There is a thick carpet on the floor. Two water-colours hung on the wall above the divan-bed. In the evening we usually draw the cu
r
tains across the windows, and a red lampshade gives a warm colour to the room. The bedroom is smaller than the living-room and not so light as there is only one window in it. In this room there are two beds, two dressing-tables and a wardrobe. In the corn
e
r of the bedroom there is a small colors TV set. On the dressing table there is an alarm-clock and small lamp with green lamp-shade. Our study is the smallest room in the flat, but in spice of it, it is very cozy. There isn't much furniture in it, but the
r
e are a lot of shelves full of books. It has a writing table, an armchair and a bookcase too. A small round table with cassette-recorder is standing in the right-hand corner of the study. Besides there is a small sofa near the wall opposite the bookcase.
This room was my father's study, but as I grew older, it has become my room. And in my opinion it is the best room in our flat. My friends used to come to my place to have a chat or to play chess in the evening, and they say my room is very comfortable.
I share their opinion.




"My flat (2)"

I live in a 5-stored block of flats in Yushno Ц Sakhalinsk. ItТ s not a very picturesque plaice but we have a yard and a Kodak Express under the window. My flat is on the third floor. It
Т s very comfortable and well plan
ed. I have all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, cold and hot running water and a telephone. There are three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a balcony in it. The largest room in my flat is the living room. My family uses it as a
s
iting room. There is a sofa, two armchairs, a coffee table, a TV set and a VCR in it. We have two small rooms in our flat and one of them is my. It is not big but very cosy. There is a wardrobe near the wall and a desk near the window. My bad is at the le
ft corner. I like my room wary much because it is my room. Our kitchen is not very large but light. ItТ
s very well equipped. We have got a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a coffee maker and a toaster. In evenings we like have tea and have rest in it.


"My grandmother country house"

You are lucky if you have grandmother in the country to go to. Visiting our old relatives gives us excellent chance to become children again. Every time you are at your grannies they start to take care of you. That's why everybody
loves his grannies very much. Countryside is always the nicest place for everybody as its fresh air cheers you up and the low level of noise helps you to have real rest. My grandmother lives at Oceanskaya station. Every summer I got used to spent my summ
e
r vocations at her place. It is the nicest place for me. There is sand beach and deep forest - it is all I need for the rest. Every day is full of adventures - you may investigate woods, get sunburn or swim in the sea. And if you also find good friends to

spend time with - you may call this place real paradise. And all this pleasures one can get only in 25 kilometers of the city! My grandmother is kind old woman. Her name is Lidia Federovna. All her life she worked hard and now she is still very industriou
s and tender-hearted. I love her very much. All best moments in my life I spent at her place at Okeanskaya station. I will never forgot my grandmother's house and I am sure the impressions I got there will be among the brightest in my life.


"My home is my castle"

I think, every person always dreams about the place where he can speak about his problems, chat with close friends, where he can feel happy and quiet. For me it is my family and my home. It is the best place in the world and my dearest people live
here. My family is not large we are 4. I have a father, a mother and a brother. We all live together in a new flat. My father is 45. He is a tall and well-built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He is quiet and hardworking . Really, he is a bread m
a
ker of the family. Dad is handy with many things. His hobby is fixing everything at home. My mother is very lively. She is life and soul of the family. She is a pleasant woman of forty with beautiful chestnut hair and dark brown eyes. She is a lofty ideal

for me. My parents have been married for 20 years they have much in common, in everyday life Dad is impractical and needs mother to look after him. Parents have different views on music, books, films. For example, my father likes horror films and my fathe
r
likes . My father is a football fat and Mum doesn't like sports. But they try to have the same opinion about the education and upbringing of their children. My brother is only 11. He goes to school. He is funny and curious. He is constantly asking many q
u
estions often silly ones. But this only a moment - I can't imagine my life without our little monster. We all feel happy when we are together. In the evenings we often have little gatherings in the kitchen by the cup of tea, chatting, laughing and discuss
i
ng the events of the day. Those evening are the best of all. But sometimes I have problems with my parents. They don't like the clothes I wear the music I listen to and the friends I bring home. It's not easy to be a teenager. In summer I visit my Granny.

I love her when I was a child she used to tell me fairytales and stories of her life. My parents are hardworking. They combine work with housekeeping. Mum manages our household very well. We all are in the habit of helping her to run the house. They say:
"My home is a cosy place." Our relatives and friends like to come to our place. My parents are very hospitable everybody feels at home in their flat. Really.



