Do you have friends? Who is your bosom friend?

Nbsp;

ME AND MY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Let me introduce myself. My full name is Paul N. Serov. I’m 17 and have just finished secondary school. Now I’m
a first-year student of Rostov State University. I was born on September, 8, 1987 into a family of lawyers. We’re four in the family – my parents and Mike, my brother. We’re very friendly.

My dream has always been to become a lawyer. So I’ve chosen this profession as my future occupation a long time ago. I want to become
a lawyer because of some reasons. Firstly, it’s an interesting profession from the point of view of necessity of justice; to meet people’s problems, to solve them, to tell right from wrong, to have an opportunity to acquit the innocent and to convict the offender – that’s what I wish.
In other words I’m eager to make this world better.

The University is not far from where I live. It takes me a 15-minute walk to get there. The University occupies a modern three-storeyed building.

On the ground floor there is a gym, a canteen, a cloak- room.

On the first floor there are lecture-halls, rooms for the humanities, maths, foreign languages, Russian.

We have a library with a reading-hall, a language lab, a large assembly hall, several computer rooms where basic computer skills are taught. Needless to say that our University is well-equipped. Language laboratories give us a good chance to improve our English. As for me, I enjoy making up dialogues and having discussions in the group. Even learning new phrases and grammar material brings me a lot of pleasure because I’d like to go for practice abroad. Unfortunately, my teacher says I’m not good at communicating, though I can read, translate and retell texts quite well. But she also says I’m diligent and if I try my spoken language will soon improve.

The curriculum is very interesting – the History of Russia, Ethics, Economics, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Russian, Latin, Roman Law and many others.

But my favourite subject is Theory of State and Law though I find it difficult and spend much time working in the reading hall of the library where I prepare for the seminars. Most of the students also devote plenty of time to it. We must know the subject very well because law may be defined as a code of conduct for the people in a given community, which controls their activities towards each other, with respect to their private and business lives and to their relationship with the state. It’s a well-known fact that not all breaches of civil or criminal law are deliberate, that’s why my future profession will serve for the community in order to protect an individual’s rights and freedoms.

We have usually 4 lectures or practical classes a day. The studies begin at 2 p.m. and are over at 19 50 p.m. So I’m usually very tired, nevertheless, when the classes are over, I seldom go home right away, because we can participate in extracurricular activities including all kinds of clubs and societies. For example, I’m a member of the English-speaking club aiming at giving a deeper knowledge of the subject and developing communication skills.

Well-qualified specialists – professors, doctors of sciences, judges work in our University. Very knowledgeable, they do their best to give us important, uptodate, necessary information in our professional sphere.

Topical Vocabulary

-to work hard at smth – усердно работать

-to make good progress in smth – делать успехи

-to do without – обходиться без

-to expand – расширять (знания)

-to resort to smb – обращаться к кому-либо

-to derive an utmost pleasure – получать большое удовольствие

I. Answer the Questions

1. What is your name?How old are you?

2. When and where were you born?What are your parents?

3. Has your dream always been to become a lawyer?

4. When have you made your choice?

5. Do you find your future occupation interesting? Why?

6. Describe the building where the Academy is situated.

7. What is on the ground floor? On the first floor? On the second and third floors?

10.What is your favourite subject in the curriculum? Why?

11.How can law be defined?

12. Do you think all breaches of law are deliberate?

13. What does law serve for?

MY FRIENDS

I have a lot of friends, but the best friend of mine is Anna. She has brown eyes, an oval face, dark hair and a broad smile. She is neither tall nor short. I like Anna because she is jolly and kind, curious and diligent, reliable and confident. I don’t like people who are bored at everything and who never make the slightest effort to be pleasant. That’s why my friend Anna is the most amusing person in the world. She thinks everything is funny. She is
a sunny soul by nature and always takes the slightest excuse to be amused. My friend has an imagination and her own style.

I have known her for a long time, since our first school years. But we became true friends two years ago. We have much in common – we like English and history, sport and dancing.

We are looking at this world in the same way and first of all estimate a person’s mind, kindness. We don’t understand meanness and treachery. For many years we have been sitting at the same desk Anna and me.

But it’s only recollections now. On a May morning the last bell rang for us for the last time and in the farewell waltz the last school ball was dancing.

Anna chose the profession of a lawyer and handed in the application for admittance to the University. She finished school excellently and she didn’t have any problems with the admittance, I hope. We study at different institutions and, of course, we won’t see each other very often.

But at weekends I come to her place. Anna has wonderful parents. We have a good time together. I think that we shan’t stop going to the gym at school and we’ll often meet our school friends.

I also have a pen-friend. His name is Jack. He lives in London and
works as a lawyer.

Topical Vocabulary

-to be pretty in one’s own way – быть по-своему красивым

-to do well at school – учиться в школе хорошо