Destination B1. Unit 12. Topic Vocabulary: Friends and relations

 

 

 

 

 

Topics for discussion: Let’s talk about your school. Describe your school to a new friend.

I think I can make a long speech about my school. School is a very special place. It's a temple of knowledge, a place where you grow up and take courage, make friends and develop your abilities and your personality. You come here as a youngster of six, happy, shy, full of expectations and leave it as a grown-up of 17.

I study at secondary school in Soligorsk. It is famous for its high quality of education. It differs from all ordinary schools from the point of view of language study. Firstly, the children begin learning English in the first form. Secondly, the classes are split into 3 groups for language study. Thirdly, the number of English lessons is greater.

Our school looks nice and lovely, It's a clean and attractive three-storeyed building. The school building itself is of a typical design with the same layout and the distribution of classrooms, administrative offices, canteens, gyms and libraries as you can see in most other schools Our school has all modern facilities which are fully- equipped with all the necessary stuff like computers, whiteboards, TVsets and so on.

When you enter the school you will see a large entrance hall, cloakrooms, on the left there is a gym, a library, Headmaster's office, and straight is the canteen.

There are two wings in our school. One is given to primary school children. During the breaks they rush along the corridor making a lot of noise to which everyone got used.

On the first floor there is the Assembly Hall where all kind of performances, concerts and meetings are held, a teachers' room, a computer class, and a lot of classrooms to study. Our classrooms are well-equipped, cosy and home-like. On the second floor you can find physics and chemistry labs which are also equipped with many devices for carrying out experiments and scientific projects.

It is common knowledge that success of school education depends mainly on the teachers, their professional skill, their attitude to the subjects they teach and the kind of relationship they can establish with the pupils.

Here I'd like to say that my teachers are highly educated and experienced. They are strongly devoted to their work and their attitude to the pupils is always friendly and tolerant My favourite subject at school is ... We have a very good and enthusiastic teacher who inspired in me an interest of... She is a very fair person and the manner of her teaching is perfect. The pupils are well-disciplined and well-behaved at her lessons. The atmosphere in the school is based on common sense, tolerance, and mutual respect. Poor behaviour especially any form of bullying is treated very firmly.

Our school has a busy and eventful life. There are a lot of extra-class activities. We arrange parties and concerts, hold different contests and competitions. The school has got good volleyball and basketball teams and pupils willingly participate in sporting matches against other schools.

Of course such parties as New Year, the 8th of March are celebrated with great amusement.

We also get acquainted with the traditions of the English-Speaking countries and celebrate such holidays as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day and many others.

There are many traditions in our school. The most interesting of them is the School-Leavers Reunion Day which is observed on the first Saturday in February. School leavers of different years come to our school and speak about their school years and share their life experience with us. Then the school children give a concert. It is usually a very interesting and useful event.

I like the friendly atmosphere at my school. It gives me a real pleasure to go here and to communicate with my classmates. I like my class. I always feel at home here. Everybody is so friendly and easy to get along with. I am on good terms with my classmates and we often spend our free time together.

I'd like to say once again that school means a lot to me, and now my heart is full of gratitude to most of my teachers and many of my friends who make my school life enjoyable.

8. Let’s talk about your school. Describe your school to a new friend. 

1) What are your school dinners like?

2) What do you dislike about your school?

3) Does your school have any traditions?

4) Why is it important to study at school well?

16. Let’s talk about school. Do you like to go to school? What would you tell your friends from other countries about your school?

1) What is your most favourite subject?

2) What do you dislike about your school?

3) Ask me about my school life.

4) Why is it important to speak foreign languages?

Topics for discussion: Describe a working day in your life. Tell what you like and don’t like to do.

I don’t feel like speaking about my working day in detail. The everyday routine is of no interest to anybody but everyday life is something that makes an essential part of our life.

