Working Day
методическая разработка по английскому языку

Daily Routines

Answer the questions

1. Are you a disciplined person? Is it easy for you to follow any timetables?

2. Do you schedule your day? Why/why not?

3. What time does your working day start? What does it depend on?

4. Do you often leave boring work till tomorrow if you have planned to do it today?

5. What activities are part and parcel of your daily routine?

Exercise 1. Read and translate the texts to study the topical vocabulary.

Sleep

During the week I usually wake up at 6/30 a.m. I sometimes lie in bed for five minutes but then I have to get up (= get out of bed and get dressed). Most evenings, I go to bed at about 11.30 p.m. I'm usually very tired, so I go to sleep/fall asleep very quickly. Occasionally though, I can't get to sleep (= succeed in sleeping). When that happens, I sometimes manage to fall asleep about 3 a.m., then I oversleep (=sleep too long) in the morning. If I have a late night (-go to bed very late; but not an early night), I try to have a nap (= a short sleep, e.g. 20-25 minutes) in the afternoon. The weekends are different. On Saturday and on Sunday I have a lie-in. (= stay in bed until later, e.g. 8 a.m. or 8.30 a.m)

Food

In the week I have breakfast at 7.30 a.m., lunch at 1.00 p.m., and dinner 7 p.m. I also have one or two snacks (=small amounts of food), e.g. cakes, biscuits or fruit, during the day at work. As I live alone/on my own/ by myself (= without other people), I also have to make my own breakfast and dinner (=prepare breakfast and dinner for myself), but during the week I don't bother (=make an effort) to cook very much.

I also have to feed (=to give food to) my cats twice a day as well.

Note: With breakfast, lunch or dinner in general, there is no definite article (the).

Keeping clean

In the summer I have a shower in the morning, but in the winter I often have a bath instead (= in place of a shower). Sometimes I have a shave at the same time, or I shave when I have a wash and clean/brush my teeth after breakfast. I wash my hair two or three times a week.

Note: In some contexts, it is more common in English to use have +noun than a single verb, e.g. I'm going to have a wash. (not I'm going to wash.)

Work

in the morning I leave home about 8.15 a.m. and get to work (=arrive at work) by 9 a.m. I have a lunch break (=stop work for lunch) from 1-2 p.m., and a couple of short breaks during the day. I leave work around 5.30 p.m. and get home about 6.15 p.m.

Evenings

During the week I usually stay in (=stay at home) and have a rest (=relax and do nothing). But at the weekend I often go out (= leave the house for social reasons, e.g. go to the cinema or disco with friends), but quite often I also have friends for dinner (=invite friends to my house and cook dinner for them), or friends just come round (=visit me at the house) for a chat (=conversation) or we play cards, e.g. poker or bridge.

Housework

I do the shopping (=buy the food) on Sunday. Fortunately (=luckily) I have a cleaner (=a person who cleans) and she does most of the housework: she does my washing (=washes the clothes), the washing-up (=washes the dishes) and does most of the ironing.

Exercise 2. In the 1st exercise there are a number of expressions with 'have +noun', e.g. have breakfast, have a shower. Can you remember six more?

have ......................                  have .......................

have ......................                  have  ......................

have ......................                  have  ......................

Exercise 3. Complete word partnerships and expressions by matching the verbs on the left with the correct word on the right. Use the expressions in the sentences of your own.

1. fall                                     a rest

2. do                                      my teeth

3. have                                   the dog

4. play                                   asleep

5. go                                      cards

6. clean                                  the ironing

7. feed                                    early

8 get up                                  to bed

Exercise 4. Complete this dialogue with suitable words or phrases from the opposite page.

A: Don't (1) ......................... to cook a meal this evening.

B: Why not?

A: We could (2) ......................... instead.

B: Yeah. Where?

A: Well I'd like to go to that new Korean restaurant. We could ask Karen and Mike to come.

B: That's miles away. No, I think I'd rather (3) ......................... and have an (4) ......................... night.

A: But it's Friday. You can have a (5) ......................... tomorrow if we have a late night.

B: Yes I know but I'm tired. Look, why don't you ask Karen and Mike to (6) ......................... for a meal. I can order some pizzas from the takeaway and we'll have a nice evening here.

A: Sorry, but if you don't want to come to the restaurant with me, I'll go (7) ......................... .

Exercise 5.  Can you find three facts from the 1st exercise which are exactly the same in your routine, three which are similar, and three which are completely different? Complete the table below.

same

similar

completely different

1. I go to bed around 11.30 p.m.     1. I leave home at 8.40 a.m.          1. I never do any ironing.

2. ................................................    2. ................................................   2. .....................................  

3. ................................................    3. ................................................   3. .....................................

4. ................................................    4. ................................................   4. .....................................

