13.  РАЗГОВОРНЫЕ ТЕМЫ К УЧЕБНИКУ В.ВОЙТЕНОК, А.ВОЙТЕНКО «РАЗГОВОРНЫЙ           

 

                                                                  АНГЛИЙСКИЙ».

 

                                                                   1. My family (7-10).

1. Who do you live with?  I live with my mother, sister and granny.
2. Are your parents divorced and why? Yes, they are. Soon after my birth my father fell in love with another woman and left my mother.
3. What is your nickname? My nickname is Pakhan.
4. What is your pet name? My pet name is Tyapa.
5. Who were you called after? I was called after my grandfather.
6. What famous kinsmen have you got? My great grandfather was a famous explorer, my uncle is a writer and my cousin is a professional musician.
7. Are you of age? No, I’m still under age.
8. Do people live to a great age in your family? Yes, they do. My great grandfather died at the age of 102 and my great grandmother lived up to 105.
9. Are you a single child in your family? No, I am not, I have a sister.
10. Does your father look young for his age? I think, he looks old for his age.
11. Where is your birthplace? I was born in Moscow.
12. From where and when did your grandparents come to Moscow? My grandparents came to Moscow to study at the university forty years ago, later got married and stayed in Moscow.
13. Do old folks live with you and why? Yes, my grandmother lives with us, because she needs constant care.

 

                                                                   2. Appearance and character (11-19).

1. What do you think of your appearance and why? I don’t think I’m a person of a smart appearance because I’m short, lean and not good-looking. Although, it’s a matter of taste.
2. Do you think appearance plays an important role in life? In my opinion, it plays a significant role for women and quite an important role for men.
3. What is your ideal of a man and a woman? My ideal of man is Richard Gere and of woman is Julia Roberts.
4. What would you like to improve in your appearance? I would like to be taller and nicer.
5. What do you think of your character? I think I’m a person of a disagreeable character.
6. What kind of character would you choose for your wife (husband)? I’d like my wife (husband) to be of a gentle disposition to smooth the twists of my unstable nature.
7. What, in your opinion, is more important: character or appearance and why? Of course, character is more important, because good character helps you to build good long-term relations with people.
8. What do people tell you about your character and appearance? They don’t think high either of my character or my appearance.
9. What would you like to improve in your character? I’d like to be more patient and sympathetic to people.
10. Do you believe it’s possible to change somebody’s character and why? I believe it’s possible to develop or to suppress some features of a character, but you can’t change the character cardinally, because it’s the nature of a person.

 

                                                                            3. Marriage and family (19-21).

1. Do you prefer to be married or to be single and why? I prefer to be married, because it’s great to have a lovely person along with you and your lovely children as well.
2. How long should you know a person to make a family with him (her)? I think, no less than 2 years, but, actually, even that gives you little guarantee of success.
3. What do you think of a marriage of convenience? Really, its’ not to my liking, but statistics say it’s the most stable form of marriage, because money interest is more durable than the love one.
4. Do you prefer a civil form of marriage to a religious rite and why? I’d like to undergo both forms, because the civil form is more customary and the religious rite is more solemn and binding.
5. How many children are you going to have and why? I’m going to have two children; they will be good friends and will take care of each other.
6. Is it possible to make a good family without having your own flat and why? It’s possible, if your parents are tactful enough so as not to interfere into your family life. In practice, it’s unlikely, though.
7. Where are you going to live with your future wife (husband)?  I hope to buy a flat on a credit for young families and to get a well-paid job to be able to pay it off.
8. Does family life prevent studying and why? It depends on a husband and a wife. If they want a good education for each other they will help each other.
9. Will you call your future mother-in-law “mama” and why? I doubt that I will, but if she becomes my true friend I will call her “mama”.
10. Do you know how to bring up children and from where are you going to get this knowledge? I like the way my parents bring me up and I’ll try to do the same with my children. Besides, I’ll read some special literature on the matter.
11. How would you act if your love was gone, but you had children and a family? I wouldn’t ruin my family; if I saw my children and my wife needed me. Moreover, I would try to support my gentle feelings to my family.

It’s the matter of a personal choice, though.  

              