So my day starts when I hear my alarm clock rings or my mother’s voice: “Anton, it’s time to get up”. Though I am a heavy-sleeper I can easily return to reality after my night dreams. The thing that helps me do that is a cool shower which I take every morning with a great pleasure. One more thing which helps me raise the spirits in the morning is music and I switch on my smartphone while dressing.

It doesn’t take me long to get dressed. As soon as I have done it I am ready to have breakfast. Some people say that they like to begin their day well so their breakfast is good. They make it rather substantial. With me it is different, I'm not a great eater in the morning so as a rule, I prefer having a cup of tea with a sandwich or some corn flakes with milk. But after having breakfast like this I soon feel hungry and at about 11 o'clock I have a bite at our school canteen. My lessons are over at 2 or 3 o’clock.

Sometimes I have extra classes after school or I go to the library to get ready for my classes or to write a report.

When I am back home I have dinner. This time I eat a lot: for example soup for the first course, meat or fish with some vegetables for the second and something for dessert. After hard work at school and after a heavy dinner I feel tired and sleepy. So rather often I have a nap. Sometimes, very seldom to be more exact, I meet my friends to have a chat or I go for a short walk. Then it’s time for me to get down to doing my homework. It takes me 1 or 2 hours to do it. Rather often I have to sit up late especially on those days when we have to write a composition or to make a report. As a rule I am through with my tasks at about 6. Then I have 4 hours at my disposal which can be spent on playing computer games, reading, watching TV and what not.

I am afraid that you have got an impression that I never do anything about the house. Certainly, I do. It is my everyday duty to tidy up the rooms twice a week, I do the vacuum cleaning and once in a while I go shopping, that I hate most of all, but nevertheless I can kill two birds with one stone – having a walk and doing some useful work.

I like to pack my things for the next day before going to bed, it really makes my preparation for school easier in the morning.

At about 11 o’clock I go to bed to get up early next morning to begin everything anew. I try to stick to my schedule to be fit and organised.

In conclusion, I’d like to say that most of us today run in the fast line of life and I pay close attention to what I do with my time and use any possibility to gain extra free time, which helps get rid of tiredness. Of course, physical rest is very important, but we need soul rest – or little me time which you can get from reading a book, watching a good film or just mixing with your relatives and friends. And it has been wisely noted that after spiritual rest we feel strengthened, patient and full of beans.

This is more or less what my regular working day looks like. I'm sure a five-day school week is for the benefit of pupils, as it encourages them to be more organised and have more time for rest.

7. Describe a working day in your life. Tell what you like and don’t like to do.

1) Do you help your mum about the house?

2) Do you have any problems at school? What are they?

3) What is the most boring thing you have to do?

4) Do you spend much time watching TV?

13. Describe your usual working day. Tell what you like and don’t like to do.

1) Do you help your mum about the house?

2) Do you have any problems at school? What are they?

3) What is the most boring thing you have to do?

4) Do you spend much time watching TV?

19. Do you agree that children are very busy? Tell us what you usually have to do on weekdays.

1) Do you help your mum about the house?

2) Do you have any problems at school? What are they?

3) What is the most boring thing you have to do?

4) Do you spend much time playing computer games?

Topics for discussion: Imagine you are writing about Belarus to a foreign magazine. Describe our country to its readers.

 My Country Structure

• Location (The country is located ... . It borders .... .The population .... . The capital ... .)
• The origin of its name.
• Landscape
• Statistics ( Industry and agriculture.)
• Nation's character
• Places of interest, sights. (What is your country famous for?)
• Conclusion

Sample 1

Belarus is my homeland. It is a country with unique history and rich cultural heritage. Officially it is called the Republic of Belarus, a sovereign independent state with its own government, constitution, state emblem, flag and anthem. Belarus is situated in the eastern part of Europe. Its area is 207 600 square kilometres. It borders on Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Poland. The population of the country is about 9,4 million people. The territory of Belarus is divided into 6 regions. The capital of Belarus is Minsk.

