ABOUT MY RELATIVES AND MYSELF
My brother is 22 years old. He is of a medium height and build, a bit stocky, but strong with it. He has long, curly fair hair. It is fashionable at the moment for men to grow their hair. His hair nearly reaches his shoulders. My mother is always telling him to get it cut. He doesn't take much care over his appearance so he often looksquite scruffy. He hates having to wear a tie for work. When he's at home he wears comfortable clothes such as T-shirts and jeans. He doesn't care very much what he looks like.
My other brother is much taller - he towers above me, even though he is only 15. He does quite a lot of sport so he's quite strong and has well developed muscles. He has straight brown hair which refuses to lie flat and is always stroking up. He has bluish grey eyes and a little nose.
He is clever and quiet and spends a lot of time at his computer. People sometimes think that he is morose and sullen but I don't think that's the case - he just prefers to think rather than to talk. When he does talk he has a deep voice. He doesn't pronounce his words very clearly, but just mutters them - he can't be bothered to speak clearly. This is typical of 'boys of his age I think.
My mother turned 50 this year, although she doesn't look it. She has aged quite well I think. Only now she is beginning to show signs of old age - her hair has started to go grey and her skin is drier. She is also thinner - she used to have a tendency to put on weight. She is quite tall - it's a characteristic of her side of the family. She is usually well dressed. She is the sort of person who always looks quite smart - I'm the exact opposite - it doesn't matter how much time, money and energy I devote to my appearance, I usually look scruffy. Even if I leave home looking good by the time I reach my destination I look a mess - my tights are splashed, my hem has come down and I generally look untidy as if I'd never bothered.
My father is quite short and a bit plump. I take after my father's side of the family. My father is nearly bald and the hair that remains is grey. He wears sensible, practical clothes most of the time, but for work he has to look smarter so he wears a suit and a tie. He has a grey and a blue suits which I think look good on him. When he puts his glasses on and he wears these suits, he looks every inch a teacher. My father is not a pleasant man. He gets angry and loses his temper quite often.
3.10. Answer the following questions:
1. What is your name?
2. Where and when were you born?
3. How old are you?
4. Do you live together with your parents?
5. Where do you live?
6. What school did you finish?
7. What were your favourite subjects at school?
8. What are you going to be?
9. Do you work?
10. What do you usually do in the evenings?
11. What kind of music do you like?
12. What are your hobbies?
13. Do you like to read?
14. How do you look like? Describe yourself.
15. What kind of feature do you like most of all in yourself?
16. Are friends more important than family? What do you think?
17. What do your parents do in their free time?
18. What are the occupations of your family members?
19. Are your parents strict?
20. Do you think your parents understand you? Why or why not?
21. Do you often argue with your mother or father?
22. What was the most important thing your parents taught you?
23. Do you have any brothers or sisters? If so, how old are they?
24. Do you get along well with your brothers and sisters?
25. Have you any other close relatives?
26. Do you often see them?
27. What do you and your family like to do together?
28. Do you have to clean your own room?
29. Describe the perfect family.
Additional exercises
Teenagers' World
| It Is Okay to Make Mistakes |
| I Can Change |
| I Don`t Have to Control Things |
| Everybody Doesn't Have to Love Me |
| Other People Are Capable |
| I Am Responsible for My Day |
| Other People Are Okay and I Am Okay |
| I Am Capable |
| It is Important toTry |
| I Can Handle It When Things Go Wrong |
| I Can Be Flexible |
1.Not everybody has to love me or even like me. I don't necessarily like everybody I know, so why should everybody else like me? I enjoy being liked and being loved, but if somebody doesn't like me, I will still be okay and still feel like I am an okay person. I cannot make somebody like me, any more than someone can get me to like them. I don't need approval all the time. If someone does not approve of me, I will still be okay.
2.Making mistakes is something we all do, and I am still a fine and worthwhile person when I make them. There is no reason for me to get upset when I make a mistake. I am trying, and if I make a mistake, I am going to continue trying. I can handle making a mistake. It is okay for others to make mistakes, too. I will accept mistakes in myself and also mistakes that others make.
3.People who do things I don't like are not necessarily bad people. They should not necessarily be punished just because 1 don't like what they do or did. There is no reason why other people should be the way 1 want them to be, and there is no reason why I should be the way somebody else wants me to be. People will be whatever they want to be, and 1 will be whatever I want to be. I cannot control other people or change them. They are who they are; we all deserve basic respect.
4.I will survive if things are different than what I want them to be. 1 can accept things the way they are, accept people the way they are, and accept myself the way 1 am. There is no reason to get upset if I can't change things to fit my idea of how they ought to be. There is no reason why I should have to like everything. Even if I don't like it, I can live with it.
5. I am responsible for how I feel and what I do. Nobody can make me feel anything. If I have a rotten day, I am the one who allowed it to be that way. If I have a great day, I am the one who deserves credit for being positive. It is not the responsibility of other people to change so that I can feel better. I am the one who is in charge of my life.
6.I don't need to watch out for things to go wrong. Things usually go just fine, and when they don't, I can handle it. I don't have to waste my energy worrying. The sky won't fell in; things will be okay.
7. I can. Even though I may be laced with difficult tasks, it is better to try than to avoid them. Avoiding a task does not give me any opportunities for success or joy, but trying does. Things worth having are worth the effort. I might not be able to do everything, but I can do something.
8.I don't need someone else to take care of my problems. I am capable. I can take care of myself I can make decisions for myself I can think for myself I don't have to depend on somebody else to take care of me.
9.I don't have to be a certain way because of what has happened in the past. Every day is a new day. It's silly to think I can't help being the way I am. Of course I can. I can change.
10.I can't solve other people's problems for them. I don't have to take on other peopl I am. Of course I can. I can change.
10.I can't solve other people's problems for them. I don't have to take on other people's problems as if they were my own. I don't need to change other people or fix up their lives. They are capable and can take care of themselves, and can solve their own problems. I can care and be of some help, but I can't do everything for them.
11.There is more than one way to do something. More than one person has had good ideas that will work. There is no one and only ""best" way. Everybody has ideas that are worthwhile. Some may make more sense to me than others, but everyone's ideas are worthwhile, and everyone has something worthwhile to contribute.