Exercise 6. Read about Linda Taylor's typical day below and supply the missing verbs 1-30. Choose from the following:

brush

buy

catch

eat

fall asleep

find out

finish

get dressed

get home

have a break

pop into

get up

have a shower

read

go to

leave home

set

go to bed

lie

start

work

goes off

listen to

turn off

have breakfast

meet

wake up

have dinner

phone

watch TV

have lunch

I usually (1)  ................................. at 7.00 when my alarm clock (2) ................................. . I  (3) ................................. it ................................. straight away and then usually just (4) ................................. there in bed for another five or ten minutes before I finally (5) ................................. .  I go to the bathroom, (6) ................................., (7) ................................. my teeth and then (8) ................................. .  I usually (9) .................................  - cornflakes, a toast, a boiled egg and coffee - at about 7.40. While I (10) ................................. I normally (11) ................................. the news on the radio. I(12) ................................. at about 7.50. I always (13) ................................. Mr Brown the newsagent's on my way to the station to (14) ................................. a daily newspaper. I (15) ................................. the eight o'clock train to work and usually (16) ................................. the newspaper on it. I(17) ................................. at 9.00 and (18) ................................. at 5.00. At eleven o'clock we (19) ................................. for tea or coffee and I always (20) ................................. at 12.30 - I usually go with some friends to an Italian restaurant just round the corner.

I (21) ................................. from work at about six o'clock and (22) ................................. at 7.00. Most evening I stay at home and (23) ................................. . Sometimes, I (24) ................................. my friends at the pub or (25) ................................. the cinema. Twice a week I (26) ................................. my mother for a chat and to (27) ................................. how everyone is.

I nearly always (28) ................................. at 11.00 or 11.15 on weekdays, and the last thing I do before I (29) ................................. is to (30) ................................. the alarm clock for the next day.

Exercise 7.  Arrange the text in the logical order.

A. It's eight o'clock. Mary is hurring to the University. She is a first-year student of the English faculty. Her classes begin at half past eight. Mary is never late for her classes. She goes to the University by Metro. It takes her half an hour to get there.

B. Mary is bedroom again. She has already brushed her closes and shoes. She is dressing. She has just put on her dress. She is putting on her shoes now. She has already made her bed.

C. The clock struck seven. Mary is not asleep. She is already up. She has opened the window and turned on the radio. She is doing her morning exercises to the music. She is going to have a wash.

D. It is two o'clock. The bell has gone. The classes are over. Mary and her friends are having dinner. Then Mary is going to the laboratory to have some practice in pronunciation. Her friends are going to the reading-room to prepare their homework there.

E. It's a quarter past seven. Mary is in the bathroom. She has just taken a cold shower, dried herself on the towel and cleaned her teeth. Now she is doing her hair before the looking-glass. She is going to dress.

F. It's nearly six o'clock in the evening. Mary has just come home after a walk. She is having a short rest now. She is reading. Then she is going to iron her father's shirt.

G. It is a quarter to eight. The family has already had breakfast. While Mary is sweeping the floor with the broom her mother is washing up. Mary isn't going to stay at home. She is going to the University.

H. It is ten minutes to ten. The working day is over. The family are all together, Mary is playing the piano. Her brother David is playing the computer. Their mother is knitting. Their father is going to turn on the TV to listen to the news. The family are not going to bed yet.

Exercise 8.  Look through the text (ex.7). Comment on the tenses used in the exercise.

Exercise 9.  Rewrite the text referring the actions to the past. Which tense should be used?

        Sasha wakes up when it is already quite light. He looks at his watch. It is a quater to seven. Quick! Sasha jumps out of bed and runs to the bathroom. He has just time to take a cold shower and drink a glass of tea with delicious sandwiches. He is in a hurry to catch the 8 am train.

        At the railway station he meets three jther boys from the group. They all have small backpacks and fishing rods.

        In less than an hour they get off the train at a small station near a wood. They walk very quickly and soon find themselves on the shore of a large lake. The boys spend the whole day there fishing, boating and swimming.

        They return home late at night, tired and happy.

Exercise 10. Insert prepositions or post-verbal adverbs.

1. I wake ... ... seven o'clock and then it is time for me to get ... . I like a cold bath every morning, so I put ... my dressing-gown and slippers and go ... the bathroom. The water feels cold ... winter mornings , but I rub myself hard ... a towel and soon I feel quite warm. 2. I brush my teeth and wash my face and go back ... the bathroom to dress. I comb my hair, take a clean handkerchief ... ... the drawer and go ... the dinning-room ... breakfast. 3. ... twelve-thirty I have a break ... lunch. I usually have it ... a University buffet. Sometimes I go ... ... lunch and have it ... a self-service canteen. 4. Sometimes ... week-days we go ... the cinema or the theatre. But very often we just have a quiet evening ... home. We sit and talk, listen ... or watch TV. 5. Don't come ... my place tonight. I'm going to tidy ... my flat. My mother-in-law is arriving ... Moscow tomorrow. She lives ... ... town and ... winter she comes to see us and usually stay ... us ... a fortnight. Everything must be ready ... her arrival. 6. I'm short ... time. ... my way ... the University I must buy tickets ... the cinema and call ... a friend ... mine who is leaving ... Moscow tomorrow. 7. When you are ... ... your work, go ... the shop and buy something ... supper. 8. My brother likes to walk ... his office ... any weather. 9. Do you help your mother ... the house? - Of course, I do. I always wash ... ... meals and sometimes do the shopping ... week-days. 10. Let's go ... the buffet ... the interval.