The name “Belarus” corresponds with the term “White Rus”. There are several ideas about where the name “White Rus” came from. One of the possible origins of the name is for the white clothing that was worn by the local Slavic population. Yet another theory suggests that the old Rus lands (Polotsk, Vitebsk and Mogilev) were not conquered by the Tatars and as a result of this were described as “white”.

Our native land is fascinating and varied with its blue lakes and ribbons of rivers edged with thick forests, with its endless fields, meadows and swamps, with its varied and plentiful animal and plant kingdom. Because of its unique nature the country has been included into the list of countries called “the lungs of Europe”. There are some 3000 rivers flowing over the territory of Belarus. The longest rivers are the Dnieper, the Nieman, the Western Bug and the Western Dvina. There are over 10 000 lakes in Belarus. The largest of them is Lake Naroch. That’s why Belarus has often been referred to as the blue-eyed country.

More than a quarter of the country is covered with forests. An ancient forest on the border between Belarus and Poland, Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a national reservation which is the home of the aurochs (or European bison). This animal is one of the symbols of Belarus, as well as a stork and a cornflower.

The climate of Belarus is continental with comparatively mild winters and pretty warm summers. The nature of Belarus has suffered much from the nuclear catastrophe that took place in Chernobyl in 1986. The radiation has spoiled our soil and air, rivers and lakes, it has poisoned our flora and fauna. Besides, it has badly affected people's health. 

Belarus is a developing industrial state. It's known for its production of tractors, motor-cycles, bicycles, TV-sets, refrigerators, watches and many other goods. The country's major crops are potatoes, flax, barley, rye and sugar beet.

The geographical position of Belarus got our country involved in major European events over the centuries. The advantageous geographical position – on the crossroads from east to west – turned into disadvantage. Belarus was the arena of many wars, invasions and aggressions. All these events slowed down but didn’t stop the development of the nation. I must admit that despite all the hardships our country managed to preserve its unity and strong spirit.

Speaking about Belarusian national character, many foreigners admit that our people are extremely sociable, hospitable, generous and welcoming. They are also described as resourceful and peaceful. When socialising, Belarusians are open, warm-hearted, fun-loving, humorous and outgoing.

However, when Belarusians are moving around the city, shopping or travelling on public transport they are a bit reserved and tend to keep themselves to themselves. There is a high respect for education and culture, so the majority of people are highly professional, hard-working and intelligent.

If you ask me about national landmarks worth visiting, firstly, I will mention Neswizh and Mir castles, they look incredible, and excursions are very interesting, you will learn many legends from this part of Belarusian history. Don't forget to visit Grodno and Brest, there are a lot of must-see attractions. And, of course, the National library. The view from the observation deck is simply stunning. I will also advise to visit The Narochansky National Park and Belovezhskaya Pushcha, which are the peculiar symbols of our country and thanks to them you can see and appreciate all the beauty of our nature.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that I'm proud of my country and its people. Each time I go abroad I tell foreigners about our great past and achievements. Belarus is the place my heart will always belong to!

5. Imagine you are writing about Belarus to a foreign magazine. Describe our country to its readers.

1) Would you like to take part in a British holiday celebration? Why?

2) What Belarusian festivals would you advise a foreigner to visit?

3) What questions will you ask a zoologist who works in the Belavezhskaya Pushcha?

4) What kinds of sport are popular in Belarus?

6. Your English friend asks you about your Motherland. What will you tell him about Belarus?

1) What Belarusian sights would you recommend a foreigner to visit?

 2) What Belarusian festivals would you advise a foreigner to attend?

3) What questions about Belarus do you expect to hear from a British teenager?

4) Do Belarusians like sport?

12. Imagine you are writing about Belarus to a foreign magazine. Describe our country to its readers.

1) What Belarusian sights would you recommend a foreigner to visit?

 2) What Belarusian festivals would you advise a foreigner to attend?

