Maturita Card 17: Personal Identification Bridge
• How would you describe yourself and your friends?
I am/My friend is... (quite/ very)... tall / short/ thin / slim / skinny/fat / chubby / overweight/ athletic / muscular / petite / round-faced / oval-faced / attractive / handsome / beautiful / good-natured / friendly / kind / happy-go-lucky / serious / moody / bad-tempered / vain / egoistical / confident / adventurous. I have / she has... short/long / straight / curly / glossy / wavy / blonde / ginger / red / light brown / flaxen hair... blue / brown / hazel eyes... has freckles... wears glasses... has a tattoo.
^   • What is one thing you would like to change about yourself?
I would like to be... more confident / funny/ cleverer/ more attractive / quieter / louder / more organized / better at managing my time. I'd like to... work harder and not get distracted so easily / have more talents, for example, I want to learn to play an instrument/ improve my English. I wish I would... get on better with my parents/family... not argue with my boyfriend / girlfriend so much... start earning money.
• Can you describe your childhood?
My childhood was... fun / peaceful / quiet / nothing special / difficult / boring... because when I was a child... I went camping / played with my friends / had no worries / my parents cared for me /1 just went to school /1 stayed at home /1 visited my grandparents every weekend / we never went anywhere / my parents didn't have much money/we lived in a very small flat/ we only visited our cottage on weekends.
Q   • How do you feel at school, at home and / or with your friends?
When I'm at school I am sometimes... nervous that I might fail... stressed about my exams... tired from studying all night... bored with my lessons. At home I am / feel... relaxed when I watch TV/calm when I sit in my room / bored when there's nothing to do. When I'm with my friends I am / feel... happy because we always laugh together/relaxed.
• What would you like to do after the Maturita exam / in the future?
After the exam / high school, I would like... to goto university... to study law / medicine / engineering / history / English... to travel... to stay in an English-speaking country for a while... to get a job... to move out of / away from... home.
Q   • What characteristics do you look for in a boyfriend / girlfriend?
My girlfriend / boyfriend should... be funny / kind / attractive / handsome / beautiful / well-built / curvy /
clean-shaven / in good shape/good natured / friendly / family-oriented / religious / clever / smart / intelligent / loyal... have stubble / a beard / a good figure / good sense of humour / a lot of money / good fashion sense / a car / a sense of adventure / good personal hygiene... want to travel / go out... get along with my friends/ family.
• What characteristics do you not look for in <Q a friend / boyfriend / girlfriend?
My friend, boyfriend or girlfriend shouldn't... be rude / selfish / arrogant/ mean / cruel / materialistic/ stupid / ugly / bald / overweight / obese / too thin / unpleasant/unfriendly... have facial hair... wear unfashionable clothes... listen to bad music... only wantto stay at home... only play computer games... eat only junk food.
• What are your hobbies and interests?
I like/enjoy... reading /swimming /hiking/ camping / travelling / going to the cinema / listening to music / dancing / going to cafes / playing computer games / shopping / going to shopping centers (malls) / trying different foods / learning English / playing football (volleyball, basketball, floorball, hockey).
• How have your hobbies and interests changed since your childhood?
My hobbies have changed a lot / a little... My hobbies haven't changed much/at all. When I was young I used to... play with toys... read comics /fairy tales... listen to pop music... go camping... belong to the Scouts. Now, I like spending time with my friends... going to the cinema / dancing lessons / language lessons... reading serious literature... skiing... hiking... playing guitar / drums / in a band. I have always liked /1 still like... reading / camping / spending time with friends / listening to music.
• What is your ambition and why?
I would like to be... a journalist because I want to travel / I like writing / I'm curious about the world... a lawyer because... I'm good at arguing /1 can communicate well /1 believe injustice / lawyers need to be intelligent and I am intelligent... a doctor because... I wantto help people /1 find medicine fascinating... a travel agent because I like travelling /1 want to work with people... a car mechanic because... I wantto work with my hands / I am interested in cars... a nanny because... I like to work with children / it could be fun. My dream is to own a shop /cafe because... I want to be my own boss / it would be interesting /1 could sell what I am interested in.
Where are you from and what do you do?
I was born in ... (place) on ... (date).
. (street) in ... (town /
Now I live on city).
I'm a student at....
In addition to my studies, I also
(play the guitar / help at home /
have a small job/...).
Tell us about your childhood and how it has shaped your life.
I am the (eldest / middle / youngest /...) of... children. This
has meant that I (had to help more at home / was given
greater attention / had less freedom /...). I am an only child. As a result, i have been (a little spoilt / quite
independent / somewhat lonely /...). As a family, we enjoyed (travelling to new places / playing
games / skiing in the mountains /...). My parents gave me opportunities
for (trying different sports /
going to many camps /...).
One of my best memories is when....
I'm grateful for my (parents / home / pets /...).
What are some of your likes and dislikes? What are your interests?
I like (animals / ice cream /
holidays /...). I also
enjoy (sports / reading /
music /...). I am interested in
(literature / history /
science /...). I dislike (spiders / being
sick /tests /...). It bothers me when (people lie / it rains a lot / others are
selfish /...).
How would you describe yourself as a person?
I have a (quiet / cheerful / lively /...) personality.
I prefer to (have a lot of people around me / spend time alone /...).
