1. She is a (беспечный и двуличный человек). I consider her very (неприятной), but not at all (глупой).

2. She is very (добросердечная, бескорыстная и великодушная).

3. One of his co-workers was obviously (эгоистичным и честолюбивым).

4. The new man in the office seemed very (дружелюбным и надежным).

5. You don’t know him as well as I do. He is (благовоспитанный) and pleasant to deal with, though he is a bit (безответственный).

6. He couldn’t bear to throw his money about. He was not exactly (скупым), but he was not (щедрым).

7. My neighbour is a (добрый, честный, но скучный человек).

17. Change the sentences:

Example: Kate is lazy. – Kate is a lazy person.

1. Ann is very modest and a bit shy. 2. Paul is weak-willed. 3. Maria is ill-mannered. 4. Peter is pretty sociable. 5. Helen is very sensitive. 6. Susan is jealous of her husband. 7. Steven is rude to his wife. 8. Barbara is open-handed. 9. Bill is quick-tempered.

18. Say if the sentences are true or false:

1. Nick is a real extrovert. He is reserved, calm and modest. 2. He has a positive attitude towards society. He is critical of teachers and other authorities. 3. She is a very energetic and active person. In a single day she manages to do a lot of different things: to meet her friends, do shopping, visit library, go to the theatre. 4. My friend is very indecisive. He spends days trying to make up his mind what to do about simple things. 5. He is fond of horror films and takes pleasure in watching people’s sufferings. He is a very sensitive person. 6. Ann got into a car accident two years ago. After that event she never drives a car. She is a cowardly person. 7. He is an artistic sort of person. He enjoys public speaking and being the centre of attention.

Read the characteristics of people born in different zodiacal signs.

Aquarius(21.1–19.2): tolerant, sociable but unstable. Interested in sport and politics. Often brilliant or mad.

Pisces(20.2–20.3): sensitive, emotional, imaginative, artistic, depressive. Very interested in themselves.

Aries (21.3–20.4): energetic, bossy, often bad-tempered, warm, generous, sensitive, artistic.

Taurus(21.4–21.5): hard-working, calm, friendly. Interested in business, money, friends and family.

Gemini(22.5–21.6): clever, witty, very talkative, changeable. Interested in books, people and ideas.

Cancer(22.6-23.7): humorous, conservative, often happy, anxious, shy. Interested in history.

Leo(24.7–23.8): proud, bossy, independent, either very tidy or untidy, passionate and generous.

Virgo(24.8–23.9): practical, punctual, critical, hard-working, perfectionist. Interested in nature.

Libra(24.9–23.10): friendly, energetic (but also lazy), pleasant, argumentative. Interested in sport, animals.

Scorpio(24.10–22.11): brave, sometimes violent, extremist, possessive, passionate, often religious.

Sagittarius(23.11–21.12): talkative, self-confident, cheerful. Interested in sport, travel.

Capricorn(22.12–20.01): conservative, polite, serious, sociable but shy. Interested in home, politics, people.

20. Write a few sentences about yourself. You may use the example:

I was born on the 25^th of March. So my horoscope sign is Aries. It is true that I am energetic, but I do not think that I am bossy, and I do not agree that I am often bad-tempered. I look calm, but actually I am rather nervous. I am really generous. I think that I am artistic because I like public speaking as well as singing and dancing.

21. Answer the questions:

1. What traits of character would you appreciate in a mate? 2. What traits of character do you dislike most of all? 3. What kind of people do you find easy to deal with? 4. What kind of people do you like working with? 5. What kind of people do you like resting with? 6. What traits of character are required to make a good teacher (doctor, journalist, psychologist) 7. Do you find it difficult to meet new people? 8. Does your mood change often and suddenly? 9. Can you usually understand other people’s point of view? 10. Are you usually quite a happy, smiling person? 11. Are you interested in other people and their business? 12. What is your horoscope sign? How does it describe you?

22. Read the text.

The National Character

Every culture has its own set of values. Cultural differences are closely connected with the food people eat, the clothing people wear, the way people behave in different situations and interconnect with each other. Some scientists believe that the natural and climatic conditions influence a lot the formation of a national character.

So, people differ from country to country and every nation has a fixed set of ideas about what a particular nationality is like. These generalizations are known as stereotypes.

For example, one of the most striking features of English character is the self-discipline and politeness to the people of all classes. They don’t shout loudly and push each other in the streets and don’t like noisy and loud disputing people as well.

The English are very well-bred and quite reserved nation. They never display their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situations and usually remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties.

English people are very modest and they don’t like any boasting or showing off manners, dress or speech.

The English are a nation of stay-at-home. An Englishman’s home is his castle. English people are very fond of gardening. It is a typical hobby of every Englishman.

The English are also famous for their humour which is kind and tolerant. They have a great ability to laugh at themselves, their own mistakes and weaknesses.

Speaking about Americans we can tell that they are an open and friendly people. They are not reserved, informal in their public and private lives. It is very typical of Americans to talk loudly, joke and smile in public. The most distinctive feature of an American character is individualism. Americans want to do things on their own and to be self-reliant. They are very pragmatic people and prefer to do only what is practical.

As for the Belarusian, they are trustful, optimistic and hard-working people. Belarusians are famous for their quietness, modesty and rather conservative and stable way of life.