                                                                       4. Communication (22-33).

1. Are you a communicative person and why? I believe, I am. I easily get into talk with strangers and can keep any company.
2. Are you a leader in the company of your friends and why? I don’t think so. I like more to be led, but not to lead.
3. Are you usually embarrassed to speak to officials? No, I’m usually not, because it’s no problem for me to deal with shop attendants, booking-office clerks and other people on duty.
4. Are you sincere with your friends or you usually play a role of a cheerful guy (girl)? I often play a role of a cheerful guy (girl) with my acquaintances, but I'm always sincere only with my bosom-friends.
5. What about do you usually talk with your friends? We usually talk about music and sport, school and films, computers and girls (boys).
6. Do you know anybody who speaks Russian better than you? Really, some of my friends do, especially those who read a lot.
7. What do you do to improve your Russian? I try to read more and to watch my language to brush it up.
8. What do you think of reading and why? I’m fond of reading and regard it as the greatest mental recreation.
9. What book are you reading now? I’m reading now a book of short humorous stories by M. Zoshchenko.
10. What is it about? It’s about everyday life of our  great grandparents, but it sounds like it was written about our time.
11. What do you think of virtual communication? I think, it’s a great opportunity to exchange ideas with people all over the world.
12. How often do you read something from the Internet and why? I do it every other day, because it contains a lot of necessary information.
13. Are you an interesting interlocutor and why? I think, I am. I’m in the course of all the latest news and trends in the world of music and fashion, science and art.
14. Tell some more about your friends. My friend Dima is a footballer and my friend Igor is a computer gamer and both of them like good rap, punk-rock and classical music.
15. What interesting acquaintances have you made recently? Recently I have met a girl who took dancing classes together with Julia Savitcheva.
16. What do you think of Russian slang and why? I think, slang is a new stuff of any language and sooner or later some slang becomes an integral part of it.
17. What languages would you like to know and why? I would like to know Latin, Spanish, English, German and French as they are international languages and a lot of literature is written in them.

 

                                                            5. Visiting and receiving friends (34-47).

1. What do you like better: to receive or to visit friends and why? I like both. When you receive friends you are happy to please them, when you visit your friends you are happy to be pleased.
2. Do your friends sometimes fish for an invitation and why? Some of them do, because they like to play my computer and see movies on my 50”LCD home theatre.
3. Do you always give some presents to each other and why? We give presents on the occasion of our birthdays only.
4. Where in your flat do you usually receive your friends and why? I usually receive them in my room, but if it’s a holiday party, my entire flat is at their disposal.
5. Have you ever been given a cold shoulder while visiting your friend and why? Once my classmates had told my friend a pack of lies about me and I was given a cold shoulder when I came to see him.
6. Have you ever been welcome as a storm in May and why? Last week I dropped at my friend’s at the moment, when his father was severely scolding him for bad marks and I was welcome as a storm in May.
7. Are you usually long in coming and why? No, I never keep people waiting me.
8. How do you usually entertain your friends? We play different games together; make a lot of fun, joke and talk on the matters of our common interests.
9. What presents did your friends give you on your last birthday? They gave me some CDs, MP3s and DVDs.
10. What kind of anecdotes do you like to tell? I like to tell anecdotes about drunkards.
11. Do your people like to talk to your friends and why? Yes, they usually do, because my friends are very cute guys (girls).
12. Do you like to talk to your friends’ people about the past times and why? I do, because I’m fond of the newest history of our country.

 

                                                                              6. Education (48-77).

1. Do you have any satisfactory marks and why? Unfortunately, I do. It’s difficult for me to keep on working every day.
2. How long does it take you to do your lessons? It takes me from 2 to 4 hours daily.
3. How long can you work at your lessons without a rest? No longer than 2 hours.
4. What are your principal inclinations in studying? I like History and Literature.
5. What is the main idea of education and why? I guess, it’s to give students some essential knowledge about the world and to help them find their genuine position in it, cause it paves their way to success and happiness.
6. What would you like to know and to be able to do well in this life? I’d like to know more about human relations and to be able to live in harmony with people and nature.
7. Does anybody make you study and why? Sometimes my parents do, because I’m rather lazy.
8. Is it more difficult for you to speak or to write Russian and English? It’s more difficult for me to write in Russian and speak English.
9. Do you want to enter an institute and what are you doing for it? Of course, I do. I try to do my best at school.
10. Do you think it’s necessary to study all your life and why? Yes, I do. To keep up with the ever-changing world you should educate yourself all your life.
11. What do you think of on-line education and why? I think it saves a lot of time and efforts for students and in the combination with conventional forms of education it shapes the educational system of the future.
12. Have you ever tried to teach anybody? Yes, I have. Sometimes I help my friend with his English. Teaching is a really exhausting business.
13. What are your favourite subjects and teachers? I like Literature, History, PE and Geography mostly because we have very good teachers on those subjects.
14. How much do you think teachers should be paid? They should get enough money to provide their families with all the necessary things such as a flat, a dacha, a car, a proper health service and education, travelling and so on.
15. Do you think classical education is better than the natural one and why? I think it is, because it accustoms a student to appreciate the harmony and beauty of this world and to realize our natural place in it.
16. What are the best ways of encouraging and punishing a student? The mark system is not so bad to encourage students, but I think that a perfect teacher is the best stimulus for learning.
17. Can you think of the case of your worst behaviour at school? Yes, I can. Once at my Safety Rules lesson I burnt the newspaper which my friend was reading at that time.
18. What do you think of your memory and why? I think I have a retentive memory because I can learn anything by heart after a single reading of it.
19. Is it possible to improve your memory and how? I’m sure of it; you should only develop a system of memorizing information by means of its logical arrangement.
20. Do you like fiction and why? Yes, I do, because it’s a way to get a thorough look at the world around us.

