Unit 1 hi, nice to meet you!
Read the text paying special attention to the verbs in bold type.
Congratulations! Now you are students of one of the largest universities in the Russian Far East, the Far Eastern State Transportation University. Your life has changed. For the past eleven years you were schoolchildren. Just several months ago, in May, you were school leavers and in July you were applicants. In five years of attending lectures, hard studies, and sleepless nights over books and course papers you will be engineers or economists or lawyers or programmers, etc.
Studying at University is permanent communication with a lot of people. First days at the University are exciting, full of new events, meeting new people and impressions and …rather confusing. You are new here and being new is an embarrassing experience. New people, new faces… Group-mates, teachers… Junior students, senior students… When you are new somewhere you feel awkward, you really need to know people around you. It is high time to introduce yourself and to get acquainted with the others. An introduction is very important because it is the very beginning of communication which determines the success of the following relationship. As wise people say, to make the world a friendly place, one must show it a friendly face. The first impression you produce on your group mates can make your life easier or harder.
When people introduce themselves, they share some personal information. Personal information includes name (first name, last name/surname), position or social role, age, occupation, contact information like telephone number and e-mail. It may also include a hobby, interests, likes and dislikes. Here is a typical dialogue of these first days.
Alex: Hello! Are you from group 111?
Maria: Yes, we are.
Alex: My name is Alex. I’m the monitor of your group. What are your names?
Lily: I am Lily, and this is my friend Maria.
Alex: What are your last names?
Lily: My last name is Petrenko.
Maria: And my surname is Okuneva.
Alex: Can you spell that, please?
Lily: Yes, sure: P E T R E N K O.
Alex: And your surname, Maria?
Maria: O K U N E V A.
Alex. Thanks. I will also need some contact information from you for our dean’s office. What is your telephone number, Lily?
Lily: Mobile or home telephone?
Alex: Both please.
Lily: My home telephone number is 42 76 85. And my mobile number is + 7 923 544 67 89.
Alex: And your telephone number, Maria?
Maria: I have only a mobile, it’s + 7 918 219 43 84.
Alex: I also need your addresses. Are you from Khabarovsk, Maria? What is your address?
Maria: Actually, I am not a Khabarovsk resident. My native town is Komsomolsk. I am renting an apartment with Lily. Our address is 56, Rokossovsky Street, Apartment 25.
Alex: And one more question: When are your birthdays?
Lily: Mine is on the 23rd of April.
Maria: And my birthday is October 15th.
Alex: Oh, this is pretty soon. Thanks for your help. Do you know that guy by the window? Is he also from our group?
Lily: Yes. His name is Max.
Alex: OK, I have several questions to ask him. See you later, girls.
Lily & Maria: Bye!
Analyse the use of the verbs in bold type. Find sentences referring to the present, the past and the future. Analyse the change of the form of the verb “to be” in the text. What does it depend upon?
Study Grammar Page 1 (to be) + Vocabulary Pages 1 and 2.