NEIGHBOURS FROM HELL

I used to think my little corner of urban England was somewhere I could get away from the stress and strain of modern-day life – until they moved in the next door. There are two of them. They are white, woolly and probably have sharp teeth as well as loud bark. But every time their constant barking interrupts my sleep, I remind myself that, in many respects, I am lucky. The neighbours don`t hold all-night parties, nor do they shout or throw crockery at each other, and though their dogs may bark, they don`t bite. According to a recent consumer magazine report on `nightmare neighbours`, dogs are the fifth most common source of bad relations between neighbours. Noise of any description heads the list of complaints, followed by DIY* enthusiasts, parking disputes, and arguments over house extensions.

So what alternatives are there? One is to take legal action. But this can be time-consuming and expensive and does nothing to improve already difficult relationships. The other alternatives are to sell up and go, or try to reach a solution with the help of someone neutral. Mediation UK – the United Nations equivalent of garden fence conflicts – was set up in 1984 to help resolve community disagreements. The Bristol-based charity acts as an umbrella organisation for 60 regional groups, which are staffed by trained volunteers. In most cases, officers find that lack of communication is the main cause of conflict and that peace can be negotiated. David Nation of Plymouth Mediation points to poor public housing and widespread unemployment as additional factors. He also reports more cases of complaints from people who live in flats. Large houses built in the nineteenth century and designed as single-occupation family homes have, he says, been converted into flats with little or no attention to sound insulation. Dividing walls are paper thin and hardly block out sound at all.

Buyers can also be put off by the external appearance of neighbouring houses. Anything from wild, uncared for gardens to unusual external colour schemes can put off buyers – even though the offending property is next door. But it could be worse. John Gladden, of Norbury in Surrey upset his neighbours in St Oswald`s Road by mounting a huge fish in fibreglass and putting it on the floor of his house. The local council argued that he should have got planning permission; residents thought the fish did nothing to improve the appearance of the neighbourhood, and war broke out. Gladden defended his right of self-expression and proceeded to install an inflatable Santa Claus and a replica tank. Sightseers poured in and homes near the suburban property can now be hard to sell.

As most problems offend the ears rather than the eyes it`s surprising that so few buyers take the trouble to check out their future neighbours. Estate agents* recommend making frequent visits to the area – preferably at varying times of the day and night. It is pointless, after all, to expect people who are trying to sell their house to give an objective view of their neighbours. I recently went to view a house which looked promising – until I saw the neighbouring zoo. I decided I could live with the birds, the rabbits and the cats, but when I spotted the dogs I had my doubts. `Do the alsatians next door bother you at all?` I asked. `No, no`, they replied, `not at all`. `Oh yes, they do`, insisted their six-year-old son. `They bark all night and keep us awake`. Another lucky escape.

*DIY – Do it yourself – making and repairing things in your own home

*Estate agents – people who buy and sell houses for other people

Answer the questions.

1. Why doesn`t the writer like her next-door neighbours` dogs?

2. According to the report, what do most people argue with their neighbours about?

3. What does the article say about Mediation UK?

4. Why do some people decide not to buy a house?

5. Why did the writer decide not to buy the house?

6. Why would it be annoying to live next-door to a DIY enthusiast?

7. Why do you think John Gladden did what he did to his house?

8. Do you agree or disagree with the writer`s words that you can`t expect people who are trying to sell their house to tell you the truth about their neighbours?

Find words or phrases in the article with these meanings.

a) escape from something

b) pressure and tension

c) plates, cups, dishes, etc.

d) arguments

e) occurring in many different places

f) discourage

g) disturb

Paraphrase the following sentences.

a) … until they moved in next door.

b) Dogs are the fifth most common source of bad relations between people.

c) So what alternatives are there?

d) But this can be time-consuming.

e) Groups are staffed by trained volunteers.

f) Houses have been converted into flats with little or no attention to sound insulation.

g) Buyers can also be put off by the external appearance of neighbouring houses.

h) … when I spotted the dogs I had my doubts.

XIV. Match the definition with the correct part of a house.

a) windows made up of two panes of glass instead of one

b) the half-pipe along the edge of the roof to carry away rainwater

c) a small space in the form of a small room added to another room for a bed, books, etc.

d) a window in the roof

e) used in modern houses instead of open fires

f) the space at the top of the stairs

g) a roofed entrance built onto a house

h) doors made of glass which usually open out onto the garden

i) a hall or corridor, not a room, which leads from the entrance to the rooms inside a building

j) the wide passage just inside the entrance of a house off which the rooms open

k) a room immediately below the roof of a house

l) a hollow passage often rising above the roof of a building which allows smoke and gases to pass from the fire

m) an underground room, usually used for storing goods

n) a comfortable room for sitting in

o) a hollow place in a wall, usually made to hold an ornament, books, etc.

