1. read out loud the following paragraphs paragraph 1

It’s Sunday morning. We are in the garden now. The weather is very nice. The sky is blue and there is no cloud. It’s fine to play out so we are very happy. There are many flowers in the garden. There is a big tree at the end of the garden. We like to sit under the tree and sing. Tony, our little dog runs around. Birds are on the tree. They fly away when Tony runs near the tree. My mother is in the kitchen to cook the lunch. My father waters the flowers. It’s a beautiful day!

My name is Petty and this is my husband, Phil. We both work in offices in London. We have breakfast at half past seven. We don’t have a big breakfast. We usually have bread, coffee and orange juice.

For lunch we usually have a salad or soup and sandwich. That’s at about 1.30.

We usually have dinner at half past seven in the evening. It is a big meal of the day and we have meat or fish with vegetables and potatoes or rice. We have orange juice with milk. On Saturday evenings we go to a restaurant for dinner at about eight o’clock.

Hello. My name is Julia. When I grow up, I’m going to be a ballet dancer. I love dancing, I go dancing three times a week. I’m going to travel all over the world and I’m going to learn French and Russian because I want to dance in Paris and Moscow. I’m not going to marry until I’m 35 and I’m going to have two children. I’d like first a girl and then a boy. I’m going to work until I’m 75. I’m going to teach dancing and I’m going to open a dance school. I like planning my future – it’s very exciting!

One of my favorite vacation places is Mexico. I really like the weather there because it never gets cold. The people are very nice too. They never laugh at my bad Spanish. The food is really good. Mexico City is a very interesting place to visit. It has some great museums and lots of fascinating old buildings. The hotels are too expensive to stay but there are more affordable options. For example, you can stay at one of the beach resorts like Acapulco. If you are planning to visit Mexico, you should definitely see the Mayan temples near Merida.

My name is Viet. I was born in Nha Trang. My hometown is very beautiful. The climate here is cool and the air is fresh. The streets are not so busy. I live on Le Hong Phong Street. It is near the beach. Nha Trang’s beach is very nice and always crowded with tourists. They often go there and spend their time swimming, sunbathing and surfing. Seafood here is fresh and delicious. Beside the beach, my hometown has many other interesting places such as Hon Tre Island, Phu Dong Park, Vinpearl Land. I often go to the beach twice a week. My cousins live in Ho Chi Minh City. They often visit me and spend their vacation here every summer. I love my hometown very much.

Hi! Nice to meet you! My name is John Smith. I am 19 and a student in college. I go to college in New York. My favorite courses are Geometry, French, and History. English is my hardest course. My professors are very friendly and smart. It’s my second year in college now.

I live in a big house on Ivy Street. It’s near the college campus. I share the house with three other students. Their names are Bill, Tony, and Paul. We help each other with homework. On the weekend, we play football together.

I have a younger brother. He just started high school. He is 14 and lives with my parents. They live on Mulberry Street in Boston. Sometimes they visit me in New York. I am happy when they visit. My Mom always brings me sweets and candy when they come. I really miss them, too!

My name is Bob. Each day I drive my kids to school. My daughter goes to a school that’s far from our house. It takes 30 minutes to get there. Then I drive my son to his school. It’s close to my job. My daughter is in the sixth grade and my son is in the second. They are both good students. My daughter usually sings her favorite songs while I drive. My son usually sleeps.

I arrive at the office at 8:30 AM. I say good morning to all my workmates then I get a big cup of hot coffee. I turn on my computer and read my email. Some days I have a lot to read. Soon I need another cup of coffee.
Paragraph 9:

I live in a house near the mountains. I have two brothers and one sister, and I was born last. My father teaches mathematics, and my mother is a nurse at a big hospital. My brothers are very smart and work hard in school. My sister is a nervous girl, but she is very kind. My grandmother also lives with us. She came from Italy when I was two years old. She has grown old, but she is still very strong. She cooks the best food. My family is very important to me. We do lots of things together. My brothers and I like to go on long walks in the mountains. My sister likes to cook with my grandmother. On the weekends we all play board games together. We laugh and always have a good time. I love my family very much.

Endre is a mathematician at Rutgers University, New Jersey, America but he is a Hungarian. ‘At first it was very strange. Everything is so big here,’ he says. ‘Now I go everywhere by car. In Hungary, we only use the car at weekends, but here your car is part of your life. Nobody walks anywhere.’ How does he find the people? “Very friendly.” The first question everyone asks you is “Where are you from?” People talk to you here, they start conversations. I like the fact that there are people from all over the world.’ What about the way of life? ‘The thing I like best is the independence. Nobody tells me what to do. Here you can do what you want, so you learn to make decisions for yourself. I feel in control.’