 

                                                                                        7. Work (78-82).

1. What do you want to be in future and why? I’d like to be a programmer, because it’s very interesting for me.
2. What do you know about your future profession? I believe the world of the future people will share with human-like intellectual computers. Programmers will be the main intermediaries between the two communities.
3. How much money would you like to make? I would like to make 5-6 thousand dollars monthly.
4. How much money do they usually pay for this work? Some skilful programmers in Russia make 20 thousand dollars a month and even more, but most programmers in our country are content with 1-2 thousand dollars a month.
5. Would you like to work for somebody or have your own business and why? I would like to have my own business, because I am a leader by nature.
6. Do you think it’s better to work at home or to go to your work every day? For me, it’s better to work at home as it gives you much more opportunities to use your time. The traditional office work gives you more time for real communication, though.
7. Would you like to go on business trips at your future work and why? I think, sometimes it’s interesting, but not very often.
8. Would you like to have a company car and a uniformed driver and why? Yes, I would, because it’s so pleasant and it’s the matter of prestige.
9. Are you a leader or an executive by character and why? I’m a leader, because I like to arrange and head all kind of activities with my friends.
10. Do you think a person should do the same work all his life and why? It depends on a person. As for me, I like to change activities.
11. Do you want to inherit your parents’ businesses and why? No, I don’t, because I’m not interested in their professions.

 

                                                                              8. Health (83-100).

1. Were you a person of a strong health in your childhood and why? No, I wasn’t. In my childhood I was ill with cold, flu, measles, chicken-pox, scarlet-fever, dysentery, whooping-cough, tonsillitis, pneumonia and mumps.
2. What doctor were you much afraid of and why? I was much afraid of a dentist, because he looked like an executioner with his drilling machine.
3. What major operations did you have? I was operated on adenoids at the age of 5.
4. Have you ever lost consciousness and where? At the age of four I was ill with dysentery and I suffered a fever of more than 40 centigrade and then I lost consciousness and travelled to a mysterious outside world.
5. What did you like to do when you stayed in bed? When I was bedridden I liked to watch cartoons on TV and to read adventure stories.
6. Have you ever been sent before a board of doctors and why? Yes, I have.  I had been sent before a board of doctors before being operated on.
7. Have you ever broken your limbs and how? Once just the day before our summer holidays I played volley-ball with my friends, stumbled badly and got a crack in the shin.
8. How often do you treat your teeth and how do you take care of them? I try to take care of my teeth using good tooth-paste and chewing Orbit after meals and once a year together with my class I see a dentist who examines and treats my teeth.
9. Have you got good eyesight and how do you protect your eyes? I have bad eyesight, because I overstrain my eyesight very much during a school year and, besides, I like to read, watch TV and play computer games and it leaves me no chance of saving good eyesight.
10. What was the highest temperature you’ve ever run? The highest temperature I’ve ever run was about 41 centigrade when I was ill with flu.
11. What is your favourite medicine and why? My favourite medicine is pectussin, because it’s sweet and nice.
12. What food doesn’t suit you? Usually some dairy products don’t agree with me, causing harsh heartburn.
13. Have you ever lost your relatives and why? Yes, I have. My grandfather died 3 years ago because of lung cancer.
14. What should people do to prevent diseases? They should take proper care of their health and physical abilities since early childhood and, thus, lead a healthy way of life.
15. What do you do to keep your health strong? I do exercises every morning and go in for swimming, skiing and bicycling.
16. What do you think of total prophylactic system? I think, it’s great, because it helps to discover and nip diseases in the bud.
17. When do you usually go to bed and get up? I try to keep early hours, so usually I go to bed at 11 p.m. and get up at 7 a.m.
18. What is your best way of relaxation? My best ways of relaxation are walking with my friends, listening to the music, reading and playing computer games.
19. Have you ever been ridden by nightmares and what did you see in a dream? Yes, I have, when I have a substantional meal just before going to bed. Once I saw a nuclear war and my own execution in a nightmare.
20. Have you ever seen future events in a dream? Yes, I have. Once I had seen my future friends who I really met only three months later.
21. Do you believe in life after life and why? Frankly speaking, I do, because spiritual energy can’t’ disappear without any trace.

 

                                                                        9. At home (101-110).

1. How many rooms are there in your flat? There are two rooms in my flat.
2. What is the total area of your flat? The total area of my flat is 60 square m.
3. When did you decorate your flat last time? Last time we decorated our flat two years ago.
4. Did you use any specialists for the decoration and why? No, my parents did everything themselves.
5. Do you like your flat and why? Yes, I do, because I’ve spent all my life there.
6. Does your flat give a beautiful view? Unfortunately, it doesn’t. You can see only the sprawls of buildings out of the windows.
7. Do you think your family has outgrown your flat and why? I don’t think so. I have my own room and my parents have their own room.
8. What do you know about your next-door neighbours? I don’t associate too much with them, but I know that one of them is a University P.E. tutor and the right-hand neighbours are pensioners.
9. Have you ever moved into new apartments? No, I haven’t.
10. Have you ever had a housewarming party? No, I’ve never had a housewarming party.
11. Are the flights of stairs and landings dirty in your house and why? To tell the truth, they are very dirty, because we haven’t had a house cleaner for the last half a year and the flat section door is always unlocked.
12. Have you ever flooded your downstairs neighbours and why? Yes, we have. It was my mother’s fault. She had turned on the tap to fill the bathtub and forgot about it falling into a telephone talk with her friend..
13. Do you use gas or electricity for cooking meals? We use electricity, though gas is more convenient.
14. What kind of floor covering do you have in your flat? We have linoleum, but we are going to have it replaced by laminate.
15. Do you have plastic windows in your flat and why? No, we don’t. We don’t think it’s worth changing wooden frames for the plastic ones.
16. What is your favourite cot in your flat and why? I think, it’s my computer table where I can relax after a busy day.
17. What kind of flat would you like to have in future? I’d like to have a luxurious cottage outside Moscow.
18. What do you think the rent will come up in the next 5 years and why? I think it will rise up to 200 dollars a month for a three-room flat.

