)

19^th February-20^th March

You are sensitive, imaginative and creative but also very emotional – your heart rules your head. You are not ambitious or materialistic and often have your head in the clouds. You are indecisive because you don't always know your own mind, but you are good at putting yourself in other people's shoes.

C. Match the following pictures of signs with their names. Divide them into water, fire, air, earth signs. Find your own sign.

D. Do you think you are like your sign? Do you agree with the good points and the bad points? Does it give you a good description of any of your friends and relations?



Task 3. Read the information about different signs of the Chinese horoscope.

A. Make up a list of unknown words which you may use in your speech.

B. Locate your birth and find out your sign.

RAT

(1972, 1934, 1996)

Say cheese! You're attractive, charming and creative. When you get angry, you can really have sharp teeth!

OX

(1973, 1985, 1997)

You're smart, patient, and as strong as an – well, you know what. Though you're a leader, you'd never brag.

TIGER

(1974, 1986, 1998)

You may be a nice person, but no one should ever enter your room without asking – you might attack!

RABBIT

(1975, 1987, 1999)

Your ambition and talent make you jump at opportunity. You also keep your ears open for gossip.

DRAGON

(1976, 1988, 2000)

You're on fire! Health, energy, honesty, and bravery make you a living legend.

SNAKE

(1977, 1989, 2001)

You may not speak often, but you're very smart. You always seem to have a stash of cash.

HORSE

(1978, 1990, 2002)

Being happy is your main goal. Everybody knows that you're a smart and hard "worker but your teacher may 'ride' you for talking too much.

SHEEP

(1979, 1991, 2003)

Gentle as a lamb, you're also artistic, compassionate and wise. You're often shy.

MONKEY

(1980, 1992, 2004)

You're a clever problem solver with an excellent memory.

ROOSTER

(1968, 1981, 1993)

You crow about your adventures, but inside you're really shy. You're thoughtful, capable, brave and gifted.

DOG

(1970, 1982, 1994)

Often the leader of the pack, you're loyal and honest. You can also keep a secret.

PIG

(1971, 1983, 1995)

Even though you're courageous, honest and kind, you never hog all the attention.

C. Discuss the following.

1. What do you know about the Chinese horoscope?

2. Why are people compared with different animals in this horoscope?

3. What kind of animal are you? Does the information given in this horoscope correspond to you? Give your arguments.

4. Does it give you a good description of any of your friends and relations?

5. Which horoscope do you trust most of all: European, Chinese, Druids? Give your arguments.

6. Do you know other horoscopes which reveal person’s character?



Task 4. Decide your personality type according to the following questionnaire.

A. To find out your personality type, answer the following questions as honestly as you can. For each question, choose the statement that best describes you as you have been throughout most of your life. If you find that both statements describe you, think hard and decide which fits you better. And remember, there are no "right" answers.

1. I've been romantic and imaginative……. E

I’ve been pragmatic and down-to-earth B

2. I have tended to take on confrontations.... G

I have tended to avoid confrontations A

3. I have typically been diplomatic, charming and ambitious C

I have typically been direct, formal and idealistic D

4. I have tended to be focused and intense...... H

I have tended to be spontaneous and fun-loving I

5. I have been a hospitable person and have enjoyed welcoming new friends into my life... F

I have been a private person and have not mixed much with others.... E

6. Generally, it's been easy to wind me up............. B

Generally, it's been difficult to wind me up A

7. I have needed to show affection to people... F

I have preferred to maintain a certain distance with people.... H

8. When presented with a new experience, I've usually asked myself if it would be useful to me.. C

When presented with a new experience, I've usually asked myself if it would be enjoyable.. I

9. I have tended to focus too much on myself. E

I have tended to focus too much on others.... A

10. Others have depended on my insight and knowledge H

Others have depended on my strength and decisiveness…... G

11. I have come across as being too unsure of myself B

I have come across as being too sure of myself…………… D

12. I have been more relationship-oriented than goal-oriented I

I have been more goal-oriented than relationship-oriented C

13. It has been very difficult for me to stop considering alternatives and do something definite.. H

It has been very difficult for me to take it easy and be more flexible…. D

14. I have tended to hesitate and procrastinate... B

I have tended to be bold and domineering…. G

15. My reluctance to get involved has got me into trouble with people… A

My eagerness to have people depend on me has got me into trouble with them… F

16. Usually, I have been able to put my feelings aside to get me job done… C

Usually, I have needed to work through my feelings before I could act…. E

17. I have tended to be a supportive, giving person who enjoys the company of others… F

I have tended to be a serious, reserved person who likes discussing issues…. D

18. I've generally been too tough and skeptical… B

I've generally been too soft-hearted and sentimental F

19. My habit of being stand-offish has annoyed people... E

My habit of telling people what to do has annoyed people D

20. Usually, when troubles have got to me, I've put them on the backburner… A

Usually, when troubles have got to me, I have treated myself to something I've enjoyed… I

21. I have depended on my friends and they have known that they can depend on me… B

I have not depended on people - I have done things on my own…. C

22. I have tended to be detached and preoccupied....... H

I have tended to be moody and self-absorbed E

23. I have liked to challenge people and "shake them up". G

I have liked to comfort people and calm them down... ...... F

24. I have generally been an outgoing, sociable person ............. I

I have generally been an earnest, self-disciplined person........................... D

25. I've usually been shy about showing my abilities A

I’ve usually liked to let people know what I can do well C

B. Scoring. Add up the number of times that you have circled each different letter. Put the totals into the boxes below. Match the letters with their corresponding number (directly below). Your highest score will indicate your personality type.

Columns ABC

А В С D E F G H I

No of circles

Personality Type 9 6 3 1 4 2 8 5 7

C. Read the information about the following nine personality types to know more about your character.