About myself. Family and its social role.

FAMILY PROBLEMS

TEXT A: ABOUT MYSELF

Read and translate the text:

My name is Svetlana Ivanova. I am seventeen. I was born on the thirteenth of March in 1996. I live in Volgograd with my parents. I went to secondary school № 68. I finished it in June this year. I did well at school. My favorite subjects were Biology, English and Social Science. But I was especially fond of Literature and Psychology. At the age of thirteen I began to read books on Psychology. My favourite authors are Dale Carnegie and Allan Piz. His “ Body Language ” is my bible. I spend a lot of money on psychological books. At school I took part in different Olympiads in psychology and sometimes won first or second places. But I also practiced dancing and figure skating. I often watch different championships in figure skating on TV and always support our Russian athletes. Especially I admire Adeline Sotnikova and Tatiana Volosozhar with Maxim Trankov, Elena Ilinyk with Nikita Katsalapov. These are people of a great will power, moderation, discipline, working capacity and other important qualities. Dancing isn’t a simply hobby, it’s my life. In my childhood I went in for ballroom dancing. Later I began to practice Latin American rhythms and dance forms. Especially I am dazzled with Argentine Tango and Rumba. In my opinion they are the most beautiful and sexy dances (bamboulas).

But my main passion is psychology. That’s why I have entered the Volgograd Physical Education Academy as there is a department of psychology and social pedagogics. I am a first-year student now. My aim is to be an educational psychologist or a social teacher.

I have chosen this profession because I like to communicate with people and it’s seems to me I can do it well. I enjoy listening to my friends and discussing different problems with them. My peers tell me about everything: their unreturned love, parents’ divorce, generation gap, friendship and problems of mutual understanding and many others. I always try to advice on any question. In the bargain I am a serious, tolerant, volitional and industrious person by nature. And I think that I’ll be a very good social teacher or an educational psychologist.

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

Прочитайте и запомните слова и словосочетания к теме.

do well (at school)	- хорошо учиться (в школе)
favourite subject	- любимый предмет
biology	- биология
Social Science	- обществоведение, социальные науки
to be fond of (syn. to like)	- любить, увлекаться
at the age of 10	- в возрасте 10 лет
to read books on Psychology	- читать книги по психологии
Body Language	- язык жестов
bible	- (зд.) настольная книга
to spend (spent, spent)	- проводить (время); тратить, расходовать (время, деньги)
to take (took,taken) part in...	- принимать участие в...
to practice (syn. take up,engage in, go in for)	- заниматься чем-либо
championship in …	- чемпионат по …
to support	- поддерживать
to admire	- восхищаться
great will power	- огромная сила воли
moderation	- выдержка
discipline	- дисциплинированность
working capacity	- работоспособность
to dazzle	- завораживать, ослеплять блеском, красотой
main passion	- главный предмет сильного увлечения
education	- образование, воспитание, обучение
secondary education	- среднее образование
higher education	- высшее образование
higher educational establishment	- высшее учебное заведение
to enter the HEE	- поступить в ВУЗ
the Volgograd (State) Physical Education Academy	- Волгоградская (государственная) академия физической культуры
student	- студент (в США - студент вуза и учащийся средней школы)
a first-year student syn (амер.) a freshman	- студент первого курса
a second-year student syn (амер.) a sophomore	- студент второго курса
a junior	- (амep.) студент третьего курса вуза (учащийся предпоследнего класса школы)
a senior	- (амер.) студент четвертого курса вуза (учащийся выпускного класса школы)
aim	- цель
educational psychologist	- педагог-психолог
social teacher	- социальный педагог
peers	- сверстники
unreturned love	- любовь без взаимности, неразделенная любовь
parents’ divorce	- развод родителей
generation gap	- проблема отцов и детей
problems of mutual understanding	- проблемы взаимопонимания
to advice on a question	- дать совет по вопросу
to study	- учиться, изучать
study	- учеба
physical education	- физическое воспитание, физическая культура*

* Примечание. В англоязычных странах не используется термин "физическая культура" – physical culture. Эквивалентом термина "физическая культура" является physical education – физическое воспитание. Частично данное понятие может передаваться словосочетанием physical training – "физическая подготовка", особенно в Великобритании (например, physical training lessons – уроки физкультуры). При переводе с английского языка в качестве эквивалента physical education можно использовать оба термина – физическое воспитание и физическая культура.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is your name?

2. How old are you?

3. Where were you born?

4. Where do you live?

5. What school did you go to?

6. When did you finish school?

7. Did you do well at school?

8. What were your favourite subjects?

9. When did you become interested in psychology?

10. What books did you read at school?

11. What are you doing now?

12. What are your hobbies?

13. What do you do in your spare time?

14. Where do you study?

15. Do you have a good sense of hearing (sight, touch, smell, taste)?

16. Do you use any of these senses in your studies?

17. Have you got a good memory?

18. What is your favorite actor (singer, book, film, subject)?

19. Do you like to cook (dance, watch TV, listen to music, read books)

20. What features of character do you have or would like to have?

21. What is your dream?

22. What habits do you have?

23. Do you easily communicate with people?

24. Do you often forget your things at home?

25. What are you going to be?

26. Why have you chosen this profession?

 

EXERCISES

Ex.1. Replace the following Russian words and word combinations by their English equivalents from the text:

средняя школа, Академия физической культуры, любимые предметы, проводить много времени, принимать участие, главное увлечение, работоспособность, заниматься психологией, дисциплинированность, цель, учиться в ВУЗе.

Ex. 2. Give the Russian equivalents to the following English words and word combinations:

spend, to study, aim, a second-year student, higher education, to take part in, to go in for, favourite, subject, main passion, do well, moderation, study, work capacity, to be fond of, higher educational establishment.

 

Ex. 3. Fill in the gaps with the words and word combinations from the word-box below:

1. I … at school.

2. I have … the Volgograd Physical Education Academy.

3. My … were Biology, English and Social Science.

4. My … is to be an educational psychologist or a social teacher.

5. … thirteen I began to read books on Psychology.

6. In my childhood I … ballroom dancing.

7. But my … is psychology.

8. I am a … now.

9. But I also … dancing and figure skating.

10. I … a lot of money on psychological books.

 

main passion, aim, favorite subjects, first-year student, practiced, did well, went in for, spend, at the age of, entered

Ex. 4. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Книга Алана Пиза «Язык жестов» - моя настольная книга.

2. Я часто смотрю соревнования по фигурному катанию по телевизору и всегда болею за наших спортсменов.

3. Я – студент Волгоградской академии физической культуры.

4. Моя цель – стать социальным педагогом или педагогом-психологом.

5. Я начала читать книги по психологии в тринадцать лет.

6. Я выбрала эту профессию, потому что я люблю общаться с людьми.

7. В школе я увлекалась литературой и психологией.

8. Танцы – это не просто хобби, это – моя жизнь.

9. Я поступила на отделение социальной педагогики и психологии.

10. Это люди огромной силы воли и выдержки.

Ex. 5. Write your own composition about yourself and retell it.