 

                                                                        10. At the dacha (111-121).

1. Do you like going to your dacha and why? Yes, I do very much, because I’ve spent all my childhood there and I have got a lot of friends there.
2. Do you ever go to the dacha in winter and why? Yes, we do, because it’s easy to heat our house and it’s really cool to stay there in winter.
3. What material is your dacha made of? It’s made of wooden shields and provided with reliable warm insulation.
4. Is gas laid on to your country house and why? No, it isn’t, because it’s very dear and it’s not necessary, if you don’t live at your dacha all year round.
5. Do you have running water in your house and why? No, we don’t. We have a summer water pipeline system that can’t be used in winter.
6. How do you light and heat your dacha and why? To light and heat our dacha we use electricity and, besides, we have a modern efficient iron stove with a heatproof glass window . Electricity is very convenient and a fire-side is very cosy and nice.
7. What is your favourite place at your dacha? My favourite place at my dacha is a sitting-room because I watch TV and play Sony Play Station there.
8. What is your favourite way of spending time at your dacha? I like to go for a walk, play table tennis, darts and have a sauna and a shashlyk party.
9. Have you got a stove and can you make a fire? Yes, we have and I often make fire myself.
10. What style of furniture do you like more and why? I like our plastic patio table and chairs and our elegant inside wooden furniture, because these styles help to create a good mood.
11. Do you like to take care of your dacha yard and why? To tell the truth, I don’t, because it’s very difficult and boring, but to help my parents I sometimes weed and water the plants that we have at our yard.
12. Can you name 10 plants grown in your kitchen garden? We grow dill, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, reddish, horse-reddish, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet peas and eggplants.

 

 

                                                                 11. Meals and Cooking (122-138).

1. Have you ever been at a restaurant and where? Yes, I have. I’ve visited McDonald’s many a time.
2. Did you like the cooking, service and fares and why? Yes, I did. The fares were rather moderate and the service and cooking were excellent.
3. What is your favourite restaurant dish? My favourite restaurant dishes are crisp chips and Big Mac.
4. What tips do you usually give the waitress? I never give any tips, because it’s not accepted at McDonald’s.
5. What do you think of American and Chinese food? I like American food, because it’s tasty but I haven’t ever tried any Chinese food.
6. Can you live without meat in your diet and why? No, I can’t. It’s very nice and nutritious.
7. Have you ever been without food for more than one day and where? Yes, I have. Once when we were on hike, we got lost in the forest and ran short of provisions for two days.
8. What in your opinion is the healthiest food stuff and why? The healthiest food, I suppose, is porridge, but it’s not very tasty.
9. What drinks do you prefer? I like all kinds of juice and Coca-cola.
10. What is the smartest toast that you know? At the parties my father likes to propose a toast to friendship and I like it very much.
11. What dish can you cook best of all? Best of all I can cook crab salad.
12. Is smoking popular in your family and why? Both of my parents smoke, but I can’t bear the smell of cigarettes.
13. Will you smoke when you are grown up and why? Of course, I won’t smoke as I hate cigarette smoke.

 

