RSSAbout Myself
From the very start I should say that it is not an easy thing to speak about myself as it is hard to have a look at yourself from aside, but at the same time who knows you better than you yourself do?
I am a girl of sixteen. I was born on the 25th of April 1985 in the town of Molodechno where I live now together with my parents and my younger sister.
When I look at myself in the mirror I see a blond girl with short straight hair, dark eyes and a slender figure. As to my appearance I'm rather tall and slim. I think that I'm even tempered, rather reserved, calm and modest. But sometimes I can lose my temper and become either angry or sad. I am sociable, I like to laugh and joke. I have got a good sense of humour.
There are many things in our life I like and some I dislike. I like to study because knowledge is useful sometimes. I'm fond of reading as it gives not only knowledge, but also wonderful moments of joy and pleasure.
As for me, I appreciate people's honesty, kindness, sense of justice and intelligence. I don't like when people are rude and aggressive.
I am stubborn at times. But to my mind being persistent is not always a bad thing. That means if I have an aim I never leave things half done. At times I feel dissatisfied with myself, especially when I fail to do something. At the same time I think I am hard-working.
I haven't got any special hobby, like collecting something, but I'm fond of reading books. They give me more knowledge of their people's lives and feelings and broaden my outlook. In my opinion, books are a source of emotional inspiration and romantic feeling. Besides, books help me to continue my education. The time spent on a good book is never wasted. Reading is a rewarding pastime.
And of course I like music! It gives me a lot of delight and pleasure. Besides, I am a great theatregoer. Whenever I have some time to spare, I go to the theatre. I'm not keen on television.
Sometimes I play different sport games for health and pleasure. I usually play such games as volleyball, basketball, tennis, and sometimes football.
And finally, the things I hope to achieve in my life are: to have a successful career, to build the house of my dream and to find someone in my life to share all that with.
My FamilyI
I have a large family. My father is 57. (fifty-seven) He works as an engineer at a plant. My mother is 55. She works part-time as a nurse. My younger brother is a student of economics. He is going to graduate next year. I also have an older sister. She is married and lives with her family not far from us. They often visit us. Her daughter Lena, my niece, is a very talented girl. She plays the piano and writes interesting poems.
I am married. My wife Olga is a schoolteacher. She teaches mathematics. We have two children, a boy and a girl. My son Victor is six years old, and my daughter Anna is three years old. They go to a kindergarten near our house. My wife picks them up on her way home from work and takes a long walk with them in the park. My mother looks after the children when we work late, and my mother-in-law takes care of them on Saturdays.
We live in a large house with a nice garden. There is enough room for all of us.
We have a lot of relatives. My aunt and two uncles live in a small town about 60 kilometers from my hometown. Their children, my cousins, are about my age, and we communicate often. Every year the whole family gets together for Christmas. We prepare a huge Christmas dinner, and there are a lot of presents for everyone.
My FamilyII
I think that a family is the most important thing for every person. Family is a school for life. It gives us love and affection. Your parents and relatives are the people who always love you, support you and help you. In my opinion the family doesn’t only teach us to be friendly, honest, kind, responsible, but to acquire necessary work habits.
So I'd better start my story with my dad. His name is Igor Alekseevich. He is 51. He is of medium height with blond hair and grey eyes. My father is a historian by profession. My father is determined, strong-willed, reserved. He takes me for a grown-up person, he trusts me and relies on me.
Generally speaking I don’t know whom I took after in my character, but in appearance I take after my mother.
My mother's name is Alla Sergeevna. She has turned 51 this year. But if you look at her you won't give her a year older than 40. She is a beautiful slender woman with dark hair and hazel eyes. My mother is a teacher by profession. She is a good professional and enjoys love and respect from her pupils. Mum's life is not easy, of course, because she has to keep the house in addition to her work. My mother is a charming person with a good sense of humour. She is very tender, understanding and has golden hands.
As for my elder sister Kate, she is 28 years of age. She is a web designer. She is a beautiful young woman with brown hair and green eyes. Kate is very kind, devoted and reliable. We are great friends. She is married to a military man. His name is Aleksey. He is very slim, with dark hair and brown eyes. He is faithful and caring and they admire each other. I’m proud to be an uncle already – they have a baby son, a cheerful and energetic little thing.
Now a few words about me. My name is Andrey. I am seventeen. This year I entered the Belarusian State University. At present I am a first-year student at the Mechanics and Mathematics Faculty. My friends say that I am sociable, shy, honest, helpful and cheerful, but I think that sometimes I am rude, gloomy and lazy. My favourite occupation is listening to music, reading, riding bicycle, going out with my friends and also I like to talk about something interesting or philosophical.
