Lesson 41: Memories - Interactive Lesson
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Lesson 41: Memories

I’m trying to think of my earliest memory. I vaguely remember (remember a little bit, not in much detail) when my brother was born – I was three years old at the time – but I distinctly remember my first day of kindergarten, when I was around five.

When I look at photos, even more memories come flooding back (memories come to mind) – I remember my school, my classmates, and my teacher, who would constantly remind us to clean up the classroom, because we were always making a mess. I’d completely forgotten the teacher’s name, though, and my mother had to refresh my memory (remind me of a fact I’d forgotten).

I still have a lot of my toys from when I was a kid. They bring back fond memories (pleasant memories) of long afternoons spent playing with my brother. I also remember a family vacation to Switzerland when I was about eight – that was an unforgettable experience.

My most traumatic memory is of my uncle dying in a car crash when I was ten. He was only 32 years old – younger than my dad – and the memory of the funeral still haunts me (the sad/profound memory stays with me). I still wear a bracelet that was a Christmas present from him; it serves as a sobering reminder (it provides a serious reminder) not to take a single day of life for granted.

Unfortunately, I have a terrible memory for peoples’ names, unless the name is unusual or particularly memorable. Just the other day, I was talking to an acquaintance from church and my mind went blank (I couldn't think of anything) when I tried to think of her name. I racked my brain (tried hard to remember something), but nothing came to mind. My husband gently reminds me that I really need to pay more attention, because it makes a bad impression when I call people by the wrong name.

Pronunciation
Notebook Task: Open your notebook and write down all 18 bold expressions from the text above. Write their English version and provide a Russian translation for each.
Task 1: Translations
Choose the correct Russian translation for each phrase.
Task 2: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences using the words from the box.

blank distinctly gently refresh traumatic completely flooding particularly sobering unforgettable constantly fond racked terrible vaguely
Task 3: Memory Collocations
Task 4: Translation (RU → EN)
Task 5: Interview
Written Interview: Open your notebook and provide written answers to the following questions. Write at least TWO full sentences for each answer, using the expressions learned today.
1. What is your earliest childhood memory and why do you think you remember it so well?
2. What kind of things (photos, songs, smells) usually make memories come flooding back to you?
3. What was the most unforgettable experience you had during your last summer holidays?
4. What is your advice for someone who has a terrible memory for people's names or new English words?
5. In your opinion, is it always better to have a very sharp memory for everything, or is it sometimes useful for our mind to forget certain things? Why?
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