My abilities include being good at (mathematics / handicrafts /
languages /...). _——-,
I also have a talent for (playing
the piano / writing short
stories / teaching others /...).
Vocabulary
bother (v) [bo9a] — to disturb, be troublesome..........................
cheerful (a) [tji:aful] — happy and joyful...................................
grateful (a) [greitful] — thankful.................................................
handicrafts (n) [hamdikraifts] — activities which involve
making things with one's hands in a skilful way....................
in addition to (prep) [in a'dijn la] — besides, over and above
include (v) [in'klu:d] — to have as a part of................................
independent (a) |indi'pendant] — not needing or relying on others for guidance.............................................................................
lively (a) [laivlij — active and full of life.....................................
opportunity (a) [opa'tjumiti] — good chance to do something
that one wants to do.................................................................
science (ti) [saians] — the study of natural things.......................
selfish (a) [selfij] — thinking only about oneself and not others
shape (v) [jeip] — to have a great influence on..........................
spider (n) [spaida] — small creature with eight legs...................
spoilt (a) [spoilt] — having received everything asked for or wanted.....................................................................................
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WHAT IS SUCCESS?
FROM SETBACK TO VICTORY
TalK together about the following:
What does success mean to you?
What can you do to become successful?
Why do some people succeed and others fail in life?
Is success the result of natural ability or hard work?
Can a person experience only success, or, are failures stepping-stones to success? Comment.
How important is success in your life?
What do you consider the greatest success in your life so far?
PERSONAL FACTS
Name and family
surname first name middle name date of birth plate uf birth sex
mother's maiden
name father's name mother's occupation father's occupation
Address
street and number city / town postcode telephone
Appearance
height weight race
nationality eye colour hair colour health
Education
kindergarten
primary
secondary
tertiary
other training
languages
other skills
Employment
full-time part-time casual
Hobbies and interests
pastimes
sports
music
travel experiences clubs / organizations
Religion
Catholic
Protestant
Jewish
Vocabulary
fail (v) [feil] — not to succeed or to be unable to do something
failure (n) [feiljs] — opposite of success..................................
result (n) [ri'zalt] — consequence.............................................
stepping-stone (n) [stepiq statin] — event or situation that helps one to make progress...................................................
In April 1993, Monika Selesh, a tennis player from the former Yugoslavia, competed in a tennis championship in Hamburg. She was enjoying a short break between games. Suddenly she screamed from an intense pain in her back. Turning around, she was horrified to see a man behind her with a bloodied knife in his hands.
The knife wound was serious, but even more serious was Monika's state of mind. She now feared all the time that her attacker would return. In her mind she kept seeing his hostile face and bloody knife. She was becoming more and more depressed, In anguish, she thought back on her tennis career — how her father had encouraged and trained her and how the family had always supported her. Now she was not sure whether she would ever play again. Another setback came when she learnt that her attacker was freed from prison.
Through psychological counselling, she came to see that tennis meant a lot to her life and that she needed to play. She started practising again with her brother and father. Then, tennis player Martina Navrátilova visited her and encouraged her to return to professional tennis. She handed Monika a golden bracelet that she felt had brought her luck. When Monika hesitated accepting the present. Martina said she could give it back to her when she returned to playing professionally.
In June 1995, Monika again entered a tennis tournament. Her first match was against Martina and after a hard struggle, she won. Later Monika returned the bracelet. After this first successful match following her attack, she was no longer afraid. It didn't matter any more whether or not her attacker was in prison. She had to go on with her life. She looked back on the two years of suffering. She came to appreciate the depth of love in her family and the preciousness of loyal friends. Whether or not she won future tennis matches was no longer important to her. She knew that her greatest victory was in overcoming her fears and returning to the court,
Vocabulary
anguish (n) [seqgwiJI — great pain or distress...........................
appreciate (v) [s'prkfieit] — to be thankful for or grateful for
bracelet (n) [breislit] — jewellery worn on the wrist.................
compete (v) [kampht] — to take part in a game or contest........
counselling (n) IkaunslinJ — advice, recommendation..............
depth (n) [dep9] — deepness......................................................
encourage (v) [in'karidj] — to give courage or hope.................
hesitate (v) [heziteit] — to be undecided, hold back before acting
hostile (a) [hostail] — of an enemy or like an enemy, very
unfriendly, hateful...................................................................
obstacle (n) [obstakl] — thing standing in the way.....................
Discuss the questions:
What happened to Monika as she was taking a rest between games? How did she feel afterwards?
What became Monika's greatest victory?
Can you share another story of courage and victory in the face of hardship?
What do you consider the greatest trial or setback in your life? Describe your feelings.
What has been your greatest victory? How did your family and friends help you to overcome obstacles?
overcome (v) [auva'kam] — to conquer .....................................
preciousness (n) [prejesnis] — high value of.............................
setback (n) [setba:k] — something that causes a situation to get
worse.......................................................................................
slip (v) [slip] — to fall, to lose one's foothold............................
state of mind (n) [steit ov maind] — mental condition..............
struggle (n) [stragl] — fight........................................................
suffering (n) [safsrinj — serious pain felt in body or mind.......
support {v) [sa'po:t] — to hold up, assist....................................
trial (n) [traial] — problem, test, difficulty..................................
victory (n) [vik'tari] — defeating an enemy; being successful in
a struggle ................................................................................
wound (n) [wumd] — injury or hurt............................................
to
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