I love my family and know that I can always find happiness, understanding and support there.
My FamilyIII
I think everyone can say much about his family. In my opinion, a family can be characterized from the point of view of its size, from the point of view of the relations among their members, from the point of view of their quality of life and some other factors. So I think I’ll start with the size of my family.
I have an average family. It consists of 4 people: my husband, my son, my daughter, and me. Besides I have a sister who lives with us. And now I’ll characterize and describe each member of our family. I’ll start with husband.
His name is Andrey, and he is thirty-eight. He is a businessman and he likes his job very much. As for his appearance, he is of a middle height and sporty. He’s got dark hair, which he wears very short, blue eyes and a straight nose. As for his character, I think he is a bit strict with children, but still tactful and loving both with them and me. He has a lot of friends. He is rather well-read and likes watching TV or reading newspapers lying on the sofa. Speaking about our relations, I can say that we are an understanding couple, though we quarrel sometimes like any others.
Well, a few words about my son. His name is Igor and he is a teenager. He is of a mid height, thin but sporty and handsome. He’s got an oval face and blue eyes; and his hair is fair and short. He is a pupil and does very well at school. He is a cheerful person, outgoing and active, as well as quarrelsome and hot-tempered from time to time. But I don’t have many problems with him as he’s very well-disciplined now and normally does well with his sister and me though we sometimes have conflicts. But still I love him very much.
And now about my daughter. Her name is Karina, she is a schoolgirl and does well at school. As for her appearance she is not very tall and thin. She has long straight fair hair, an oval face and blue eyes. She is a lovely girl, very active and ambitious, as well as helping and tender, but no person is ideal – she is hot-tempered. I think she’ll become a very pretty girl and I hope she’ll be a good wife in her time as she helps me a lot about the house and is always very tidy.
Well, I think, our family is friendly and united. We spend much time together, go for walks in the local wood, visit theaters, museums, go to the cinema and circus. I think I will always love them all. As proverb says, "East or West, home is best". There is no place more delightful than home and there are no people more dear than your relatives.
Family and Relatives
Family
husband, wife, spouse;father, mother, parents;son, daughter, child, children;brother, sister, siblings, twins;grandfather, grandmother, grandparents;grandson, granddaughter, grandchild, grandchildren;great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandchild;stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister;half-brother, half-sister;adopted son, adopted daughter, adopted child;foster family, foster father, foster mother, foster parents,foster son, foster daughter, foster child;
Relatives
uncle, aunt; nephew, niece;cousin, first cousin, second cousin;close relatives, distant relatives;my family, my relatives, my kin;
Relatives by marriage
in-laws, father-in-law, mother-in-law,son-in-law, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, daughters-in-law;brother-in-law, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, sisters-in-law;
Age groups
child, baby, infant; boy, girl;teenager, adolescent; adult, grownup;young man, young woman, middle-aged man, middle-aged woman, old man, old woman;
Marital status and related words
single, married, engaged, divorced; widower, widow;bride, bridegroom, wedding, wedding rings, honeymoon;divorce, ex-husband, ex-wife; alimony;girlfriend, boyfriend;
Other related words
pregnancy, birth; the baby is due in June;kindergarten, babysitter;illness, sickness, disease;death, funeral, cemetery, grave.
Jobs and Professions
Management
president, vice-president, director, deputy director, manager, inspector;
Office
office clerk, receptionist, secretary;
Banks
bank officer, accountant, economist;
Medicine
doctor,eye specialist, ear specialist, throat specialist, heart specialist;cardiologist, surgeon, pediatrician, psychiatrist, dentist, pharmacist, veterinarian, nurse;
Restaurants
chef, waiter, waitress, barman;
Sales and stores
sales manager, salesperson, cashier, seller, buyer
Art and creative work
musician, singer, dancer, artist, architect;film director, actor, actress, cameraman;writer, journalist, photographer, designer;
School and college
principal, dean, professor, teacher, student, pupil;schoolteacher, college teacher, university teacher; English teacher, history teacher, maths teacher, music teacher;
Construction
engineer, technician, mechanic;builder, carpenter, plumber;
Science
scientist, mathematician, physicist, chemist, biologist, astronomer;historian, economist, philosopher, psychologist;
Law and order
judge, lawyer, policeman, traffic officer, detective;
Other
computer programmer, software specialist;webmaster, web designer;pilot, stewardess, driver, car mechanic;firefighter, librarian, farmer, tailor, model, politician, priest;hairdresser, cosmetologist, janitor;
Places of work
office, agency, company, firm, plant, factory, hospital, hotel, school, shop.