XV. Choose the correct answer.

1. A row of trees ______ the house from the north wind.

a)fence b)prevent c)shelter d)warn

2. The house is old and it`s in bad _________ .

a)condition b)damage c)situation d)state

3. Many old houses have an underground room called a(n) ____________ .

a)attic b)cave c)cellar d)loft

4. People were strolling under the trees on either side of the broad _______ through the park.

a)alley b)avenue c)path d)track

5. His flat is in the ____________ .

a)basement b)cellar c)ground d)lift

6. He hung up his overcoat in the ___________ as soon as he came into the house.

a)attic b)cellar c)hall d)loft

7. The shop had __________ on the door but it was closed.

a)available b)free c)open d)vacant

8. Some town children had never seen grass or trees and could play only in a small _________ between their houses.

a)field b)garden c)park d)yard

9. There was a magnificent drive which ________ round to the front of the mansion.

a)arched b)bent c)curved d)inclined

10. Three stone _________ lead up to the front door.

a)levels b)stairs c)stones d)steps

11. It is a large building, on six _________, and many families live there.

a)flats b)floors c)stages d)stairs

12. The ________ from the gate to the cottage was overgrown with weeds.

a)passage b)path c)road d)street

13. The hall seemed _________ lit after the bright sunshine outside.

a)dimly b)faintly c)slightly d)vaguely

14. Their office ___________ of four small rooms.

a)consists b)contains c)includes d)numbers

15. He went down to his workshop in the __________ .

a)annexe b)basement c)ground floor d)loft

16. In this part of the country, the fields are separated by stone __________ .

a)barriers b)fences c)hedges d)walls

17. My address is 52 Long Street, and I live on the __________ .

a)basement b)cellar c)ground floor d)foundations

18. Their flat is on the top __________ .

a)attic b)floor c)loft d)store

19. They have a tennis ________ at the bottom of their garden.

a)court b)field c)ground d)pool

20. We haven`t got a garage, so we leave our car outside in the ________ .

a)drive b)garden c)pavement d)porch

XVII. Read the dialogues on the topic `Designing a house`. Choose one of them and memorize it, then role-play.

***

Mr. Reed: Have you decided how many rooms you want?

Jack: Two bedrooms, I think. A double bedroom for ourselves, and another not quite so large.

Mrs. Wells: You`d better have three, Jack. One for the child – or children. You`ll be having children, Anne?

Anne: Yes, we intend to have children.

Mrs. Wells: And a third bedroom for visitors. Or for the children when they grow too big to sleep in the same room.

Jack: But won`t three bedrooms make the house rather too expensive?

Mr. Wells: That`s all right.

Jack: Let`s have three bedrooms, then.

Mrs. Wells: Do you like built-in furniture, Anne? What about having wardrobes built into the bedrooms?

Mr. Reed: An excellent idea, Mrs. Wells! We design built-in furniture for most of our houses. It saves space, and is cheaper, usually than buying separate pieces of furniture.

Anne: I`d love that, Mrs. Wells. What about you, Jack?

Jack: I agree. It will cost us much less to furnish the house if the wardrobes are built in. But it`s going to cost you a pretty penny, Father!

Mr. Wells: That`s O.K. Very well, Mr. Reed, built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms

***

Mr. Reed: Now, the downstairs rooms. Am I to design a living-room and a separate dining-room, or a room that can be used for general purposes?

Mrs. Wells: That`s question for Anne, I think.

Anne: Jack and I would like a fairly large living-room, I think. We don`t need a separate dining-room.

Jack: We`ve been talking about that. We thought we`d like to have a fairly large kitchen with a dining recess. Lots of people eat in the kitchen nowadays.

Anne: Modern kitchens are quite pleasant rooms, aren`t they? We`re not likely to have a servant, so it`s much simpler to have meals where they`re cooked. What do you think, Mrs. Wells?

Mrs. Wells: Oh, a good modern kitchen`s quite pleasant. But I don`t think you should eat all your meals in the kitchen. But I`m old-fashioned, perhaps.

Mr. Reed: It`s quite possible to plan a dining recess that`s separate from the part of the kitchen where the work is done.

Mr. Wells: I agree with your mother, Jack. You oughtn`t to have all your meals in the kitchen. Breakfast – yes. But suppose you have friends to a meal. You wouldn`t want to give them lunch in the kitchen, would you?

