Study the following word combinations.

to get married to smb. to be married	- жениться, выйти замуж - быть женатым, замужем
to be engaged to smb. to live separated from one’s wife	- быть помолвленным - жить отдельно от жены
to be divorced	- быть в разводе
to be on pension	- быть на пенсии
to be single	- быть неженатым
to get   on well with	- быть в хороших отношениях
to share domestic duties	- разделять домашние обязанности
to spend time together to be attached to smb. to find support and understanding	- проводить время вместе - быть привязанным к кому-либо - находить поддержку и понимание
mutual respect	- взаимное уважение
spitting image	- точная копия
emotional centre close relatives distant relatives	- эмоциональный центр - близкие родственники - дальние родственники

3. Match these words with the definitions below:

relative; reserved; polygamy; upbringing; encourage; to take after; to look like; spinster; stepparent; adolescence; kow-tow; to accept; offspring; to provide; lawyer; ugly; widow; curious.

1) unpleasant to look at or to hear;

2) slow to show feelings or express opinions;

3) having or showing too much interest in the affairs of others;

4) person who is related to another;

5) woman whose husband has died and who has not married again ;

6) treatment and education during childhood;

7) make something available for somebody to use by giving, lending or supplying it;

8) give support, confidence or hope to somebody;

9) take something offered willingly;

10) someone whose job is to advise people about laws, write formal agreements, or represent people in court;

11) resemble one’s mother or father in appearance or character;

12) time in a person’s life between childhood and mature adulthood;

13) to have a very similar appearance;

14) later husband of one’s mother or wife of one’s father;

15) woman who remains single after the usual age for marrying.

16) practice of having more than one wife or (less usual) husband at once;

17) to be too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority;

18) someone’s child or children.

4. Arrange the following in pairs of synonyms:

1) contest; 2) attainment; 3) to improve; 4) desire; 5) to obtain; 6) modern; 7) cleaning; 8) to require; 9) to gain; 10) aspiration; 11) to shape; 12) to demand; 13) achievement; 14) up-to-date;  15) purification; 16) competition; 17) to make better; 18) to form.

 

5. Translate the Russian words given in brackets:

1) My friend is (сирота).

2) He used to live with his (бабушкой) in his childhood.

3) I have (тётя) who lives in Vitebsk but I haven’t seen her for years.

4) My friend’s family is his (жена), Jane, who is a doctor.

5) A (отчим или мачеха) is a person who joins a family by marrying a father or mother.

6) Many Americans believe that there are too many (разводов).

7) I have got a lot of (дальних родственников).

8) You might think that (женитьба) and the family are not so popular as they once were.

9) My grandparents are (на пенсии).

10) Jack is not very (высокий), he is corpulent enough and he likes wearing grey suits and ties.

Make up your own sentences using the following words and word combinations:

good relationships; emotional support; good-looking; to take into consideration; to spend time together; to get married to smb.; to be engaged to smb.; close relatives; mutual respect; to share domestic duties.   

II. Reading Comprehension

Read and translate the following text. Use a dictionary if necessary.

TEXT A

MY FAMILY

 

I'm Alex Kovalev. I am fifteen. I'd like to tell you about my family. We are a family of three. I live with my parents. But I've got an elder brother. He is married and has a family of his own.

In my opinion, family is an emotional centre of a person's life, transmitter of culture, the place where children are being raised. The process of upbringing children is difficult. It requires much effort, mutual respect, tolerance. In happy families parents are frankly honest with their children without moralizing, and the children in their turn learn how to get on with other people.

The proverb says, «Men make houses, women make homes». In my view, it means that the man provides for his family, pays attention to the problems of the members of the family. And the woman creates the homely atmosphere, encourages her husband and children to keep up family traditions and keeps the house. Together they bring up their children in the right way.

It is true to our family, I think. My parents have been married for twenty-six years. My father's name is Vitaly. He is 45 years old. He is an engineer at a Motor Plant. He is tall and strong both in body and character, but rather stout. He has plump oval face with an aquiline nose. He's generous and full of joy, but very careless. He can make different things with his own hands. Almost all the bookshelves in our flat were made by my father.

My mother's name is Irina. She is a medium size woman. She has got a thin oval attractive face and light grey eyes and a snub nose. When she was young she had thick curly ash-blond long hair, now she wears her hair short. My mother is a woman of character, well-bred, tactful and fair. She's warm-hearted and at the same time practical, reserved and full of common sense. She is a housewife; she does all the housework and helps my elder brother to bring his sons. She is really concerned about them. They are the apple of her eye. And the boys feel affection for their Granny. My father and I try to help her about the house.

My brother Igor is about 25. He is married, as I have already said. He has got two sons. My elder nephew is a spitting image of my brother and the junior one takes after his mother, my brother's wife. The boys are funny and curious.

We have got a lot of relatives, because my mother has got five sisters and a brother. So I've got many aunts, uncles and cousins. We are all on friendly terms.

 

TEXT B

A vocabulary defines a family as “people who are closely related.” Psychologists usually refer to a family consisting of mother, father and their children, who are either twins or siblings, as a nuclear family. Some of them are one-parent or single parent families. They usually call all the family including aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins, nieces, grandparents, daughters- and sons-in law as an extended family. George Orwell (1903-1950), a famous British author, wrote that he came from a "stuffy Victorian family, with not many black sheep in it but with all its cupboards burstling with skeletons (family secrets). It has rich relations who have to be kow-towed to and poor relations who are horribly sat upon, and there is a deep conspiracy about the source of income. It is a family in which the young are generally thwarted and most of the power is in hands of irresponsible uncles and bedridden aunts. Still it is a family".