"My little sister"

I've got a sister. Her name is Kate. She's three.She has got many toys: four b
alls - red, green, blue and yellow; three puppies - black, white and grey; two brown monkeys, a yellow giraffe, a white bear and two nice dolls. Do you think she likes to play with her toys? No, she doesn't. What she does like is Ц
she likes to play hide-a
nd-seek with me. Do you know the way she does it. She hides under the table and says: "Helen, where am I?" I say: "Are you on the chair?" "No, I'm not" "Are you under the chair?" "No, try again." "Oh, Kate, I try and try again, but I can't see you!" Then
she runs up to me and says: "Here I am!". This is the way my little sister Kate plays hide-and-seek. Isn't she funny?


"My working day (1)"

I am Andrew Kiporuk. I am a puple of the 10th form. I get ut ap 7 o'clock. I wash myself and dress.I make a bed. My f
riend come to me at half past 7 and we go to the school. At school I have 7 lessons. I come back home at 3 o'clock. I have dinner. Then I walk with my dog. Then Help my mother at home. Sometime go for shopping, pour the flowers. I begin to do my homework
a
t 5 o'clock. I watch TV very seldom, because I have many home task. Sometime I sit at my computer. Sometime Andrey Saynov comes to me. We talk about our school business. He studied in colledge. I listen to the music very often. I have supper at 7 o'clock.
After 8 o'clock my brothers come to me. And we play on the computer. At 10 o'clock I go to bed.


"My working day (2)"

I usually start my day with getting up and doing all things that everybody does in the morning: washing, having breakfast, etc. Also, I go
t used to gather my learning tools: pencils, exercise-books, text-books in the morning. Then I usually go to the university. Fortunately, father takes a car every morning and he often picks me up and drives me to the doors of our university building. And
s
oon the lectures and lessons begin... We have from 2 to 4 lectures every time, depending on day. I like studying in the university more than in the school because in university it is mostly allowed to miss some lectures (of course, later you should take a

summary from your mate and copy it). So, a student is much more free, than pupil is. After the lessons I usually return home where I have dinner and start thinking about my ways of spending the rest of the day. Very often I go to my friend's places. Durin
g
the early autumn and summer I often go to the sports ground or on the beach. I also like visiting different sports events, for example, soccer matches of in Russian championship. So, the world is full of enjoyable things to do. On returning home I usuall
y
start doing my homework (perhaps, it is the most dull part of the day). Having finished it, I open a book and read it or watch TV. At last, I go to the bed. Of course, I would like to tell you more about myself and my working day, but, unfortunately, my
time is rather limited and I have got a lot of homework to do. Generally, now you know about my working day enough.


"My working day (3)"

A typical day goes something like this. We get up around 6 a.m., wash, have some coffee and toast, let the dog outside
and feed him, bring the dog back in and leave for work. I drop Martha off at her job around 7:15 a.m. and then I drive to the University (from our house to her work is about three miles, from her work to the University is another three). I park the car an
d
get to my office by 7:45 a.m. Then I check my schedule and start to work. Around 11:30 a.m. we break for lunch. I usually eat at the student union with co-worker or other students. Then back to work. I usually leave for the day at 4:30 p.m. I pick Martha

up at her job and we are back home by 5:30 p.m. After changing into more comfortable clothes, we turn on the television to watch the news while we prepare dinner. After dinner, we may study. go shopping, or just relax and watch television or listen to mus
i
c. Saturdays are a bit different. We often sleep late, until 9:00 a.m. or even a bit later. Once or twice a month we may go out for breakfast at a local restaurant. The rest of the day is spent working on the house, studying, or running errands. Saturday
evening is often spent with friends or family members, typically over dinner, or we go to a concert.


"My working day (4)"

The Smiths live at 87 King Street. In the morning Mr Smith goes to work and the children go to school. Their father takes them to sch
ool every day. Mrs Smith stays at home every day. She does the housework. She always eats her lunch at noon. In the afternoon she usually sees her friends. They often drink tea together. In the evening the children come home from school. They arrive home
early. Mr Smith comes home from work. He arrives home late. At night the children always do their homework. Then they go to bed. Mr Smith usually reads his newspaper, but sometimes he and his wife watch television.


"My working day (5)"

I get up at 7 o'clo
ck in the morning. I do my morning exercises, wash myself and dress. Then I sit down to breakfast. At 8 o'clock I leave home and go to the Institute. As a rule I come to the Institute at a quarter to 9. The lessons begin at 9 sharp. Today we have two lect
u
res, a seminar and an English lesson. At our English lessons we read the texts, ask and answer questions and do all sorts of exercises. We do not write many exercises. We usually write exercises at home. We speak English at the lessons. We speak English a
little now, but we want to speak English well. At about 1 o'clock I generally have dinner at the canteen. I come home at about 6 o'clock. I have supper and do my homework. I always do my homework in the evening, but I never work late in the evening.
At 11 o'clock I go to bed.