Anne: I don`t see why not. If the kitchen`s good enough for me and Jack, it`s good enough for our friends.

Mr. Reed: May I make a suggestion? Why not a dining recess in the living-room? Here`s the sort of thing I mean. With three bedrooms, there`ll be quite a lot of floor-space downstairs. You can have a good kitchen – plenty of space for working in, and space for a table you could have breakfast at if you wanted. You`d have quite a large living-room. Now, look at this sketch. Here`s your living-room. One end of it can be used quite easily for meals. Between the two parts of the room you can have a built-in piece of furniture. It wouldn`t be high – not up to the ceiling. On one side there`d be cupboards and drawers and shelves for china, silver, cutlery and so on. And on the other side would be a bookcase. You could have a built-in writing desk too, if you liked.

Anne: Oh, that`s a marvellous idea. Don`t you think so, Jack?

Jack: I do, indeed.

Mrs. Wells: And so do I! I think it`s most unpleasant to sit in a living-room and see the dining-table with the remains of a meal on it. And then a visitor calls, just as you`ve finished dinner, and she has to sit there looking at the remains of the meal – unless you rush round and clear everything away!

Mr. Wells: Well, Mr. Reed, we all seem to be agreed. Please combine the dining-room and the living-room.

***

Mr. Reed: We haven`t discussed heating yet. Have you though about that?

Mrs. Wells: Do you like central heating, Anne?

Anne: Yes, Mrs. Wells, but isn`t it rather expensive? First costs, I mean – the furnace, and the boiler, all the pipes and radiators?

Mr. Reed: That depends upon the system. An automatically controlled oil-burning system is rather expensive.

Mr. Wells: Electric fires are expensive, I know. We have them in the bedrooms, and the electricity bills are always high at the end of the winter.

Jack: I`m old-fashioned. I like open fires.

Anne: I like to see a fire. But coal fires do make a lot of work – and a lot of dust, too.

Mr. Reed: You might have a furnace in the kitchen, and a storage tank upstairs. A furnace that burns coke is much less expensive than the one with oil. A good one would give you all the hot water you need for the kitchen and for baths, and enough for two radiators in the living-room.

Anne: Oh, I know what you mean. They have to be filled twice a day, don`t they?

Mr. Reed: Yes, and you clear out the ashes once a day. They`re very little trouble.

***

Mr. Reed: Here`s the hall and the stairs. There`s a door from the hall into the living-room, and another door on the right into the kitchen. On the left side of the hall there`s a cloak-room with a wash-basin in it, and next to it a lavatory.

Jack: That all seems very convenient.

Anne: There`s plenty of light in the kitchen, I hope.

Mr. Reed: There`s quite a large window on the north. The door on the west side can be half glass too, if you like.

Jack: That`s the side door for the tradesmen, isn`t it?

Mr. Reed: Yes. If you look at this sketch again, you`ll see there`s a path from the gate to the front door. Here`s the garage, on the west side of the house. By using the west wall of the house as one wall of the garage we can save quite a bit of money. There`s a wide path from the road straight to the garage. You can have a concrete surface – or tarmac.

***

Anne: The kitchen looks rather small, doesn`t it?

Jack: Where will that furnace be, Mr. Reed?

Mr. Reed: I think you`ll have as much space as you need, Miss Green. I`ve included a cellar – Mr. Wells agreed to the extra cost for that. The furnace will be in one of the cellar, and the other half will be for storing coke. The coke will be dropped into the cellar through a covered opening in the concrete driveway – just in front of the garage doors.

Jack: How do we get down into the cellar?

Mr. Reed: There`s a door in the kitchen – here, in this corner. The stairs to the cellar are below the stairs to the bedrooms.

Anne: Are you sure the furnace will provide all the water we shall need?

Mr. Reed: Absolutely. It`ll give you all the hot water you`ll need, Miss Green. There`ll be enough for these two radiators in the living-room.

Jack: Well, that`s fine, isn`t it, Anne?

Anne: It`s terrific. What about the upstairs?

***

Mr. Reed: Here`s a rough sketch of the upstairs rooms. The two large bedrooms are on the south. The small bedroom`s on the north. Each of them has a large hanging-cupboard, so there`s no need for separate wardrobes. Here`s the bathroom.

Jack: Father says he told you to put a wash-basin in the largest bedroom.

Mr. Reed: Yes, that`s right. I`ve put it here, on the east wall. Is that where you`d like it?

Anne: There isn`t a window on that side, is there?

Mr. Reed: No, the window`s on the south.