3) What questions about Belarus do you expect to hear from a British teenager?

4) Do Belarusians like sport? What sports are especially popular in Belarus?

18. Belarus is a beautiful country. Tell new foreign friends about the beauty of the Republic of Belarus.

1) What do you know about Belarusian traditions?

2) What Belarusian festivals would you advise a foreigner to attend?

3) Do you know any Belarusian writers?

4) What questions about Belarus do you expect to hear from a professor of History from the UK?

20. Imagine you are writing about Belarus to a foreign magazine. Describe our country to its readers.

1) Would you like to take part in a British holiday celebration? Why?

2) What Belarusian festivals would you advise a foreigner to visit?

3) What questions will you ask a zoologist who works in the Belavezhskaya Pushcha?

4) Do Belarusians like sport? What sports are especially popular in Belarus?

Topics for discussion: Let’s talk about hobbies.

My Hobby Structure

• Introduction (The importance of having a hobby)
• Different kinds of hobby
• My hobby
• My parents' hobbies
• My friends' hobbies
• Conclusion

Sample 1

A hobby is a favourite pastime of a person. Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby to your liking, lucky you are: you have made your life more interesting. Numerous hobbies can be subdivided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things, and learning things.The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball. Gardening is one of the oldest man’s hobbies, especially in some countries (Britain, for example). A relatively new hobby which is becoming more popular is computer games.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, and handicrafts. Some people write music.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches.

Generally speaking, a hobby is a matter of taste.

My hobby is playing computer games. Both grown-ups and children are fond of it now. It has become one of the most popular hobbies nowadays. I think that playing with a computer is very interesting. It is not only "wasting time" as some people say.

Computer games make us think things over properly, they widen and develop our mind and imagination. I have a good collection of different games and when I have some free time I play them with great pleasure. My favourite game is Clash of clans. My mum is fond of excercising. My dad is keen on programming.

Some of my friends have the same hobby and we like to play together. No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he adds to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

At the current moment, my secondary hobby is English. It’s not only the process of learning the language for me. I like listening to English songs, watching videos and movies in original, visiting speaking clubs and communicating with native speakers. I admire the culture of English speaking countries and I’m interested in everything that is connected with it. I have lessons five times a week and I love my group and the teacher. She makes the process of studying so exciting.

Thus, I believe that the keyword in a hobby definition is "pleasure". My hobby brings me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. I feel my progress and it’s the best motivation to go ahead.

Sample 2

A hobby is a favourite pastime of a person. Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby to your liking, lucky you are: you have made your life more interesting. Numerous hobbies can be subdivided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things, and learning things.

The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball. Gardening is one of the oldest man’s hobbies, especially in some countries (Britain, for example). A relatively new hobby which is becoming more popular is computer games.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, and handicrafts. Some people write music.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches.

Generally speaking, a hobby is a matter of taste.

My hobby is playing computer games. Both grown-ups and children are fond of it now. It has become one of the most popular hobbies nowadays. I think that playing with a computer is very interesting. It is not only "wasting time" as some people say.

Computer games make us think things over properly, they widen and develop our mind and imagination. I have a good collection of different games and when I have some free time I play them with great pleasure. My favourite game is Valorant. My parents aren't keen on playing computer games. My parents like travelling, they think it's so interesting and exciting

Some of my friends have the same hobby and we like to play together. No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he adds to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

At the current moment, I suppose that my hobby is English. It’s not only the process of learning the language for me. I like listening to English songs, watching videos and movies in originaI admire the culture of English speaking countries and I’m interested in everything that is connected with it. I have lessons three times a week and I love my group and the teacher. She makes the process of studying so exciting.

Thus, I believe that the keyword in a hobby definition is "pleasure". My hobby brings me a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. I feel my progress and it’s the best motivation to go ahead.

4. Let’s talk about hobbies. Why is it important to have a hobby?  What are you fond of? What hobbies do your friends have?