                                                         12. Shopping. Prices. Money (139-176).

1. Is there any first-rate shop not far from your house? There is an Auchan supermarket in the neighborhood.
2. Do you often go to a rag fair and why? I do it from time to time to buy some cheap stuff.
3. What do you buy most often? Usually I buy CDs, MP3s, chips, cola etc.
4. Do you like to go about window-shopping and why? Yes, I do, when we go for a walk to The Mega Super Mall with my friends, because it’s entertaining.
5. Have you ever had your clothes dressmade or tailored and did you like them? When I went to school I had my school suit made at the dressmaker’s and I liked it very much, but it doesn’t fit me anymore.
6. Do you prefer tight or loose fit and why? I like both. Loose style is good for walking and playing and tight style is great for discoes and parties.
7. How do you match your clothes? I tried to rely on my parents’ taste in the recent past, but now I trust my own choice and youth style magazines.
8. Do you follow the vogue in your clothes? I like to do as my friends do and sometimes to be a step forward.
9. Are you afraid to wear showy clothes and why? Not at all. It’s my inclination, but the showiness should be pertinent to the occasion, of course.
10. What are your favourite colours in clothes? As a matter of fact, I like everything of greenish colours, but I like contrasting coloures, as well.
11. Do you prefer to use umbrella or some waterproof clothes in case it rains? Usually I use waterproof clothes with hoods, but on some official occasions I use an umbrella.
12. What is your favourite perfumery and why? Sometimes I use some hair gel, deodorants and toilet water.
13. What type of shoes do you prefer and why? I prefer sneakers for a warm season and Camelots for a cold season, because this footwear is very convenient.
14. What share of your family budget do you spend on food? Usually we spend on food from 30 to 40% of our family budget.
15. Do you like meat and how often do you have it? I like meat and have it every other day.
16. How do you prefer to have your meat cooked? I like to have it roasted.
17. Have you ever eaten any exotic meal and where? When I was in Thailand I tasted oysters and lobsters and I liked it very much.
18. What is your favourite fish dish? I like smoked salmon.
19. When did you buy flowers last time and why? I bought flowers on the last Women’s Day for my mother.
20. What are your favourite vegetables and fruit? My favourite vegetables are tomatoes and my favourite fruit are bananas and peaches.
21. Do you think the prices are stable now and why? They are still galloping, because the competitive market economy is still emerging.
22. Why is Moscow one of the most expensive cities in the world? I guess, rich people from all over the former Soviet Union come here to buy flats and cars, clothes and food, so the demand for everything is very high.
23. What do you do if you are short of money? I ask my parents for it.
24. Does it bother you if you have debts? Usually I try to get rid of my debts as soon as possible.
25. Have you ever spoiled relations with somebody because of money and why? A year ago one of my classmates had borrowed 100 roubles for two days and never returned it back. We are no friends any longer, of course.
26. Have you ever been swindled by somebody and how? Once I bought a DVD at the street-peddler and he swindled me out. The DVD was a fake.
27. Are you a stingy person and why? I try not to be the one and often share something with my friends.
28. What is in your opinion the most reliable way of keeping money: at home or in a bank; in dollars, euro or roubles and why? Frankly speaking, it’s the matter of my parents and they prefer to keep dollars at home, because they trust only themselves.

 

                                               13. Clothes. Dressmaking and Tailoring (177-189).

1. Do you regard making clothes as a kind of art and why? Yes, I do. Nice clothes include a lot of bright impressions, create the mood and shape the character of a person.
2. Have you ever had your clothes made and why? Once I had my special school suite made at  the tailor’s.
3. Was it so very expensive and did you like it? It was rather expensive, but I liked it.
4. What are your favourite colours of dressing? My favourite coloures of dressing are black, white and green.
5. How long does it usually take you to get dressed for a party and why? Usually it takes me quite a time as I like to be smartly dressed according to the occasion and my mood.
6. What kind of footwear do you like better and why? I like sports and hiking footwear, because it’s very practical.
7. What kinds of skirts do you like and why? I like all kinds of nice skirts if they shape the figure favourably.
8. What is your favourite headwear and why? My favourite headwear is a sport cap, because it suits me very much.
9. Can you tie a necktie and do you like to wear it? Yes, I can. I even help my father to do it.
10. Do you like the latest vogue designs and why? Yes, I do. I like the latest fashions, because I hate looking out-of-date.

11. Who in your family washes and irons clothes for you? Sometimes my mother does, sometimes I do it myself.  

                                                                     14. Everyday Service (190-203).

1. How often do you have your hair cut and where? I have my hair dressed every 3 months at the local hairdresser’s.
2. What is your favourite hairdressing style? I like a short cut.
3. Have you ever tried to wave you hair and why? Yes, I have, but I didn’t like the result. I acquired quite a new image, though.
4. What shampoo do you usually use and why? I usually use a shampoo for dry hair to make it softer.
5. Have you ever dyed your hair and what colour did you choose? Sometimes I dye my hair to make it fair.
6. Do men early loose hair in your family? My father is half-bold, but my uncle is quite thick-haired.
7. How do you usually do your hair and why? I usually comb it back.
8. Do you like to be photographed and why? No, I don’t, because I don’t like my photo images, although it’s a good memory.
9. Can you easily recognize yourself in a photo? Yes, I can, but other people can hardly do it.
10. What for do you usually use photographer’s service? Usually when I need to have official photos for some documents.
11. Do you ever send your linen to the laundry and why? Once I spilt sauce on the carpet in the living room and we sent it to the drycleaner’s.
12. Who usually does washing in your family and why? My mother does, because she likes very much to operate our automatic washing machine.
13. What washing machine have you got and why? We’ve got an automatic INDESIT with horizontal loading of laundry.
14. What washing powder do you use? We usually use Tide-Automat.
15. Do you believe in the washing aids advertised on TV? I know that all of them are of high quality and have no any significant difference.
16. Who usually does ironing in your family and why? Usually my mother does, sometimes I help her and father always irons his own shirts.
17. Can you do ironing well and why? I can’t yet, but my mother accustoms me to do it properly.
18. Do you prefer to mend your clothes or buy new ones? My mother prefers to mend clothes, but I like to buy something new.