There is no exact definition, what a family is. It is definitely a fabulous phenomenon, ce­mented by blood, which is thicker than water. It is really a masterpiece and as every genius creation of humanity it is immortal. Its roots date back to prehis­toric times, and it has made a long way from polygamy to monogamy. Like a real masterpiece it constantly changes preserving its essence. Prehistoric mothers used to be as caring, over-protective and ambitious about their adorable offspring, as all today's mothers are.

Most of families start with marriages, which are said to be made in heaven. Ancient philosopher Dio­genes (the Cynic) said, "Marriage is the greatest earthly happiness when founded on complete sympathy." Like every masterpiece this highly personal matter is strict­ly controlled and supported by law. Young people now­adays are to understand that it is not enough to prom­ise to love and cherish each other, it is important to realize that they have taken a big step both legally and financially by deciding to get married. A husband is entitled to a married man's allowance, and both hus­band and wife can claim tax relief. They start sharing common property and if they decide to split up they will both have to start a divorce proceeding. If they have children and decide to separate they will have to agree who gets the custody over their children and set the proposed arrangements for children to meet both parents.

The importance of family bonds has been portrayed in proverbs and sayings by all nations. Here we say “East or West, home is best”, the English say “My home is my castle” and I'm sure there are wise sayings like these in other languages. It seems a bit sad that families are getting so small these days. A family with three or four children is not a common thing. More often you will find many families where there is just Mummy, Dad, one kid and may be a dog. I don't know what it feels like being an only child in the family. There are three children in our family. So by modern standards we are considered to be a fairly large family.

Here I should say as well that I am lucky to have been brought up in a friendly two-parent family. This is not always the case. The number of problem families has grown up lately due to many reasons: material, economic, housing difficulties and heavy drinking.

I'd like to give a brief description of each of us. Firstly my father, the head and the main supporter of our family. He is a research worker by profession. About 10 years ago he was with the Central Scientific Research Institute of Technology and Administration. But he had to quit it and look for a better paid job to support the many of us. He went in for trade. At present he is trying his luck in several trade aspects.

Generally speaking my father and I are very similar in character though in appearance I take after my mother. He is determined, strong-willed, energetic but at the same time he is reserved and thoughtful. He always achieves the aims he sets. He looks very businesslike and at the same time he tries not to lose the sense of humour. And though he is very busy, he always devotes his free time to the children; mainly to my younger brother and sister because he takes me for a grown-up person, he trusts me and relies on me. He is even sure that I can be his partner in business translating some business papers and documents for him. In my turn I try to be most helpful and it makes me feel important and grown-up.

My mother has turned 40 this year. But she doesn’t look her age. My mother is a programmer by profession. But as I was a very feeble child almost until the age of 9 my mother stayed out of work. It happened so that up to now she hadn't got a chance to start working again as the two younger children came. So she has to sacrifice her career to the upbringing of the three of us. But while she was looking after the smaller ones she took an interest in psychology. And when the children got a little older, she became a student of the Pedagogical University. She is exactly the person about whom the English saying goes «It's never too late to learn». She is a very attractive, self-possessed, sociable and persistent woman. She is concerned about her appearance, tries to be in good shape, elegant and dressed according to the latest vogue, that's why she looks so good for her age.

In fact I'm more attached to my mother than to my father. We understand each other better which I think is quite natural. We can spend hours and hours on end talking about our family problems, fashions, views on education, people's relations, their ambitions and the like.

My younger brother is only 7 years old. He studies at the same school I do. He does well at school which makes all of us happy. He is a diligent, kind and intelligent boy. He is tall for his age, sporty and we hope he'll make a good basketball player one day.

As for my younger sister she is only 4 years of age. She is a very pretty, lively, cheerful and energetic little thing. She is very restless and it's hard for her to stay in one and the same place for more than a minute, so when the two of them are playing they make a hell of the house.

Of course I have many remote relations: two grandmothers and a grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins. But only my grandfather and grandmother on the mother's side live in Minsk. Though my grandma is already an elderly woman, she often visits us, helps my mother to look after the children and always brings something delicious to eat. We all enjoy her visits.

To finish with, I'd like to say that there are times in our lives, when everything seems to be going badly. We all have problems we can't cope with. We feel depressed and dispirited and suffer from acute anxiety and despair. We moan and groan and think we are losers and failures. A fatherly manly hug or a mother's loving embrace can really restore you from the ashes. Then I hear my Mum's favourite words: "You are a Fallible Human Being "and understand that even if the whole world turns its cold shoulder on me, there'll still be a family to turn to for love, compassion and understanding. And as every great masterpiece the family will remain in your soul forever.

 

 2. Answer the following questions:

1) What is the right age for young people to get married in your opinion?

2) Why do some young families break up do you think?

3) Do you think big families or small families are better?

4) Who keeps the house and cooks meals in your family?

5) Do you think your parents are always right when they tell you what to do and what not to do?

6) What do you do if your parents are not right in your opinion?

7) Why does the fathers-and-sons problem always exist?

8) What do your parents make you do that you don't like doing?

9) What is your parents' attitude to your friends?

10) At what age should children be given more freedom and independence?

11) What do your parents praise you for?

12) Which of your actions upset your parents most of all?

13) How much pocket money should teenagers be given?

14) What is your idea of a good husband (wife)?

15) What does family happiness depend on in your opinion?

 

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