Task 20. Write down the story of your own family using the text. Tell it to your group-mates.

Additional reading

Task 21. Read the texts and make their outline. Express your opinion about the family relationships from the author’s point of view. Give your own idea of family relationships. Read about British and American families. Compare them with Russian families.

Text A. The family relationships

The family is very important as a unit in our society. Nothing else but family can be an emotional centre of people's life, can be a transmitter of culture and raising children.

Every mother feels great affection for her children and tries to bring them up in a proper way. Understanding between the members of the family and consideration for others are very important in family relationship. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. A lot of activities help members of the family to be on friendly terms: discussing all the family plans together, going on trips hikes together, visiting museums, theatres, exhibitions and exchanging opinions about them, sharing the same joys and sorrows.

If you think of the others in the family you show your love and attention in everyday life, you can hurt them if you are selfish, not sincere and rude. It is very important to visit relatives on holidays, on birthdays, on anniversaries and develop close relationship. We feel more affection for our relatives when we are parted from them. The proverb says, " Absence makes the heart grow fonder". When the family is friendly, everybody has the warmed feelings of returning home where dear relatives are waiting for them.

There are different opinions on how children should be treated if they disobey their parents, break the rules, do forbidden things, don't keep their words or promises. Some people think that parents should be patient, kind and understanding. The rules and children's behaviours are discussed in such families. But others believe that children ought always to obey the parents and if they won't they should be punished. From my point of view, such principles won't do a lot of good. Fear and punishment will lead to selfishness, cruelty and lies. But "love and kindness will save the world".

We are the family of two. I live with my mother. We don't have such problems as misunderstanding between the members of the family. I think that it is due to the age of my parents and their character. My mother is 40 years old, she is a lawyer. She is a kind, clever and responsible woman. My mother is always ready to give me necessary information, moral support and some good advice.

It is common knowledge that there is no place like a home. We are dedicated to our homes, we give them much love, care and enthusiasm. A man's house is his castle. I like my home and I want to tell you more about it.

I live in Kuprijanov St. in the centre of our city. We moved into this flat several years ago. Now it is a place where I feel it ease and enjoy every minute of my staying there. We have a washing-machine, a vacuum cleaner, a refrigerator, a freezer, a hand-mixer, a computer and other things which I consider to be quite necessary as they make our life easier and help to solve a lot of problems in the shortest possible time. We have 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. When you drop into our flat you come into a lobby, where you can take off your coat, shoes and hat. I'm very happy to have a room for myself, where I feel quiet and comfortable. It is a place where I can relax, read a book and listen to music. There are yellow blinds and a writing table, a sofa, a bookcase where I keep my favourite books. There are a lot of things in my room which can tell about myself, about my friends and relatives. You can find frames with photos of my parents and best friends on the walls, little pictures. They remind me happy moments of my life and that is why are very dear for me. You may be surprised, but the most popular and favourite place for all of us is the kitchen. Every Sunday my mother makes a cake and we gather together, discuss our problems and make plans for the next week. Our kitchen isn't large and looks the usual modern kitchen you can see in many other homes.

I can tell a lot about my home, but to make a long story short I can say, that speaking about my home, I don't mean a flat as it is , I mean people, who are dear to me, who love me and are always waiting for me. That is why, wherever I were I would always hurry home.