Reading. Read the text “It’s Мe, Oh Lord!” and do the exercises that follow.

Read the text “It’s Мe, Oh Lord! ” and do the exercises that follow.

It’s Me, Oh Lord!

Hi, I’m Tom Bailey, or Thomas Millhouse Bailey, to be exact. Thomas is my first name, or given name, or Christian name. Millhouse is my middle name and Bailey is my family name or surname. This is what my birth certificate says. But never mind it, nobody calls me this way, just Tom or Tommy for short. You may very well forget my middle name, too. God alone knows where it came from, even my folks wouldn’t give me a straight answer. It just sounded O.K. to them, I guess. Well, so be it, here I’m: Thomas Millhouse Bailey, whether you like it or not.

I am a freshman at a Law School and have just turned 18. I do hope it’s a turn for the better as I’m eager to do something meaningful in the adult world. To begin with, I got into the School earlier this year and I enjoy every minute of being there. This is some college! I hope I’ll tell you about it later on but now let’s stick to the family topic.

Are you curious about my appearance? Well, nothing special, just an ordinary guy. The only special thing about me is, probably, that I’m a bit on the talkative side. Not really a chatter-box but I don’t mind chewing some fat with peers. I’d rather say, I’m not a bad conversationalist and a story teller. Though I chuckle it sometimes, that’s just for fun of it, take my word. I’m not after cheating anybody, I think I’m a good mixer, that’s all. It makes my life a bit like ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

And so, my looks are pretty conventional. Imagine a fellow of a medium height about 5’4’’ (five feet four), close cropped chestnut hair, slim, blue-eyed, a big aquiline nose and long delicate fingers. That’s me, in person. A born musician-turned-lawyer. How do you like it?

You may wonder if I am attractive. Truly speaking, I don’t give a damn, or rather, the more polite way, I don’t care about that kind of stuff. One might say I am, but with guys, it doesn’t really matter as much as with girls. For them, it’s instrumental, or # 1, as I put it. This is what they themselves say. As far as I’m concerned, I’d rather not talk them out of that, they know better. I wouldn’t boast an exquisite taste but I guess I know a pretty face when I see one. Anyway, this is only natural.

Being charismatic is my other asset. People enjoy my company, especially those who are a bit shy or awkward. They are fishing for words each time they gonna shoot something wise, and they never make it. It’s mostly me who does all the talking, but I take care not to stick my neck out too far. I let them have their say in all matters we discuss. All should be fair and square, right? Otherwise they might say I’m looking down on people, which is not at all true. I just enjoy being driving force behind each talk. Talking is indeed my cup of tea. I never feel ill at ease with strangers, let alone with those of my age. They call me easy-going and free-wheeling. And what’s wrong with that?

Speaking about myself first doesn’t mean I’m selfish. I’m doing it out of convenience so that you could figure out at once what kind of person I am, what my likes and dislikes are or whether you really can stomach the way I’m presenting my story. I admit my language may sound rather reckless, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, that’s the way things are, I can’t help it. That’s my style and my image. Let’s be democratic, at least for some little while, O.K.?