 

                                                                                   15. Theatre (204 – 220).

1. Do you often go to the theatre and why? I do it every other month with my class and, I think, it’s rather often.
2. What is your favourite theatre and why? My favourite theatre is The Lencom theatre because I like the producer, the company and the plays they stage.
3. What is your favourite play and why? My favourite play is a musical “The Unona and the Avos”, because the plot, the acting and the music are superb.
4. When did you last go to the theatre and what did you see? Last time I went to the Taganka Theatre a month and a half ago and I saw “Vladimir Vysotsky” there.
5. Did you enjoy the performance and why? Yes, I did. It was great and I enjoyed every minute of the performance.
6. Who is your favourite actor (actress) and why? My favourite actor is Oleg Yankovsky, because he plays like in real life.
7. What is your favourite theatre producer and why? My favourite producers are Mark Zakharov and Yuri Lubimov, because they stage wonderful performances.
8. What is your favourite playwright? My favourite playwright is Shakespeare.
9. Where do you usually sit in the theatre house and why? I like to sit in the stalls, because you can easily watch the actors and the sets.
10. What is your favourite theatre genre and why? Most of all I like satire and comedies as they make me laugh every minute of the play.
11. What do you usually do during the entr’acte? Usually I have a short snack in the buffet and have a walk along the gallery of the actors’ photos.
12. What is in your opinion the best Moscow theatre and why? I like the Taganka theatre and the Lencom theatre, because they stage wonderful performances.
13. They say theatre is dying. Do you agree with the statement and why? I don’t think so. It’s the kind of art that can hardly conceal a grain of falseness and it produces great masters of transformation.
14. Have you ever given flowers to actors and where? No, I haven’t yet, but I hope I will do it some time in future.

 

                                                                    16. At the cinema (221-225).

1. What is your favourite movie theatre and why? I like ‘The Kinostar’, because the seats in the hall are comfortable, the screen is enormously big and the sound is fantastic.
2. How often do you go to the cinema and why? I go to the cinema once a month, because I’m very busy with my lessons.
3. What are your favourite seats and why? Being in a company of my friends I like the central rows, because the screen is perfectly seen from there and the sound is natural and not so loud, but with my girl-friend I prefer a back row to have some privacy.
4. Who with do you usually go to the cinema? Usually I go to the cinema with my friends or my girl-friend.
5. What film did you see last? The last film I saw was “Taxi-3’.
6. Do you know the director and the cast? The director is Luke Besson, but, unfortunately, I don’t remember the names of the actors.
7. Tell the plot, please. It’s a funny story about a crazy taxi-driver who can hardly ride at speed less than 200 km an hour even in a city.
8. What in that film impressed you most of all? I was amazed by the tricks and the driving skill of the pilots.
9. What sort of pictures do you like better and why? I like action movies, because they usually involve everything: fights, chasings, adventures, politics and love.
10. Do you ever see non-dubbed films and why? Yes, I do. By such a way I try to improve my English.

 

                                                                               17. Music (226-235).

1. Do you know anybody who dotes on music? Most of my friends are fond of music.
2. Do you understand much in music and why? I believe, I do. I can tell almost all musical styles, and I know almost all musical hits of the last 300 years.
3. What music do you regard as richly coloured, sweet and deep? No music lacks richness and depth, if it’s a talented piece of music performed by talented musicians, but frankly speaking, nothing can match a symphony orchestra.
4. What composers and musicians do you regard as geniuses? I would enlist Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Shopin and Tchaikovsky.
5. What musical concert did you visit last? Last month I visited a gala-show ‘Russia-in-Rock Forever’ with outstanding Russian rock dinoes and fledging nestlings as well.
6. Has anybody ever taught you to appreciate symphony music, jazz, folk music, chamber music, romances, and rock? My music school teacher has taught me to appreciate good music of any kind.
7. Can you dance ball dancers, tango, disco, twist, and rock-n-roll? I can dance only disco and rock-n-roll.
8. What bard music do you like and why? I like Vysotsky, Vizbour, Okudjawa, Makarevitch and Nikolsky, because their lyrics touch the heart.
9. Can you recognize different instruments in orchestra performance? I can easily recognize the sounding of the violin and the viola, the flute and the oboe, because our music teacher makes us familiar with it.
10. Would you like your children to understand much in music? Of course, I would. Music is the greatest spiritual wealth of humanity.

 

                                                                         18. Visiting Museums (236-239).

1. How often do you visit museums and why? I do it every other month together with my class.
2. What museum did you visit last time? Last time I visited The Lermontov’s House museum.
3. Who with do you usually go to the museums? When I was a child I visited museums with my parents, but now I do it only with my class.
4. What is your favourite museum and why? My favourite museum is the Polytechnic Museum, because I like scientific inventions.
5. What is the difference between people of the XXI and XI cc. a. d.? I suppose, our ancestors were closer to God and to Nature and didn’t want to change the style of their life, but we’re in a permanent life-style changing.
6. Would you like to live 1000 years ago and why? I’d like to live a happy and interesting life anywhere and anytime.
7. Have you ever found coins, tools and other articles of ancient times and where? Once when we visited The Museum of The History of Moscow I was presented with a flint knife that is about 10 000 years old.
8. Are you interested in history, culture and traditions of the past and why? I’m keen on history and culture. It’s interesting to trace their evolutions.

