THE HOUSE

In many parts of England cottages are built in a long row, each house joined to the next one, and each with a small yard at the back, and a still smaller one at the front. On the ground floor there are generally two rooms, and on the upper one, the first floor, two. In the bigger of the lower rooms food is prepared, meals are eaten and guests are received. Such a room is called a kitchen or simply a living-room.

Here is the description of such a living-room. It has three doors: the one in the centre leads out on to the street, the one on the right – to the stairs landing to the first floor, and the one on the left – to a bedroom on the ground floor. There is a fire-place on the right. Dark curtains cover the window at the back. The room contains a table, some chairs and a comfortable rocking chair placed by the fire-place. On the left there is a cupboard with a shelf above it on which are a few dishes. A birdcage hangs in the window. On the wall near the fire-place hangs a large calendar with a bright coloured picture of some cows drinking at a stream. Over the table hangs a gas-lamp and by the fire-place is a small gas-ring with a little tin kettle on it.

The cottages of the well-to-do people, however, are a little larger, pretty and comfortable. They stand a little way back from the road and some have a rather big garden round it and a smooth lawn in front of the house.

You go through the garden gate and walk along a path leading to the house. Mounting a few steps you get on to a verandah and right in front of you is the entrance door. Passing through this door you find yourself in the hall where in the corner is a sort of a cloak-room with racks to hang your coat and hat on.

There are some three-four doors (depending upon the plan of the house) which lead to the kitchen, study, dining-room and lounge or sitting-room. The sitting-room is a big room some twenty-twenty-five feet long and about fifteen-eighteen feet wide. In the sitting-room there might be a thick carpet on the floor, one or two good water-colours on the walls, a piano on one side of the room, a radio or TV set on the other side, a book-case standing against the wall, a small table near the window with a beautiful bowl of flowers, and a couch.

The dining-room is also a pleasant-looking room with a carpet, a dark oak dining-table which, being unfolded might seat ten-twelve persons, six chairs and a side-board. A red lamp-shade hanging down from the ceiling gives a warm colour to the room, and a central (or electric) heating system keeps it warm and comfortable.

Upstairs are the bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory, though the latter two might be in some cottages on the ground floor as well.

1. What is there on the ground floor in a typical English cottage?

2. Where is the fire-place?

3. What is there by the fire-place?

4. What do some Englishmen have round the cottage?

5. What impression does a red lamp-shade make?

6. Do the Ukrainians have similar houses? Describe a typical Ukrainian house.

7. Do the back-translation of the text.

VI. Choose the correct answer.

1. They live in a(n) ______ house which stands by itself in a field.

a) attached b)detached c)detaching d)semi-detached

2. Having made his fortune he now ____ in great luxury in a large house in the country.

a)dwells b)inhabits c)leaves d)lives

3. My brother lives on the eleventh floor of that ______ of flats.

a)block b)building c) house d) tower

4. His house is nothing out of the _______, it`s just an average four-roomed house.

a)normal b)ordinary c)typical d)usual

5. Going down the street, she walked past a long ______ of houses, all exactly alike.

a)queue b)rank c)row d)train

6. In the village he was looked up to as the lord of the ________ .

a)castle b)fortress c)manor d)tower

7. He keeps all his tools and do-it-yourself equipment in a _____ in the garden.

a)barn b)hut c)shed d)stable

8. Our house isn`t joined to the other houses in the street: it`s _______.

a)attached b)disconnected c)detached d)divided

9. The new police station is to be built ______ the main square.

a)close b)near c)neighbourhood d)side

10. I am staying in a youth _____ in the centre of the town.

a)hostel b)inn c)pub d)stable

VII. Fill the gaps in the following text using the words from the table.

About two-thirds of the ________ in the United States live in single-family ______. About a ________ of the families live in ________ that have two to four _________, or in ________ or other commercial buildings that include apartments. ____________ cities have more apartment housing than small _________, because ________ is scarce and __________. Small towns and _________ areas, where land is _______ expensive than in city centres, have mostly __________ homes. Philadelphia and other _________ have many ________ houses. These are usually single-family houses, one or two ______ high, standing _______ to wall. A _________ is a building with two apartments, either ________ by side with a _______ wall _______ them, or one ______ the other.

