MY SCHOOL (1)

            As you become older you realize that there are several es­sential things and places you always long to come back to. They are your birthplace, your home and the school you went to.

           My school was a three-storeyed building situated in one of the residential districts of our city (town, settlement). All the children from the neighbourhood went there because it was a walking distance from their homes. There was a sports ground behind the school-building and a green lawn with flower-beds in front of it.

            The school was built a few years ago. That’s why its class­rooms were light and spacious. There were three large win­dows in each classroom with flower pots on the window-sills. It was pupils’ (especially girls’) responsibility to water the flo­wers. And they did it with utmost care. There were maps and portraits, tables and charts on the walls of the classrooms.

            Our classroom was on the first floor. Its windows faced the school-yard.

            Our form was the only one at school who had a form-mas­ter, but not a form-mistress. He appeared to be a very kind and knowledgeable teacher who spared no time to take us to different places of interest and exhibitions. He taught us Rus­sian and Russian literature. We respected him very much.

            Our lessons began at eight o’clock in the morning and las­ted till one thirty in the afternoon. We had six lessons a day.

            Every pupil had a day-book where the teachers wrote down the mark each pupil had earned for his answers. The teacher also wrote down the mark in the class register. When the teacher asked a question, the pupils who could answer it raised their hands, and the teacher called out one of them to answer the question. The pupils were often called to the blackboard to do some exercises or to write some sentences. When they made mistakes, other pupils were called out to correct those mis­takes or the teacher corrected them herself. After every les­son the teachers gave us some home assignments both written and oral.

            At the next lesson the teachers checked them up. The tea­chers often took our exercise-books home to check them up. If there were any mistakes they corrected them and gave us marks.

            At the end of each quarter we got our report cards which our parents signed. At the end of the study year we were pro­moted to the next form.

QUESTIONS:

1.      What do you realize as you become older?

2.      At which school did you study?

3.      Where was your school situated?

4.      Why did all the children from the neighborhood go to your school?

5.      What was there behind the school-building and in front of it?

6.      When was the school built?

7.      Were the classrooms light and spacious?

8.      What was there on the walls of the classrooms?

9.      On which floor was your classroom situated?

10.   What kind of a man was your form-master?

11.   What subject did he teach?

12.   When did your lessons begin?

13.   How many lessons had you a day?

14.   What did the teachers write down in the day-books of every pupil?

15.   What for were the pupils often called to the blackboard?

16.   What happened if the pupils made mistakes?

17.   What did the teachers give you after every lesson?

18.   What for did the teachers often take your exercise- books home?

19.   What did you get at the end of each quarter?

20.   Where were you promoted at the end of the study year?

VOCABULARY:

to long to do — страстно желать

birth place — место рождения

residential districts — жилой квартал

to be a walking distance from — можно дойти пешком

a flower-bed — клумба

spacious — просторный

a window-sill — подоконник

he appeared to be — он оказался

to earn a mark for the answer — получить (заработать) оценку за ответ

to call to the blackboard — вызвать к доске

written and oral assignments — письменные и устные задания

to be promoted to the next form — быть переведенным в следующий класс