"My working day (6)"


I usually get up at 7 o'clock in the morning. I do my morning exercises, but not always, make my bed, wash and dress. Then I sit down to breakfast. At 8 o'clock I leave home and go to school. As a rule I come to
school in time as the lessons begin at 9 o'clock. I live not far from school and it usually takes me 15 minutes to get to school on foot. Usually we have 6 or 7 classes every day and after classes I return home. At 3 o'clock I have dinner and rest a littl
e
. After that I do my home work and help my mother about the house if she needs my help. Then I have supper and if the weather is good I go for a walk with my friends and if the weather is not good I stay at home something I watch TV; sometimes I listen to

music or chat with my friends over the telephone. I never work late in the evening. At 11 o'clock I usually go to bed but sometimes I watch television till late in the evening and that's why I may go to bed very late. But I always remember the proverb: "E
arly to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise."


"My working day (7)"

On week days I usually get up nearly seven o'clock. I do not like to get up early, but I have to, because I have a lot of work to do during the day. I do my morning
exercises, make my bed, wash my-self, dress and go to the kitchen to have breakfast. My mother usually prepares breakfast for me, but sometimes I do it myself. I do not like big breakfasts, I prefer a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Then I go to school (to
w
ork). It is rather far (not far) from my house and I go there by bus (on foot). I have classes (I work) till ... o'clock. Then I come home and have dinner. After it I do my homework and do some work about the house. I sweep the floor, dust the furniture a
n
d clean the carpets with the vacuum-cleaner. Sometimes my mot-her asks me to go shopping or to help her in the kitchen. After it I have free time. I go for a walk with my friend, or watch TV, or read books, or play computer games. Then I have supper with
my family. I like evenings very much because all of us get together after work and study and have the opportunity to talk and to discuss our family affairs. I usually go to bed at about eleven o'clock.






ABOUT MYSELF
They say that if you want something
to be done well, do it yourself. So I follow this wise saying and would like to introduce myself. I believe that it isn't an easy thing to speak about yourself as it's hard to have a look at yourself from aside but at the same time who knows you better th
an you yourself do?
My name is Elena Protasova. I live in Gomel. My family is an average sized Belarusian family: it consists of my father, mother, elder brother and me. As for my appearance I am a slim girl, a bit shortish, but it does not mind me. I have
a blunt nose, blue expressive eyes and chestnut shoulder length hair. My friends think I am rather attractive girl, but I have never thought I am a beauty. As far as preferences in clothes are concerned I should say that I'm rather moody person that's wh
y I cannot say I have one favourite style. Today I can wear a skirt, formal blouse and high-heeled shoes, but tomorrow I can prefer tight-fitting jeans, casual T-shirt and low-heeled shoes. Everything depends on my mood.
To my mind our life goes so fast th
at sometimes we don't notice how fleeting it is. For instance I didn't notice how eighteen years of my life have passed. I feel like it was yesterday when I went to school for the first time, but this year is the last one at school. It's unbelievable but
it is true. But I want to tell you everything in details.
My early years, which I remember only by parts, were interesting and careless. My childhood was happy because my parents devoted me a lot of time, my brother played with me and read books for me in
the evenings. So I can say I was surrounded with love, care and attention. As most children I was sent to the kindergarten at the age of three as both of my parents worked, but as far as I remember I didn't like to attend kindergarten. I'm sure I can neve
r forget my governor who made me eat semolina. In general the attendance of kindergarten seemed boring to me, though mainly there I met my first loyal friend.
When I was seven I went to school. My first school years were spent at school number 32, but then I moved to an English Specialized school number 71, where I got a proper education especially in such subjects as English, History and Geography.
School meant very much to me and I'm sure that it gave me a lot; first of all of course in educational spher
e. Thanks to school and my teachers I became more intelligent and educated person. I consider that I became more persistent, determined and ambitious. Diligence, attention and accuracy - all these qualities school developed in me regularly. And owing to s
chool I got acquainted with interesting people, devoted friends and excellent teachers.
After the 9th form I entered Gomel stale regional lyceum. Of course it was hard for me to leave my school friends and teachers, but I understood that it was my chance
to improve my knowledge in particular fields. The subjects I liked best at lyceum were English, Belarusian and History, that's why I decided to become an interpreter. In my opinion choosing the kind of career to follow is probably one of the most importan
t
decisions you will ever make. Before you make this decision you will have a lot of thinking about who you are, about the things you like to do and the things you do well. Though I descent from the family of engineers I'd like to become an interpreter. Th
i
s profession has always attracted me because I can get acquainted with various people and I can learn their customs, rituals and traditions. I'm sure that this creative profession can enrich my mind and make me more educated and intelligent person. And I
hope that my dream will come true.
I think that my star sign can tell you a lot about me, my inside world, soul and character. I believe that stars influence our fate and character, though I don't trust daily horoscopes. I was born under the zodiac sign of
Gemini. Stars affirm that Gemini are active and artistic. These people admire adventures and changes, they make friends with unusual lightness and they are excellent mates too. They are clever, dreamy, kind-hearted and demanding at the same time. They as
pire to do several things simultaneously, but they often leave them half-done. Such people hate to listen to complaints and wait for long. I can agree with majority of these statements, though I can't say that I am very demanding.

