30. Find information about:

a) the narrator’s parents;

b) her two brothers;

3. the English stereotypical family:

• present – day situation;

• reasons of changing.

7. After reading the text decide if the following statements are true or false:

1. My four brothers are a lot younger than me.

2. My sister is a computer user.

3. I have neither nieces nor nephews.

4. I come from a small family.

5. All my grandparents are alive.

6. My dad has two brothers and sisters, and he has four half-sisters.

7. My parents live in the country.

8. In England the stereotypical family is husband, wife, 2.4 children, a dog and a cat.

9. There are no one-parent families in England.

10. I was born in exotic Asia.

11. Nowadays in England most women seem to want to be housewives.

12. A lot of old people live on their own.

30. Answer the questions to the text.

1. Where did the narrator’s parents live for much of their married life?

2. How is a very idyllic brother’s childhood described in the text?

3. Do you think it’s nice to live in the country? Where do you prefer to live : in the country or in a large city?

4. When and where was he narrator born?

5. How many cousins has the narrator got?

6. Who is an artist in a family?

7. Whose family lives in Hong Kong?

8. Is Nigel a stockbroker or a computer programmer?

9. Who is 66 years older?

10. Nikki is half Chinese, isn’t she?

11. Does the narrator’s family conform to the stereotype of a family?

12. How is a stereotypical English family presented in the text?

13. Why does the situation with the English family change nowadays?

14. Are there a lot of one - parent families in England? What are the consequences?

15. How many relatives are mentioned in the text?

32. Say which of the ideas of the text attracted your attention most of all. Do you support the author’s viewpoint?

33. Find the topical sentence(s) of each passage ( i.e the sentence(s) containing the central idea of the passage).

34. Make a short summary of the text.

C o n c l u s i o n s

Test yourself

1. Make these sentences plural.

1. This is a boy. 2. That is a baby. 3. My uncle has a large flat. 4. Is your sister ambitious? 5. This mouse is white. 6. That is a bookshelf. 7. There is a lady, a gentleman, a boy and a girl in the room. 8. Does your tooth still ache? 9. His child studies very well. 10. Put this knife on that table. 11. Listen! Is she speaking English?

2. Translate the sentences into English using Possessive Case.

1. Это семья моего друга. Отец моего друга – инженер. Мать моего друга – преподаватель. 2. Мою сестру зовут Дина. 3. Мне нравится почерк этого мальчика. 4. Это бабушкино кресло. 5. Эти книги – мои. 6. Тот стол – её. 7. Этот дом – наш. 8. Эта ручка – моя. 9. Эта ручка не моя, она твоя.

3. Choose the correct answer.

1. I __________ a student.

   a) is	b) aren’t	c) am	d) were

2. He _______ a pilot.

   a) was	b) weren’t	c) are	d) am

3. We _______ at home.

   a) am	b) wasn’t	c) were	d) isn’t

4. _______ she be in the cinema with you?

a) is	b) will	c) am	d) was