 

                                                                           19. Radio and TV (239-242).

1. What is your lovely radio station and why? My favourite radio station is ‘Radio Maximum’, because they broadcast my lovely punk music.
2. Where do you like to listen to the radio and why? To tell the truth, everywhere: in the street, in the metro, at home, because music helps me to relax and to stand the pressure of my busy school life.
3. What is your favourite radio announcer and why? My favourite radio announcer is Nick Fomenko, because he cracks such funny jokes on the air.
4. Have you ever called to the radio or TV and why? Yes, I have. I often phone or send SMS to encourage my favourite singers.
5. What is your favourite radio band and why? I like FM better, because it’s a stereo music band.
6. What sort of radio programmes do you like? Mostly I like music and some youth programmes.
7. Would you like to have a home-theatre and why? No, I wouldn’t, because I’ve got one already, but I’d like to have a hi-fi LCD panel of about 50 inches in diagonal.
8. What TV programmes do you usually watch and why? I like MTV telecasts about super stars, some TNT reality shows and some other entertaining programmes with my favourite persons.
9. How much time a week do you devote to watching TV? Really, not more than an hour a day, but I don’t watch TV at all when I have a harsh time at school.
10. Do ads irritate you and why? Usually not, because I regard them as funny jokes and a kind of art.

 

                                                               20. Parties, Dancing and Discos (243-247).

1. How do you usually spend parties with your friends? Oh, it’s usually a great time. We get a lot to share in terms of news and views, ideas and opinions. So it’s a big talking jamboree as a rule.
2. How well do you dance and why? I dance rather well, because I attended a dancing school some time ago.
3. Do you prefer dancing with a partner or on your own? I like both.
4. Where do you go to discoes and why? I prefer our school discos, because I meet a lot of friends there
5. Do you like to make acquaintances at the parties and discoes and why? I like to make acquaintances at the parties, because the atmosphere is more relaxing there.
6. Do you ever crack jokes on each other at your parties and what sort of jokes? We always do it and the jokes are commonly about relations between our boys and girls.
7. What time do you usually come home after parties and discotheques and how do you settle the problem of late coming with your folks? I rarely come home after midnight and as I’m on the mobile line, it’s not a problem for my folks to get in touch with me anytime they want it.
8. How do you organize your parties? It’s just a matter of improvisation where and what to buy as snack, what games to play, what entertainments to be involved in.
9. Have you ever taken part in a tacky party and where? Last year we had a masquerade at school and I assumed the role of a school goblin.
10. Have you ever played a role at party shows? Yes, I have. In my early childhood I played the role of The Ugly Duckling and in the first class matinee I was Baba-Yaga.
11. What is your most remarkable party and why? My most remarkable party was the one, when I declared my love to my darling. It was a fantastic party.

 

                                                                    21. Sports in my life (248-270).

1. What do you know about human’s physical and mental health supporting aids? I know that without proper physical and mental exercises human being gets deteriorated.
2. How long is it enough for you to sleep daily? On week-days I sleep 8 hours and at week-end I have a long sleep of 10-11 hours.
3. What kind of exercises do you do and why? I do my exercises every morning and I attend a sports club twice a week to keep fit.
4. How many pulls up and pushes up can you do? Now I can do 15 pull-ups or 70 pus-ups.
5. What mark do you have for P.E. at school? Of course, I should have a 5, but I have a 4 because of my bad behaviour.
6. What sports have you ever gone in for? I have already gone in for swimming, skiing and karate and now I’m going in for lawn tennis.
7. What are your best sports achievements? I’ve obtained the first junior grade in swimming and skiing and I took some prize places in karate.
8. Have you ever taken part in any events? Yes, I have. I took part in swimming, skiing and karate tournaments.
9. Do you have any sports awards? Once I won a skiing competition and got a certificate of approval and a medal for it.
10. What sporting event did you visit last? The last sporting event I visited was a junior tennis tournament.
11. What sport do you like to watch on TV and why? I like to watch tennis, because I’m fond of it.
12. Do you believe the Russian National football team will be the champion of the world and why? I believe, it will be, but not this decade, because it will take some time to develop our domestic star-raising system to produce a national all-stars dream team.
13. What sport games can you play well? I can play tennis and volley-ball rather well.
14. What strokes can you swim? I manage all kinds of strokes fairly well.
15. Are you a good marksman? I can’t say I am, but once my gallery shooting brought me a big fluffy toy prize.
16. What is in your opinion a healthy way of life? I guess, it means everyday exercise, regular sport section visiting, sometimes running, moderate eating, enjoying fresh-air walking,  no smoking and a bit of alcohol (only after 18).
17. What should people do to keep their weight in balance? They shouldn’t overeat and they should keep fit all their life.
18. Have you ever ridden a horse and did you like it? Yes, I have. But it was an old country barrel-sided jade and I didn’t enjoy riding.
19. How often do you play chess and why? I do it every weekend with my father and sometimes with my friends for entertaining and brain-training and still my results are rather poor.
20. What sports would you like to go in for? Apart from tennis, I’d like to go in for volley-ball.
    