1) What would you recommend your classmates to do in their free time?

2) What are your parents’ hobbies?

3) Give me some advice on what to do in my free time.

4) Many parents think that children should spend less time playing computer games, that they should play outside or do some sport instead. What do you think about this?

17. Let’s talk about hobbies. What are you fond of? What hobbies do your friends have?

1) What would you recommend your classmates to do in their free time?

2) What are your parents’ hobbies?

3) Are you fond of making things?

4) Is it good to play computer games? Why?

Topics for discussion: Let’s talk about friendship.

My Friend Structure

• Introduction (What does friendship mean to you?)
• Appearance of your friend
• Features of character 
• Relationship 
• What do you do together?
• What do you have in common
• Conclusion

Sample 1

Lucky are the people who have friends. It is good to have a friend in the family, but it’s more common when we have our best friends among our classmates or people of the same age. Everyone knows the proverb “A friend in need is a friend indeed” – according to the old saying a good friend should always help us in difficulties, cheer us up and raise our spirits when we are down, troubled or when nothing is going right.

I'm happy to have a lot of friends, too. Some of them are very close, some are less. But all of them make my life interesting and enjoyable. They are rich who have true friends, says a proverb and I agree.

I think, Roma is my best friend. We’ve been friends since we went to school. We have much in common: the same interests and hobbies. Very often our opinions are the same, sometimes they are different. We understand each other and never fall out.

As to his appearance, he is tall and slim (a bit plump). He is dark-haired with blue eyes. He prefers comfortable clothes and you can often see him wearing jeans and a t-shirt or a sweater.

I think that he is calm and honest. But sometimes he can lose his temper and become angry and sad. Besides, he is friendly, serious and hard-working. Although Roma is sometimes naughty, he is always there for me. He is a kind person who will always listen to my problems and try to help me. I can always count on him to be honest and to give me the best advice. It seems he and I are always talking or laughing about something. He has a very nice personality, he has a heart of gold, he is selfless and generous. He likes to laugh and to joke and has got a good sense of humour. He can be very amusing especially when he tells stories. He is also quite active and enjoys playing computer games.

He lives not far from my house. We meet every day at school. We are the same age. We get on really well and we always find lots of enjoyable things to do together. We spend a lot of time together discussing books, films, computer games, solving our problems, planning our future. We can talk about everything.

I’ve shared many good times with Roma. I’m happy I met him. I know, that the way to have a friend is to be one, so my friend can rely on me I won’t tell his secrets to anyone and won't let him down.

Sample 2

Lucky are the people who have friends. It is good to have a friend in the family, but it’s more common when we have our best friends among our classmates or people of the same age. Everyone knows the proverb “A friend in need is a friend indeed” – according to the old saying a good friend should always help us in difficulties, cheer us up and raise our spirits when we are down, troubled or when nothing is going right.

I'm happy to have a friend, too. Sam is my best (and only) friend. We’ve been friends since we met each other in game. We have much in common: the same games for example. Very often our opinions are the same, sometimes they are different. We understand each other and never fall out.

As to his appearance, I (as of now) don't know his height. He is dark-haired with brown eyes. He wears glasses.

I think that he is calm and honest. But sometimes he can lose his temper and become angry. Besides, he is friendly. Although Sam sometimes loves to troll too much, he is always there for me. He is a kind person who will always listen to my problems and try to help me. I can always count on him to be honest and to give me the best advice. It seems he and I are always talking or laughing about something. He has a very nice personality, he has a heart of not exactly gold but close enough, he is selfless and generous. He likes to laugh and to joke and has got a good sense of humour. He can be very amusing especially when he tells stories. He is also quite active and enjoys playing computer games.

He lives very far from my house, in London to be exact. We call almost every day. I am 1.5 years older than him. We get on really well and we always find lots of enjoyable things to do together. We spend a lot of time together discussing films, computer games, solving our problems. We can talk about everything.

