THE FAMILY TREE

Read and remember how to use the words:

relative: Do relatives or friends often visit your family? Who are your relatives on your mother's side? nephew, niece, cousin: Once in a while my parents' nephew and niece come to live with our family. I've got a cousin who lives in another city. twin: twins. Two children born at the same time of the same mother are called twins. term: to be on friendly (good, bad) terms; not on speaking terms. It struck me as being unusual that the girls were not on speaking terms. They had never quarrelled before. Are you on good terms with all your relatives? youth: We change and lеаrn from youth to old age. He visited India in his youth. The dream of her youth has come true. They were full of the idealism of youth. adult: Little children must be accompanied by adults. She had very adult features. generation: the new generation; an older generation; from generation to generation; a generation gap. A generation gap is a difference in attitude and behaviour between older people and younger people, which often causes them to argue or to be unfriendly to one another. There is no generation gap in this family. Her brother Fred, the youngest of that generation, was also a teacher. pension, to retire: to retire on pension. My grandparents haven't yet retired on pension; they still work. alike: to be alike; to look very much alike. They are twins; no wonder they look so much alike. These two things are alike.

to be like … to be alike
If people (things, actions, or situations) are similar to each other in character, manners, tastes, attitudes, we use to be like or to be alike.

to look like … to look alike
If people are similar in appearance, we use to look like or to look alike.

Examples:
1. I'm like my brother. - We are alike.
2. My sister isn't much like me. - My sister and I aren't alike.
3. His sister looks just like him. - His sister and he look alike.
4. His two daughters are very much alike in character, and they look very much alike.

When we ask about the characters of people and things, or the weather, we use "What's … like?"
1. What's your mother like? - She's a very nice woman.
2. What's Tom like? - Tall and dark. Rather nice, but very shy.
3. What's the weather like? - It's rather cold.

PRACTICE Exercise 1. Work in pairs. Work in pairs. Act out a conversation with your classmate. Ask each other questions to find out:
whether he (she) looks like his (her) mother or father;
whether your classmate and his (her) cousin look very much alike or not;
what your classmate's aunt (uncle), cousin or some other relative is like;
whether his (her) brother is just like him (her) in character and manners;
whether your tastes are alike.

Exercise 2.
a) Read the text At Mealtime. Say whether the sisters are alike and what makes you think so.
At Mealtime
"Why," Betty asked her mother, "do you always give Susan a bigger slice of cake than you do me?"
I like that!" protested her sister. "Mine is much smaller than yours."
"Then change plates," suggested the girls' mother, adding when they had done this: "Now you are both satisfied."
But the girls were not. Each thought she had got the worst of the exchange.

b) Say what you think the girls are like; whether they are friendly or envious of each other; who turned out to be the wisest in the situation.

Exercise 3.Speak about your family tree. Say:
· whether you have many relatives;
· who your relatives are and what they do;
· what qualities you appreciate in them;
· which of your relatives you consider to be interesting people;
· who of them are dearer to you and why;
· whether the immediate members of your family and your other relatives are on good terms.

Say:
when you see your relatives;
which ones you see on holidays, on birthdays, or on anniversaries;
on what other occasions you see them.