                                                      22. Transport and travelling (250-310).

1. What transport do you like better: bus, tram, metro or fixed-route taxi and why? I like metro, because it’s rapid, comfortable and nice.
2. How much time do you spend on transport daily? I guess, from one to two hours because I visit my pre-institute courses ever so often.
3. How often do you use taxi? I hardly ever do it.
4. Do you know how to get around Moscow? Yes, I do. I often travel all over Moscow on some needs.
5. Do you like travelling and where? I like  travelling abroad together with my parents
6. Have you ever got lost on travelling and where? Many a time. Last time it happened in Egypt when I was10. But every time I luckily get out of trouble, thank God
7. Do you like excursions and why? Usually I do, because I gain a lot of interesting from excursions. Sometimes they are rather boring, though.
8. What do you like to do being on a train (ship)? I like to talk to my fellow-travellers, to play different games and to watch the passing scenery.
9. Do your family have a car and why? Yes, we do. Mostly we use it to drive to and from our dacha.
10. Do you think a car is a good transport and why? Yes, I do. It can save a heap of time unless there is traffic congestion on the motorway.
11. Have you ever stayed at a hotel and where? Yes, I have. It was in St. Petersburg, in Prague, in Paris and in Khurgada (Egypt).
12. Did you like it and why? Yes, I did. I enjoyed the service and the comfort, the friendliness of the personnel and the delicatessens of the restaurant food.
13. Have you ever been to the seaside and where? I’ve rested at the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
14. Have you ever been involved in a car accident and where? Yes, I have. Once driving back from the dacha my father bumped into the car we were following. Fortunately, the damage was insignificant.
15. Do you often send or receive letters and why? To tell the truth, I hardly ever do it, because all of my potential addressees are on the phone or on the Internet line.
16. Have you got a mobile phone and why do you need it? Yes, I have. I use it to get in touch with my parents and my friends and to play games.
17. Would you like to have a video telephone and why? Yes, I would, because it will make my telephone talk more natural.
18. Would you travel more and where if you had enough money? Of course, I would. I’d like to explore the whole planet.

 

                                                                        23. Weather. Time. (324 – 339).

1. What kind of weather do you prefer and why?  I like bright, hot weather, because I like to swim and to sunbathe.
2. What is your favourite summer and winter weather? I like sunny weather both in summer and in winter
3. Do you listen to the weather forecast regularly? Yes, I do, so as not to be taken unawares.
4. What do you think of global warming and why? I think, people won’t stop it and it will lead to a climatic change and a global catastrophe on Earth. Still, I hope the humanity will survive as they always do.
5. What is the lowest and highest temperature you’ve ever experienced and where? The extreme temperatures I’ve ever experienced were -35 and +35 degrees of Celsius.
6. How well can you stand extreme temperatures? I equally hate extremely cold or hot weather, but -30 degree of Celsius is a deadly temperature for me.
7. Have you ever been caught by a hurricane and where? Yes, it was once in summer at my dacha.
8. Have you ever seen a lightning nearby and where? During that hurricane I saw a lighting split and burn a big tree some 30 meters away from me.
9. Have you ever seen a flake and how does it look? Yes, I have. Every snowflake is different, but all of them have a hexagonal form and are very nice.
10. Do you think time flies fast and why? The older I become, the faster time flies. That’s incontestable truth.
11. What are your earliest reminiscences of the past? I remember going to the Zoo with my parents when I was about two.
12. Can you remember three most important events in your life? Of course, I can. The first of September in the first class – I’ve gone to school. Then my first real kiss with first Love at the age of 12. And, finally, my bus tour over Europe at the age of 15.
13. Do you think people cleverer now then 3 thousand years ago and why? I don’t think so. They haven’t evolutionised either physically or mentally since then. 
14. What do you think will happen to our civilization in 3 thousand years? I think people will be genetically upgraded and will live in coexistence with robots.
15. Do you make a list of things to do every day and why? Now I have it in my mind, but in future, I think, I will write a plan for every busy day.
16. What time do you get up and go to bed? I get up at 7 a.m. and go to bed at 11 p.m.
17. What is your favourite time to work at? I like to work at early hours, but sometimes I have to work late at night.
18. Do you think it’s possible to make a Machine Time and why? Why not. I think people are not able to imagine anything that can’t be developed in reality.
19. What is your favourite film and book about the future and why? I like the film “Back to the Future” and my favourite fantastic book about the future is “The Tales” by Ray Breadberry.
20. Have you ever had a sleepless night and how did you feel after that? Yes, I have, when we went to St. Petersburg by train and I felt awfully after that.