VIII. Complete these sentences with a suitable noun or verb.

1. I opened the _______, walked up the _____ and rang the ________ .

2. We had to ________ six flights of stairs to get to her flat because the ________ wasn`t working.

3. I`ve got a great __________ from my balcony.

4. Do you own the flat or do you _______ it?

5. I`m living in the house now but it actually _________ to my brother. He bought it two years ago. It was in very bad __________ then, but he spent a lot of money on it.

6. It costs a lot of money to _________ a house when you live in a cold climate. Central _______ is usually quite expensive.

X. Discussion point.

Step A. Discuss what sort of people you would expect to find living in the following:

Step B. Work in groups. Rewrite the following advertisements in their full forms.

1. Mod. Det. Hse., immac. Cond. Fhld. 3 gars. 5 beds., 3 receps., 2 fully tiled baths + sep. Wcs; lge. Fit. Kit. 18x9 ft., dble sink; lux. Lnge. Gas CH/chw; dble. Glaz. Curts., fit. Cpts. Included. Landscd. Gdn., swim. Pool. Few mins., stn., bus, amens., seafront. $150,000 ono.

2. A lux. S/c sgl. Furn. Gdn. Flt. 1 rm., k. & b. C.H.

Cpts., Col. T.V., tel., fridge, ckr., h/c

$ 180 p.m. Refs. Rqd.

Avail. mid. Apr.

Tel: 01-678-1234 Evgs after 7.

What matters when we are going to buy a house or rent a flat?

Step C. Answer the questions.

1. Where would you expect to find the following rooms in a house and what would they normally be used for?

2. Where in a typical house would you look for the following things?

3. Here are some things you find in the lounge or kitchen but the letters are jumbled. What are they and where do they belong?

4. You are in the kitchen. Where would you put these things?

Milk; meat that you are going to cook; dirty clothes; dirty cups and saucers; clean cups and sauces; biscuits and a packet of spaghetti

XI. Choose the right answer.

1. He refused to sell his house at the low _________ offered.

a)expense b)figure c)money d)sale

2. There has been a _________ in the sales of new houses since mortgages became more difficult to obtain.

a)broke b)crash c)dive d)drop

3. All their money is ________ up in the house they have bought.

a)connected b)limited c)lying d)tied

4. The ______ of two houses proved such a financial burden that they were forced to sell one.

a)upkeep b)uproar c)upshot d)upsurge

5. I am not prepared to sell you my house unless you offer a more _____ price.

a)actual b)correct c)realistic d)true

6. When my grandfather died, his house was put up for ___________ .

a)auction b)bargain c)offer d)market

7. He bought his house on an ________ plan, paying a certain amount of money each month.

a)installment b)part c)piece d)share

8. Before you agree to buy that house, find out if the Building Society will give you a ________ .

a)credit b)deposit c)loan d)mortgage

9. His solicitor advised him to make sure that the house was fully ______ by insurance.

a)covered b)defended c)guarded d)protected

10. The corrupt real-estate agent wanted to obtain the contract so he offered a _______ to the civil servant.

a)bait b)bonus c)bribe d)tip

11. The scarcity of housing accommodation means that people can no longer afford to _______ where they live.

a)buy and sell b)come and go c)look and see d)pick and choose

12. Considering how few services we get, the rates we pay are ________ .

a)daylight robbery b)down to earth c)out of this world d)peanuts

13. The squatters are fighting _______ and nail not to be evicted from the houses they have occupied.

a)finger b)hammer c)toe d)tooth

14. He lives a(n) _______ throw from the station.

a)apple`s b)arrow`s c)knife`s d)stone`s

15. You`ve managed to find a cheap flat near Picadilly Circus. _______ you!

a)Happy b)Fortunate c)Lucky d)Merry

XII. Fill the gaps with the necessary words from the table.

When a ________ has chosen the house he wants, he has a ________ draw up a contract. This _________ states the _______ definition of the _______, gives the purchase _______, and demands __________ from the present owner. It also includes other important __________, such as the _________ that are to remain in the house and the _______ when the _________ will take ______. The buyer pays a _________ when he _______ the _________ . The deposit binds the _________ to the ________ of the contract.

XIII. Reading comprehension (1). Read the text and do the tasks after it.

Date: 2014-12-22; view: 4219