Exercise 11.

A)  Decribe the pictures definining the time of the day.

B) Look at the pictures. Try to invent a story about the girl's daily routine.

Exercise 12 . Read and translate the text. Use the dictionary if necessary.

        On week-days the alarm-clock wakes me up and my working day begins. It is six o'clock. If it is spring or summer I jump out of bed, run to the window and open it wide to let the fresh morning air in. The bright sun and the singing of birds set me into a cheerful working mood. In winter I am not so quick to leave my bed, and I bury my head under the pillows pretending not to hear the alarm-clock. But all the same, it is time to get up and I start getting ready for my working day.

        I do my bed and go to the bathroom where I turn on the hot and cold taps. While the water is running into the bath. I clean my teeth. Then I turn off the taps and have my bath. Sometimes I have a shower. If I am not short of time, I tidy up the room. I am through with it in 10 minutes.

        While I am having breakfast, I switch on TV or browse the Internet to be aware of the latest news.

        Breakfast, as doctors say, must be the most substantial meal of the day. But I have neither time nor inclination to cook it, so I just have a cup of coffee and some sandwiches. I live in the suburbs, and every week-day I commute to town.

I leave the house at half past seven, and as I live quite near the bus station I like to walk there in any weather. My bus to town leaves at ten minutes to eight. I arrive in town at a quarter past eight. On my way to the University I often meet my fellow-students and group-mates and we go on together discussing our studies.

My classes at the University start at 8.40. I am a student at the Daily Department of the University. I study at the faculty of ... . I have morning classes till 12 and then I can have my midday meal. I have a snack at the university buffet or a tasty dinner at a self-service canteen. It doesn't take me long to have my midday meal. I return to studies at 12.40 and work steadily till 4 o'clock pm.  After classes I come home tired. I always find excuses to put my homework off. I like the idea of going to bed early, but quite often I have to sit up late, brushing up on my knowledge, though I feel sleepy. I know that keeping late hours ruins one's health. But I have to read much for my seminars.

As I do not get any time off during the week, I try to relax on the weekends. One of my greatest pleasures is to lie in bed and read my favourite books.

Every Monday when I awaken I think I should start a new life. I honestly think that I must become well-organised and correct my daily routine. I make plans to go to keep-fit classes, to do the shopping, to do the cleaning and to do a hundred other good things. But then I remember that I have to call on my university friend in the evening, and I put off my plans till next Monday. It is always better to start a new life in a week.

Exercise 13. Translate the sentences. Find equivalents of words in bold. Use the text.

1. After the sleepless night nothing and could roused her in the morning.

2. The warm morning guarantees good spirits.

3. I climbed into bed and played that I was asleep.

4. Doctors say we must brush the teeth twice a day.

5. In the bathroom she turned the water to wash her face.

6. As he was pressed for time he took a taxi to get to work.

7. After the party I finished washing up in an hour.

8. It's very important for him to know of the news.

9. While going to the school he was caught in the rain.

10. Supper is the heaviest meal of a day for many people.

11. To have  a bite at the University she always has a carton of yogurt.

12. She used to postpone all boring work trying to avoid it.

13. He is good at inventing pretexts not to get up early in the morning.

14. They promised to drop in some day.

Exercise 14. Answer the questions using the text.

1. What helps the narrator to get up in the morning?

2. Why does he sometimes pretend not to hear the alarm-clock?

3. What regular water procedures does the narrator take in the morning?

4. How does the narrator get to the University?

5. What do you know about the timetable of the narrator in the University?

6. Why does the narrator often keep late hours?

7. What does the narrator want to change in his life?

Exercise 15. Retell exercise 7 as close to the text as possible.

Exercise 16. Ask one of the students and let her/him answer your questions.

what wakes her/him up in the morning

when she/he wakes up on the week-days

if she/he is quick to leave her bed in winter

if she/he has a bath or a shower in the morning

if she/he listens in while having breakfast

if she/he cooks a substantial breakfast

what she/he usually has for breakfast

if she/he lives quite near the University or rather far from it

when her/his classes begin

how she/he gets to the University

whom she/he often meets on the way to the University

when she/he has a break for dinner

where she/he has her/his dinner

when her/his classes are over

what she/he does after classes

who does the shopping and cooking in her/his family

how long it takes her/him to do homework

how she/he spends her/his spare time

Excercise 17. Summarize the information (ex.11) and comment on the working day of your group-mate.