Anne: That`s where I`d have the dressing-table then, and the wash-basin on the east wall.

***

Jack: We discussed lighting last time we saw you, Mr. Reed. Will that be all right?

Mr. Reed: You said you didn`t want standard lamps or table lamps.

Anne: No, neither of us wants them. I don`t like flex running all over the floors. I fall over it.

Mr. Reed: I`ve arranged for indirect lighting in the living-room. The cables will be built into the wall and there`ll be brackets so that the light shines on the ceiling and is reflected downwards. That`s what you want, I think.

Jack: Yes, that will be very good. But you`ll see that there are two or three other points, won`t you?

Anne: We shall want one for the radiogram. And a power point for the vacuum-cleaner.

Mr. Reed: I`ll see to those. You`re having a telephone, aren`t you? Where would you like that? In the living-room?

Jack: No, not in the living-room, please. In the hall, don`t you think, Anne?

Anne: Well, the hall may be a rather cold place for a long conversation on a winter evening!

Jack: Yes, perhaps. But can you think of anything more annoying than having a broadcast of an opera from Covent Garden interrupted by the ringing of the telephone bell? And then having to turn the wireless off, or turn it low, while one of us carries on a telephone conversation?

Anne: You`re right, Jack. I hadn`t thought of that. If the telephone`s in the hall, one of us can go on listening to the broadcast.

Jack: It might be difficult to hear the telephone bell if we were in the garden. The hall`s on the north and the garden`s on the south.

Mr. Reed: It`s not likely that you`d both be in the garden, is it, except perhaps in summer? And in summer the doors would probably be open.

Anne: Let`s have the telephone in the hall, then. It will mean buying a low table and a chair.

Mr. Reed: Oh, there`s one thing I forgot to mention about the kitchen. There`s a larder here, on the north-west corner. You`ll find it quite cool – the window`s on the north.

Anne: That`ll be very useful. I don`t think we shall be able to afford a refrigerator – not for a few years, anyway.

Jack: Most of the kitchen furniture is to be built in, isn`t it?

Mr. Reed: Miss Green and I discussed that very thoroughly when she was here with your father last week. The sink and the draining-boards will be under the window. The electric cooker will be on the other side of the kitchen. And there`ll be plenty of space for a refrigerator and a washing-machine if you get them later on. Perhaps you`ll get them as wedding presents.

Anne: We`ll be lucky if we do!

Mr. Reed: We`ve settled the exterior of the house, haven`t we? Red brick for the walls and red tiles for the roof. And you`re having a fireplace in the living-room – on the east wall.

Jack: I`m glad that could be included, even though we`re having radiators. How do people arrange their furniture if there`s no fireplace to put the chairs round?

Mr. Reed: Round the television set in most homes today, probably. Is there anything else you`d like to ask me about?

Anne: I don`t think I`ve any more questions. What about you, Jack?

Jack: I don`t think so.

Mr. Reed: Well, I`ll make my final plans and send them to you, probably in two or three weeks` time. Then, if you approve everything, the plans can go to the builders.

Anne: Please let me know when the builders start working. We shall want to go and see our house going up.

Mr. Reed: Certainly, Miss Green.

XVIII. Discussion point.

Step A. Put these stages in building a house in the right order and then match them with the expressions from the table.

a) the drains are dug

b) the materials are bought

c) the house is painted

d) the walls are built

e) the site is purchased

f) the site is leveled

g) the foundations are laid

h) the house is ready to live in

i) the roof is put on

j) the doors and windows are put in

k) the electricity and water systems are installed

Step B. Work in groups. You are to design a new house for the richest man in your city. Make a map and sketch your design for the house on this map. Compare your design with those of other groups.

He told you, ``Cost is not important; I just want a big, warm, comfortable house for my wife, my four children and me``. You must decide on the shape of the house, the location and shape of the rooms inside the house. The man wants the following things in his house: six bedrooms, four bathrooms, eight other rooms (kitchen, living-rooms, etc.), one big family play-room, one swimming pool and patio, one tennis court, one billiards room, one exercise room, one greenhouse, three fireplaces.

Step C. Answer the following questions.

1. How is Ukrainian architecture different from that of America?

2. Which style do you like best – classic? Modern? Japanese? Spanish? Arabic?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a house without doors?