Describing a job
a job in electronics, a teaching job, a position as secretary;
an interesting job, a boring job, a good job, a difficult job;
a well-paid job, a badly paid job;
Related terms
to hire, to fire, to quit one's job;unemployed, jobless; to look for a job; to apply for a job;contract, work agreement;
employer, employee;temporary worker, freelance worker, freelancer, season worker;to work full-time, to work part-time;
wages (weekly pay, hourly pay), salary (monthly pay), income;on the sick leave, maternity leave, holiday, vacation, pension;
Related phrases
What do you do? What business are you in?
I am a teacher. I work as a psychologist. I work at a bank. I work at a small travel agency. I work at a hotel. I work at a transportation company. I work for a newspaper. I am in advertising. I have a small business of my own. I am unemployed at the moment. I am looking for a job right now. I am looking for a job as a driver. I'd like to apply for a job. I'd like to apply for
the position of shop assistant. He was offered the position of cashier.
He gets two thousand dollars a month. His monthly pay is two thousand dollars.
They get twenty-three thousand dollars a year. Their annual pay is twenty-three thousand dollars.
His salary is thirty-four thousand dollars a year.
Note: work, job, position, profession, occupation
work (работа, труд любого характера) – I have a lot of work today. He is at work now. My work is very interesting. What work do you do?
job (работа, должность, оплачиваемый наёмный труд) – He lost his job last month. Do you like your new job? She wants to change her job.
position (положение, должность, место) – How long did you work in your previous position?
profession (профессия) – The profession of a doctor requires a lot of training. He is a lawyer by profession.
occupation (занятие, профессия) – Write your name, age and occupation on this line. What is his occupation?
Appearance and Character
Appearance
attractive, good-looking, beautiful, handsome;plain, unattractive, ugly;well-dressed, casually dressed, poorly dressed;
neat, clean, untidy, dirty.
Height
tall, short, middle height;he is average height; she is of middle height.
Weight and Build
slim, slender, skinny, medium-build, overweight, fat;strong, muscular, athletic.
Hair
dark, fair, black, red, brown, blond;long, short, medium-length, shoulder-length;straight, curly, wavy, bald;
Eyes
blue, green, gray, brown;big, bright, with long lashes.
Age
young, old, middle-aged;twenty years old, in her thirties, about forty.
Character
good-tempered, easy-going;terrible character, bad-tempered;friendly, sociable, unfriendly, unsociable;strong, independent;reliable, honest, unreliable, dishonest;ambitious, hard-working, energetic, lazy;disciplined, organized, careful, accurate;undisciplined, disorganized, careless, inaccurate;attentive, alert, thoughtful;aggressive, selfish, egoistical;self-confident, shy, modest, moody, melancholic, self-conscious;generous, unselfish, kind, kind-hearted, arrogant, stubborn;humorous, boring;
Mind
intelligent, wise, clever;foolish, stupid, narrow-minded, silly.
Related Phrases
What does she look like?
She is young and good-looking, with dark eyes and long red hair.
He is tall and thin, with brown hair. He is twenty-five years old.
She is average height, dark-haired, quite thin, and wears glasses. She's about fifty.
He is old, short, medium-build, with gray hair and a beard.
She has dark eyes, wavy blond hair, and a nice figure. She looks great.
He is a handsome middle-aged man. She is a pretty young girl.
How do I look?
You look good. You look great. You look nice.
You look terrible. You look awful.
What is he like?
He is friendly and dependable. He is interesting and amusing.
He is smart and honest. He also has a good sense of humor. I like him.
She is careless and lazy. You can't depend on her.
She is serious, organized, hard-working.
He is old, sick, and lonely.
His character is terrible. He doesn't have many friends.
Who does he take after, his mother or his father?
He takes after his father in appearance, but he is like his mother in character.
He looks like his mother, but he takes after his father in character.
Like his father, he is tall and handsome.
What does he like?
He likes ice cream and chocolate. She likes apples and oranges.
She likes modern music. He likes old movies and classical music.
She likes to read. He likes to play with his dog.
What are you interested in?
I'm interested in medicine. He is interested in politics. She is interested in history.
I'm interested in sports. I'm into computers. I'm a movie fan. I like rock music.
Other related words
a sports fan, a computer freak, a music fan, a movie fan, a TV addict;a fashion-monger, a homebody, a workaholic, a Jack of all trades;lazybones, an adventurer, a womanizer, a tough guy.
Weight
He weighs 77 kilograms. (Pronounced as "seventy-seven kilograms".)