Once I read in a magazin
e that some scientists are sure that they can say what kind of person you are if they know what your favourite colour is. As for me I'm fond of purple and blue colours. According to the scientists' words I'm temperamental, successful, thoughtful and quite
. And I can say that I agree with all these traits of my character, though some of them are more clearly expressed in me, but others are less.
In my opinion I'm a kind-hearted and jolly person. I think I'm responsive and reliable that's why my friends and
relatives can always rely on me. I never refuse if people whom I love need support or a piece of advice. I try to be fair and just in attitude to the others. I'm rather calm person, but sometimesI1 can lose my temper and become either angry or sad. I'm mo
d
est and sometimes shy, but do not advice someone tricking or kidding me. I like staying alone and sometimes I retire into my shell, but at the same time I like a noisy company of my friends. I like to laugh and joke with them and I never let my friends do
wn.
My parents think that I'm an exemplary daughter, but a bit lazy, because I don't, like to help them about the house. They are sure that I'm a creative and active person and as busy as a bee, because I always do anything and I constantly have no free ti
me.
My friends consider me to be rather earnest girl, because I always think about anything, but all of them know me as a faithful and responsive friend, I'm always eager to help my friends and to calm them with the help of a tender word.
But like other
people I'm not an ideal. I can't wait for long that's why I can be called an impatient person. Sometimes I can be lazy, but I always try to fight with this feature of my character. Also I can be very sensitive I can't say that it's a negative trait of my
character but I dislike it a bit.
Though I'm rather a busy girl and I don't have much free time I always try to find spare time for my hobbies and interests because I have a lot of them. To my mind hobbies differ like tastes and if you have chosen a hobby
according to your character you are lucky, as your life becomes more interesting and enjoyable. In my leisure time I like to listen to my favourite music, but what kind of music I listen always depends on my mood. If I'm full of joy I like to listen to po
p
music, but if I'm sad I prefer hard music. I believe that music awakens the best feelings in my soul and high emotions. Also I like to read various books. To my mind reading is very useful because books enrich our experience with that of other people. Be
s
ides books help me to continue my own education and I disagree with the people who think that a tempo of modern life is too fast to waste time on reading. They are sure that books have begun to lose their prestige and value. I don't think so; I enjoy book
s
of various genres: detective stories, thrillers and historical novels, tales, works after classical and modern writers, but my favourite genre is love stories. I adore "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. I have read this book a lot of times and I consider t
h
at it is a masterpiece of love genre. But most of all I like traveling because in my opinion it is always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet various people, to try diverse food, to listen to different music, etc. If you ar
e fond of traveling, you see and learn a lot of things that you can never see or learn at home, though you may read about them in books and newspapers and see pictures of them on TV.
As far as my dislikes are concerned I hate getting up early and overcrowded buses. I dislike envious and pushy people and rainy weather. But I'm happy that I have more things I like than I dislike.
And of course like all people I have someone I admire very much. Such a person for me is my mother. To my mind my mummy isn't an o
rdinary woman. I can't say that our characters are very alike but usually we understand each other without a word, our views often coincide.
She is always ready to listen to my endless stories about my setbacks, problems and troubles. She encourages me when I doubt my ability, helps to fulfill my aspirations and ambitions or to reach a secret goal.
And in conclusion I'd like to say that I like being me. And I hope that everybody who knows me likes me with all my positive and negative features of character.
-------------------------------------------
MY WORKINNG DAY
When I studied at lyceum my usual working days looked practically the same. But in my opinion, everything depends on person himself, so I did my best to make them more interesting and useful.
Li
fe is impossible without work. Of course not all creatures as well as people like it, but it is very important for progress. Our teachers and parents always say that hard work is the only way to achieve our aims and goals. To my mind one can't appreciate
the value of rest if he doesn't work. As for me I tried to organize my working day in such a way that I would be able to do as much work as possible.
My working day usually started like this. At sharp 6.30 my radio alarm buzzed. As it was actual on my bed i
t literary blasted me into awareness of the morning. This was due to the loudness I needed to wake me up. Though I am not a lazy-bone, in winter it was always difficult for me to wake up early. I hate the cold that's why I usually tried to stay in bed as
l
ong as possible. Sometimes I lay for a while deciding whether to pretend to be fatally ill, but then I usually gave up this silly idea because only little children practiced it and besides this trick usually didn't work. But when spring came and the air w
as fresh, when the sun shone brightly in the morning and the birds were singing I forgot about my sleep and felt full of energy.
So I finally crawled out of bed. By this time it was usually about 6.50. a.m. I think it wouldn't be fair to say that I did my m
orning exercises only from time to time.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20