3. Refer the sentences to the past and to the future.

1. She is very good at cooking. 2. She lives with us. 3. Do they have much in common? 4. He has a few shelves. 4. Is your family large? 5. We get on very well.

4. Put the verbs in the correct form.

Every evening after work the Hutchinsons (sit) in their sitting-room. They (sit) there now. What (do) Mr Hutchinson? He (read) a book. He (read) a great number of books, and he (write) books for children. He and his wife (sit) by the fire. The Hutchinsons (have) a cat. She (sit) on the arm of Mr Hutchinson’s armchair. She often (sit) there, or on his desk, when he (write) and (watch) him.

5. Supplementary reading

The Average British Family.

1. Read the text and say what facts were new for you .

The average British family lives in a semi-detached house with a garden in the South of England. They own their house, which is situated in the suburbs of a large town. The house has three bedrooms. On average they have two children and a pet. The family drives a two-year-old Ford.

The father of the family works in the office of an engineering company for 40 hours a week and earns & 200 per week. He starts at 9.00 in the morning and finishes at 5.30 in the evening. He goes to work by car, which takes him 20 minutes. He doesn’t particularly like his job, there are chances of promotion.

The mother works in a service industry for three days a week and earns about & 100. She works locally and goes there by bus. She quite likes her job as it gets her out of the house, she meets people, and it is close to her children’s school.

The children go to a state school which is a few miles from home. A special bus comes to pick them up every day. They are at school from 9.00 to 3.30.

The most popular evening entertainment is watching television or video. After that, the next most popular activity is visiting friends, going to the cinema or a restaurant, or going to the pub. The most popular hobby is gardening and the most popular sports are fishing, football and tennis.

2. Tell about a typical Russian family.

ADVANCED LEVEL

1. Text about myself

Before I start talking about my family let me introduce myself. I am … .(My name is … and … is my surname). I am a true Siberian because I was born in Novosibirsk. My parents were also born in this city. I have been living in this town since my childhood.

I was born on the 21 of May in 1994, so I am 17. I have finished school this year. Now I’m a first-year student. I am an ordinary boy of my age and extremely fond of music, books and computers. I devote a lot of my spare time to reading and listening to my favourite groups. I did well at school and was especially good at math and geometry, but also coped with the rest of the subjects. And I’d like to master English.

I’m a very active person and from my earliest days I prefer outdoor games. As for my appearance, everybody says I look like my mum. I have the same blue eyes, a snub nose and chestnut hair. I am not tall and I am not thin.

My family

I think that a family is the most important thing for every person and home is the nicest place. As the proverb says, "East or West, home is best". Family are the people that always love you, support you and help you.

And now I am going to tell you a few words about my family. Our family consists of my parents, my elder sister and younger brother, my mum’s parents and me. We get on well with each other. All they want of me is that I make good progress at the University.

In the evenings, when all the members of our family get together after work and study, we discuss all our problems together.

I love my family dearly and everyone in my family is my best friend. In short, for me it is impossible to live without my family.

My father

Certainly I am going to talk first of my dad. His name is Alexander. He is neither old nor young. He is in his early forties, a little above medium height, rather thin, handsome, with regular features and dark brown hair. He has brown eyes. His manner is friendly and quiet, but he is an energetic person and very sociable.

My dad is indeed a man of great intelligence. He is an engineer and works for a building company. He is a hardworking man and very often he works over time. But despite of his late hours he always has time for my sister, brother and me. Dad can do a lot of things and does well in everything he undertakes. He likes to make or repair something and teaches me to repair furniture. He is keen on tennis and chess but moreover he is fond of going to the country.

My mother

My mummy’s name is … . She is a woman of forty, two years younger than my dad. They have been married for 20 years. My mum is not tall and she is slim, with a lovely face and large blue eyes. Her smile is very pleasant and kind. She has dark hair. My mum is decidedly pretty and looks young for her age. She’s a very elegant woman, always well-dressed. Everybody likes her at once because she is a quiet woman and a good listener. My mum takes a very good care of everybody.

My mum has a part-time job as an interior designer in a large company and gets good money. She is fond of her work and spends a lot of time there. But she is a good housekeeper and cooks perfectly.

My sister

My elder sister Rita is a pretty girl with blue eyes and fair hair. She looks like our mother. She is a 19-year-old medical student. She likes chemistry and biology, and often tells me interesting things she reads in her textbooks.

My brother

My younger brother’s name is Maxim. He is fifteen, and naturally he goes to school. He is a pupil of the ninth form. So he is a teenager, and teenagers are sometimes difficult. He is crazy about football. He plays football always and everywhere. He is rather clever and inquisitive and does well at school. He is mainly interested in sciences and our parents expect a lot of him.

My grandmother

   My granny Tatyana is a very tender-hearted and good-looking woman though she has reached a great age. Last week she celebrated her70^thbirthday. She is still very industrious and is fond of knitting.

My grandfather

And finally my granddad Sergei. My granddad retired from the railway company and is enjoying life on a pension. My granddad is generous and kind, and I must tell you, he is my best friend. My granddad is so energetic that he brings that energy to us. He reads a lot and thanks to him our family library is very rich.

I also have other close relatives: uncles, aunts and cousins. We love each other.

Housekeeping, family duties and traditions

My mum keeps our house well. Shopping and cooking is nearly half a day’s work for her. We try to help her about the house as much as we can. My sister and I buy food very often. My younger brother and I have our duties about the house. On Saturdays Dad joins us in our work about the house. We do a lot of things together; share our duties to help each other.

It is the custom of our family to have our birthday celebrations together. We usually invite our close relatives and have a festive dinner.

I’ve mentioned that we have a small cottage in the country with a kitchen-garden. In summer we often drive to this place. The nature is very beautiful there. It is the nicest place for me. There is a sand beach and a forest not far from our place. We got used to spend our summer vocations at this place.

That is my story about my family. It’s really nice to know that your family are your best friends.