Her weight is 59.9 kilograms. (fifty-nine point nine kilograms)
Her weight is about 60 kilograms. (sixty kilograms)
Height
He is 183 centimeters tall. (one hundred eighty-three centimeters)
She is 160 centimeters tall. (one hundred sixty centimeters)
Her twelve-year-old son is about a hundred and fifty centimeters tall and weighs about forty kilograms.
Additional Vocabulary
Looks and Appearance
- beautiful красивый (о женщинах)
- blond/fair [/ginger]/ dark hair
- светлые/русые/рыжие/черные волосы
- blue/grey/hazel eyes голубые/серые/карие глаза
- grey/green/dark-eyed серо/зелено/черноглазый
- curly /straight hair кудрявые/прямые волосы
- handsome красивый (о мужчинах)
- height (n) [haIt]
- рост
- look like (smb.)
- быть похожим на (кого-либо)
- of medium/short/tall height
- ['mJdjqm]
- cреднего/низкого/высокого роста
- plain (adj) [pleIn]
- некрасивый
- plump (adj) [plAmp]
- полноватый
- pretty (adj) ['prItI]
- симпатичный
- slender (adj) ['slendq]
- стройный
- slim (adj)
- худой
- straight [streIt] /snubbed nose
- прямой /курносый нос
Features of Character
- be in good/bad mood [mu:d]
- быть в хорошем (плохом) настроении
- brave (adj) [breIv]
- смелый
- devoted (adj) [dI'vqVtId]
- преданный
- faithful (adj) ['feITful]
- дружеский, дружественный
- gentle (adj) ['Gentl]
- нежный
- gloomy (adj) ['glHmI]
- мрачный
- hard-working (adj) ['hRd'wWkIN]
- трудолюбивый
- kind-hearted (adj) ['kaInd'hRtId]
- добрый, добросердечный
- lazy (adj) ['leIzI]
- ленивый
- open-minded (adj) ['qVpn'maIndId]
- открытый, искренний
- polite (adj) [pq'laIt]
- вежливый
- reserved (adj) [rI'zWvd]
- сдержанный
- rude (adj) [rHd]
- грубый
- shy (adj) [SaI]
- робкий, застенчивый, тихий
Interests and Ambitions
- ambition (n) [xm'bISqn]
- стремление
- be keen [kJn] on smth
- увлекаться чем-либо
- desire (n), (v) [di'zaiq]
- желание, желать
- dislike (v) [dIs'laIk] smth
- (to do smth)
- не нравится что-либо (делать что-либо)
- do sports
- заниматься спортом
- dream (of) (v), (n) [drJm]
- мечтать о, мечта
- hate (v) [heIt]
- ненавидеть
- intend (v) [In'tend] to do smth
- намереваться делать что-либо
- intention (n) [In'tenSqn]
- намерение
- make a career [kq'rIq]
- делать карьеру
- play football (chess)
- играть в футбол (шахматы)
- wish (v)
- желать
Family Members and Relations in the Family
- average ['xvqrIG] /small/large family
- средняя/маленькая/большая семья
- consist of (v) [kqn'sIst]
- состоять из
- nephew (n) ['nevju:]
- племянник
- niece (n) [ni:s]
- племянница
- relatives (n) (relations) ['relqtIvz]
- родственники
- stepdaughter (n) ['stepdLtq]
- падчерица
- stepfather (n) ['stepfRDq]
- отчим
- stepmother (n)['stepmADq]
- мачеха
- stepson (n) ['stepsAn]
- пасынок
- twins (n) [twInz]
- близнецы
- admire (v) [qd'maIq] smb
- любить, обожать кого-либо
- be attached [q'txCt] to
- быть привязанным к
- be devoted [dI'vqutId] to
- быть преданным
- blame (v) [bleIm] smb
- винить, обвинять
- caring (adj) [`kFqriN]
- заботливый
- close (adj) [klqus]
- близкий
- cordial (adj) ['kLdjql]
- сердечный, радужный
- difficulty (n) [`dIfIkqltI]
- трудность
- distant (adj) [`dIstqnt]
- далекий
- elderly (adj) [`eldqlI]
- пожилой
- frank откровенный, искренний
- friendly дружеский
- hostile враждебный
- impartial безразличный
- intolerant нетерпимый
- loving любящий
- provide (v) for the family обеспечивать семью
- reliable надежный
- respectful (adj) [rIs'pektful]
- уважительный
- share the domestic chores [CLz]
- делить, разделять домашние обязанности
- take care [kFq] of smb
- заботиться о ком-либо
- warm (adj) [wLm]
- теплый
- wonderful (adj) ['wAndeful]
- прекрасный
- worry (v) about smb ['wArI]
- беспокоиться о ком-либо
