Учебно-методическое пособие по дисциплине «Английский язык» для студентов 1 курса

1. Тема: Описание людей (внешность, характер, личностные качества, профессии)

I am 30,but everyone says that I don’t look my age⁴. Itake much care over my appearance⁵ and I have aged quite well6. I am of medium height and built⁷. I do a lot of sport and so I look slim. My hair is wavy and blond. My nose is straight and eyes are blue. My ears are not big, the face is oval. What I don’t like in myselfis freckles⁸. They always come in spring. My friends sometimes call me a«typical blonde». I should admit that this style is close to me⁹.

I take after¹⁰ my granny. She looked just like me when she was young. I prefer dresses, skirts and romantic style. I try always to be well dressed¹¹.To tell the truth¹² I devote much time for my appearance and spend much money for it.

I’d like to add some words about my character. I am even-tempered¹³, rather reserved¹⁴, calm and moderst. Sometimes I can lose my temper¹⁵ and become either angry or sad. At these moments I like staying alone and sometimes I retire into my shell¹⁶. But I have a lot of friends. I am opened for everything new, appreciate people for¹⁷ honesty and justice. I like to laugh and to joke. I have a good sense of humour.

But remember that appearances can be deceptive¹⁸. And you mustn’t judge people by the first impression.
Vocabulary

1. 
   judge by – судить по
   
2. 
   appearances - внешности
   
3. 
   medical services - медицинские услуги
   
4. 
   don’t look my age - не выглядеть на какой-то возраст
   
5. 
   take much care over my appearance – следить за собой
   
6. 
   have aged quite well - хорошо сохраниться (о внешности)
   
7. 
   medium height and built - средний рост и телосложение
   
8. 
   freckles - веснушки
   
9. 
   to be close to smb – быть близким кому-либо
   
10. 
    take after - быть похожим на(члены семьи)
    
11. 
    well dressed – хорошо одетый
    
12. 
    To tell the truth – по правде говоря
    
13. 
    even-tempered - уравновешенный
    
14. 
    reserved - сдержанный
    
15. 
    lose my temper – терять самообладание/выйти из себя
    
16. 
    retire into my shell – уйти в себя
    
17. 
    appreciate people for – ценить людей за
    
18. 
    appearances can be deceptive – внешность может быть обманчива
    

after Mark Twain

According to tradition some of my great-great parents were pirates and slave traders — a respectable trade in the 16-th century. In my time I wished to be a pirate myself.

Florida contained a hundred people and when I was born I increased the population by one per cent. It had two streets and a lot of lanes. Both the streets and the lanes were paved (мостить) with the same material — black mud in wet times, deep dust in dry. Most of the houses were of wood — there were none of brick and none of stone. Everywhere around were fields and woods.

My uncle and everyone on the farm treated the slaves kindly. All the Negroes on the farm were friends of ours and with those of our own age we were playmates. Since my childhood I have learned to like the black race and admire some of its fine qualities. In my school days nobody told me that it was wrong to sell and buy people. It is only much later that I realized all the horror of slavery.

The country school was three miles from my uncle's farm. It stood in a forest and could take in about twenty five boys and girls. We attended school once or twice a week. I was a sickly (хилый) child and lived mainly on medicine the first seven years of my life.

For ten years I worked in printshops of various cities. I started my journalistic life as a reporter on a newspaper in San-Francisco. It was then that I began to sign my publications by my penname Mark Twain.

2. What were the great-great parents of Mark Twain?

3. What did Mark Twain want to be?

4. What were the streets and lanes of Florida paved with?

5. How does the author describe his uncle?

6. How many slaves did Mark Twain's uncle own?