I’ve shared many good times with Sam. I’m happy I met him. I know, that the way to have a friend is to be one, so my friend can rely on me I won’t tell his secrets to anyone and won't let him down.

3. Let’s talk about friendship. What does friendship mean for you? What qualities do you appreciate in your best friend?

1) Do you share common interests with your friend?

2) Has your friend ever let you down?

3) What can you advise a teenager who wants to make friends in a new school?

4) What questions do you usually ask when you want to get acquainted with someone?

9. Let’s talk about friendship. Is it important to have friends? What would you tell your mum about your best friend?

1) Has your friend ever let you down?

2) What can you advise a teenager who wants to make friends in a new school?

3) What questions do you usually ask when you want to get acquainted with someone?

4) Who is the leader in your friendship?

14. Imagine you are at the conference. Tell about friendship in your life and explain if it’s easy to be a good friend.

1) Do you share common interests with your friend?

2) Has your friend ever let you down?

3) What can you advise a teenager who wants to make friends in a new school?

4) What questions do you usually ask when you want to get acquainted with someone?

Topics for discussion: Tell your new friends about your family

 

My Family Structure

• Introduction (what does family mean in general?)
• Extended or nuclear family
• Description of your family members  
• Relationship in your family
• Household chores
• Family traditions
• Other relatives
• Conclusion

Sample 1

Family means a lot to everyone, because it gives you a sense of stability and tradition, support and understanding. You feel safe when your family is always for you. They are people you can trust and rely on, people who won’t let you down and who share your joys and problems. In happy families parents are supportive and honest with their children, they treat their children with respect, as equals, without moralizing or bossing them, and children in their turn learn how to treat other people and how to form relationship with their mates.

Some of us are lucky to be born and raised in an extended family with lots of family members, close and distant relatives. Others come from nuclear families which are made up of parents and children. Basically, the size is not so important. It’s the relationship in the family that matters. I, personally, come from a nuclear family.

We are a family of three: my Dad, my Mum and I. Both of my parents are middle-aged. My father is in his mid-40s. He’s tall, slim and has neither beard, nor a moustache. He works as an accountant. My mum is in her early 40s. She’s of a medium height with long dark hair and blue eyes. She’s a dentist by profession. I have always looked up to my parents and treated them as my role-models. My dad is a very wise person and he taught me many life lessons. My Mum is the example of patience, kindness and tolerance to other people. So, all in all, our family is happy and tight-knit.

I really appreciate the relationship in my family. I enjoy the honest and open atmosphere in my family. I like it when parents trust their children, give them enough freedom and respect them. I think these things make family relations warm and pleasant. There is no so-called “generation gap” in our family, though we may argue and disagree on certain issues.

We also share responsibilities and household chores. Everyone has their own duties which we have to fulfill and I consider it fair. Besides it makes us more disciplined and well-organized.

Nothing strengthens family ties and creates an atmosphere of friendship, happiness and love better than family traditions. Moreover, they set a good example of family relations for children and, of course, they leave memories for the rest of their lives. We have some family traditions. But to my mind we haven’t got anything special or original in our family. For example, we always have dinner together. Every evening, when my parents come home from work, we have a family dinner. We discuss the important events of the day.

The second tradition is connected with household duties. Everyone in our family has his own duties. For example, my mum is responsible for cooking, while my dad always does the shopping. I’m responsible for washing the dishes and vacuum-cleaning.

The third tradition is celebrating holidays together. We especially like celebrating New Year, Christmas and Easter. The traditional New Year dishes in our home are a cake, a couple of salads and some other stuff. Apart from national holidays there are family holidays like birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Birthdays are always a happy event in our family. On these days we usually have a party. Mum is usually responsible for cooking and dad for entertainment. I guess, when people spend more time together they are closer to each other. 

