1. write seven questions to the text below. receiving toys from santa many american and british children believe that santa claus slides down their chimney to bring them gifts. santa is a fat jolly man. he wears a red suit and has a long white beard. according to the legend santa flies through the air in a sleigh. the sleigh is pulled by eight reindeer. several days or weeks before christ- mas, children tell santa what toys they would like to have by writing him letters. many boys and girls visit him in a local department store. then on christmas eve they lie awake in their beds listen- ing for santa and his sleigh. some children even leave him milk and cookies. 1. general question: is santa a fat jolly man? 2. alternative question: 3. disjunctive question: … 4. question to the subject: 5. what … 6. why … 7. where 8. how …

 love spring. It is a wonderful season.
Spring comes and nature awakens from its winter sleep. The days become longer and the nights become shorter.
The ground is covered with fresh green grass and the first spring flowers. How lovely the white snowdrops are! There are new leaves and blossoms on the trees.
The birds begin to sing and build their nests. The air is fresh and the sun shines brightly.
The days are warm and everything is full of life and joy. Everybody feels younger and stronger.
Many people like spring more than other seasons. It is very pleasant to watch how the nature awakens from the winter sleep.
In spring we can go to the country and have a walk in the woods or by the river, play ball-games, lie in the sun and even have a swim if the water is warm enough.
That is why I like spring more than any other season of the year.

Перевод:
Я люблю весну. Это прекрасное время года.
Весна приходит и природа просыпается от зимней спячки. Дни становятся длиннее, а ночи становятся короче.
Земля покрыта свежей зеленой травой и появляются первые весенние цветы. Какая прелесть белые подснежники! Появляются новые листья и цветы на деревьях.
Птицы начинают петь и строить свои гнезда. Воздух свеж, и ярко светит солнце.
Дни теплые и все полно жизни и радости. Каждый чувствует себя моложе и сильнее.
Многие люди любят весну больше, чем другие времена года. Очень приятно наблюдать, как природа просыпается от зимнего сна. 
Весной мы можем поехать за город и прогулятся в лесу или по берегу реки, играть в игры с мячом, полежать на солнце и даже поплавать, если вода достаточно теплая.
Вот почему я люблю весну больше, чем любое другое время года.

No doubt for all of us our family is the most precious thing on earth. We all need love, understanding and support and we are sure to find them in our families. I’d like to tell you a few words about our family. Our family is not very large. There are 4 of us: father, mother, my sister and I. (3 of us: father, mother and I).             My mother is on the right (wrong) side of 40 (под/за 40), but she looks much younger. She has short dark hair and hazel eyes. (She has fair wavy hair and blue eyes). She works as a nurse in a hospital (a teacher at a secondary school, an engineer at a plant, a book-keeper in a bank, a dressmaker). She is always as busy as a bee because she runs the house and has a lot of work to do at our summer cottage. We all try to help her as much as we can. My father is a little bit older than my mother. He is in his early (mid-, late) 40-ies, but he doesn’t look his age either. They say that a woman is as old as she looks and a man is as old as he feels and my father looks and feels strong and fit. He is very keen on sport (fishing) and he spends a lot of time on his hobby (especially on jogging (volleyball).) He is really an excellent father, very involved and protective towards us and we love him dearly. My father is a worker at a plant (a teacher at a technical school, a doctor, an engineer, a business-man). He often comes tired from work but he always finds time for us.