One more family tradition is spending summer holidays together either at the seaside or in the country, which I enjoy very much. It is always interesting to travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, to enjoy picturesque places. It's always interesting to discover new things other ways of life, to meet different people, taste different food, examine various architectual styles, visit museums and art galleries. Travelling is a remarkable key to understanding other cultures, a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the world we live in.

I also have a granny. She lives with us and is retired. My grandma is kind. I love my family very much. Everyone in my family is my best friend. We are the best friends because my parents are the most important people in the world.

Sample 2

Family means a lot to everyone, because it gives you a sense of stability and tradition, support and understanding. You feel safe when your family is always for you. They are people you can trust and rely on, people who won’t let you down and who share your joys and problems. In happy families parents are supportive and honest with their children, they treat their children with respect, as equals, without moralizing or bossing them, and children in their turn learn how to treat other people and how to form relationship with their mates.

Some of us are lucky to be born and raised in an extended family with lots of family members, close and distant relatives. Others come from nuclear families which are made up of parents and children. Basically, the size is not so important. It’s the relationship in the family that matters. I, personally, come from a nuclear family.

We are a family of three: my Dad, my Mum and I. Both of my parents are middle-aged. My father is in his mid-40s. He’s tall, slim and has neither beard, nor a moustache. He works as a chief of the road police. My mum is in her late 30s. She’s of a medium height with long dark hair and blue eyes. She’s a controller by profession. I have always looked up to my parents and treated them as my role-models. My dad is a very wise person and he taught me many life lessons. My Mum is the example of patience, kindness and tolerance to other people. So, all in all, our family is happy and tight-knit.

I really appreciate the relationship in my family. I enjoy the honest and open atmosphere in my family. I like it when parents trust their children, give them enough freedom and respect them. I think these things make family relations warm and pleasant. There is no so-called “generation gap” in our family, though we may argue and disagree on certain issues. I can always bring my friend home and my parents are very positive about it, although they don’t always approve of our tastes, views and clothes.

We also share responsibilities and household chores. Everyone has their own duties which we have to fulfill and I consider it fair. Besides it makes us more disciplined and well-organized.

Nothing strengthens family ties and creates an atmosphere of friendship, happiness and love better than family traditions. Moreover, they set a good example of family relations for children and, of course, they leave memories for the rest of their lives. We have some family traditions. But to my mind we haven’t got anything special or original in our family. For example, we always have dinner together. Every evening, when my parents come home from work, we have a family dinner. We discuss the important events of the day.

The second tradition is connected with household duties. Everyone in our family has his own duties. For example, my mum is responsible for cooking, while my dad always does the shopping. I’m responsible for washing the dishes and vacuum-cleaning.

The third tradition is celebrating holidays together. We especially like celebrating New Year and Christmas. The traditional New Year dishes in our home are a roast chicken, a couple of salads and my mum’s specialty — a chocolate cake with cherry. We always prepare presents for one another. Apart from national holidays there are family holidays like birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Birthdays are always a happy event in our family. On these days we usually have a party. Mum is usually responsible for cooking and dad for entertainment. I guess, when people spend more time together they are closer to each other. One more family tradition is spending summer holidays together either at the seaside or in the country, which I enjoy very much.  It is always interesting to travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, to enjoy picturesque places. It's always interesting to discover new things other ways of life, to meet different people, taste different food, examine various architectual styles, visit museums and art galleries. Travelling is a remarkable key to understanding other cultures, a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the world we live in.

I also have a granny. She doesn't live with us, but I often visit her. My granny is retired. She likes gardening and spends a lot of her time working in the garden. I love my family very much. Everyone in my family is my best friend. We are the best friends because my parents are the most important people in the world.

2. You are writing a letter to a magazine. Tell about your family and your favourite family pastime.

1) What do you do to help your mum about the house?

2) What does your dad look like?

3) Why is it important to have a family?

4) What will you ask your British friend about his/her family?

11. Let’s talk about your family. Tell how you spend holidays together and share duties about the house.

1) What can you tell about your mum?

2) What can you advise people who want to have a close and happy family?

3) Why is it important to have a family?

4) What can you tell about your grandparents?

Topics for discussion: Tell your new friends about yourself

Sample 1.

It is often not easy to speak about myself but I shall try. My name is Anton, I’m 13 years old. I was born in a Belarusian town of Soligorsk which is located 130 km to the south of the the capital of our country, Minsk. I live in my native city, in a comfortable flat with my parents.

My mother is a controller, my father works as a chief at the road police.I am a student of the 8th form at a secondary school. My favourite subjects are Math and English but my teachers believe that I’m good at Biology and History. Quite soon I will have to make probably the most important decision and choose my future profession. At present I would like to become a programmer or a web designer.

What about my appearance, I'm of medium height and well-built. I've got an oval face, almond-shaped eyes with thick eyelashes, a slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones and full lips. I take after my granny in appearance as we both have short straight dark hair and the same face shape. I take after my mum in character because we’re both sensitive and responsible. My star sign is Virgo and I suppose I am a typical Virgo. I could describe myself as a selfless person. I’m not an outgoing person, though people consider me to be easy-going. Besides I’m rather serious and calm and I always try to keep promises. To be quite frank I am a bit ashamed of my drawbacks: I can be lazy sometimes and too touchy, it’s possible for me to accept my failures with dignity. In other people I appreciate kindness, sincerity, intelligence and a nice sense of humour. I cannot get on well with people who are super active, even messy, arrogant or selfish.

I’ve got a lot of friends. Luckily we have a lot in common, so we can spend much time together going to the cinema and concerts. My hobbies are surfing the Internet and playing computer games. I also devote enough time to sports: in warm seasons I go jogging or cycling in the nearest park and in winter I adore skiing.

My life motto is to keep your chin up, so nothing can let me down. I have plenty of interesting plans and exciting dreams in my life and I hope that they will definitely come true and my personality traits will help me.

Sample 2.

My name is Artyom and I am 13 years old. I was born in a Belarusian town of Soligorsk which is located 130 km to the south of Minsk, the capital of our country. I live in my native city, in a decent flat with my parents. My mother is a dentist, and my father is an accountant.

I am a student of the 8th grade at a secondary school. My favourite subjects are English and PE. Currently I don't have any important decisions to make, that could change soon though. I currently don't know who I would become in the future.

I'm of medium height and well-built. I've got an oval face and and almond shaped eyes, a hooked nose, high cheekbones and thin lips. I also have short dark hair and medium-sized ears. I somewhat take after my mom in terms of appearance, as we both look kinda simular. My star sign is Scorpio which people say means you are tough and manipulative, in reality it means absolutely nothing. I am usually quite funny and can help most of the time. My drawbacks are laziness and... that's it. In other people, I appreciate intelligence. I hate people who are bossy or rude to other people.

So far I have only one friend. We have a decent amount of things in common. We also spend a lot of time playing together, talking to each other, etc. I enjoy playing computer games and talking on Discord. Some of my other hobbies are listening to music and thinking.

My life motto is to remember that past your great disasters it will always be the fight you can win. I have plenty of thought and it would be nice if some of them came true.

1. You are trying to make friends online. What would you say to describe yourself?

1) What features of character do you appreciate in people?

2) What are your dislikes?

3) What school subjects are you good at?

4) What dishes do you like? Can you share any recipe with us?

10. You are writing a post on an online forum. Tell its readers about yourself as much as possible.

1) What features of character do you appreciate in people?

2) What are your dislikes?

3) What’s your favourite subject at school? Why?

4) What dishes do you like? Can you share any recipe with us?

15. You are looking for a new friend on the Internet. What would you say about yourself?

1) What features of character do you appreciate in people?

2) What are your dislikes?

3) What’s your favourite subject at school? Why?

4) What dishes do you like? Can you share any recipe with us?