4. What is the most unusual or interesting building you know? Describe it.

XIX. Choose the right answer.

1. The ________ smell of the dirty alley drove us away.

a)foul b)grimy c)polluted d)squalid

2. He waited in the ________ for the front door to open.

a)crypt b)inlet c)porch d)threshold

3. Although most of the rooms are small, the hall is _________ .

a)abundant b)extended c)spacious d)tiny

4. The ________ of the roof kept the rain off better.

a)climb b)flow c)plane d)slope

5. The villa has excellent ________ for cooking and for washing clothes.

a)amenities b)conveniences c)facilities d)utilities

6. In the old house he had to bend down to avoid hitting his head on the _______ .

a)beams b)bearings c)props d)supports

7. The kitchen was small and __________ so that the disabled woman could reach everything without difficulty.

a)compact b)complete c)complex d)contained

8. The only way to see into the basement room was by peering through the _________ at the bottom of the wall.

a)drain b)fanlight c)grating d)skylight

9. The _______ built onto the back of the house provided valuable extra space.

a)development b)enlargement c)extension d)growth

10. In _________ the room resembles the letter L.

a)figure b)form c)pattern d)shape

11. Some rooms don`t have curtains at the windows, they have _________ .

a)blinds b)carpets c)gates d)stores

12. When Madeleine lost her front-door _______ , she went straight to the police-station.

a)bolt b)fastener c)key d)lock

13. I was so tired last night that I fell asleep the moment my head touched the _______ .

a)bed b)blanket c)cushion d)pillow

14. It was on the top shelf, out of ________ .

a)achievement b)attempt c)reach d)touch

15. It was very dark in the cellar so he ________ a match.

a)rubbed b)scraped c)scratched d)struck

16. What a beautiful ________ ! It`s a pity we don`t have any flowers to put in it.

a)crystal b)cup c)glass d)vase

17. The house is quiet because the carpets are so _________ .

a)fat b)heavy c)smooth d)thick

18. It was difficult to see anything because the lights were so ___________ .

a)dim b)dull c)faded d)shape

19. The table was a curious ________ as both the top and the legs were curved.

a)form b)model c)pattern d)shape

20. Have you got a ________ in your bag? It`s so dark here that I can`t even see the path.

a)bulb b)candle c)lantern d)torch

21. She closed the windows and drew the ______ before switching on the light.

a)coverings b)curtains c)masks d)shades

22. One end of his single room was used as a kitchen but this was hidden behind a ________ .

a)blind b)screen c)shield d)veil

23. When she cleaned the high windows, she always stood on a three-legged _______ .

a)bench b)chest c)ladder d)stool

24. They ______ us how to work the machine.

a)begged b)demonstrated c)explained d)showed

25. Please wipe your feet on the door- ________ before you come in.

a)blanket b)mat c)rug d)tile

26. You shouldn`t leave your bicycle outside in the rain. It will get _______ .

a)broken b)muddy c)oxidised d)rusty

27. The old lady managed to climb the _______ which was narrow but not all that steep.

a)degree b)ladder c)scale d)staircase

28. The vacuum cleaner is a valuable labour-saving _______ for the busy housewife.

a)device b)engine c)instrument d)piece

29. The windows don`t fit very well and it makes the room awfully __________ .

a)airy b)breezy c)draughty d)ventilated

30. There were four chairs in the living-room, one in each _________ .

a)corner b)edge c)side d)wall

XX. Fill the gaps with a suitable noun, adverb or preposition.

1. I`ve got a darkroom in the ________ where I develop films. It`s perfect because there are no windows down there.

2. Is there a __________ where I can plug in this radio?

3. You`d better a ________ under your drink in case you mark that side-table. It`s an antique.

4. The waste-bin`s full again. I`ll empty it. Are there any more __________ ?

5. We keep our skis up in the _______ during the summer. They`re out of the way up there.

6. You`ll find the garden-chairs in the ___________ at the bottom of the garden. Bring them up and we`ll have a drink on the ___________ and watch the sunset.

7. The light-switch for the stairs is on the ________ as you come out of your bedroom.

8. I`ve moved to a ___________ now as I found I couldn`t manage the stairs any more at my age.

9. He put the plates _______ the cupboard.

10. I took the ham _______ of the fridge, made myself a couple of sandwiches, and then I put the rest of the ham ________ in the fridge.

11. I usually sit _______ the sofa and my husband sits ________ an armchair.

12. I was bored, so I turned _________ the television.

13. You normally cook it _________ the oven for about forty minutes.

14. I took the butter _________ of the fridge and put it ________ the table.

XXII. Reading comprehension (2). Read the article and do the tasks after it.

IT`S OPEN HOUSE AT THE MANOR

It could be a sequel to To the Manor Born – To the Manor Drawn, perhaps. For years Nicky Mander coveted Owlpen Manor, a Tudor pile standing in a remote valley under the edge of the Costwolds, its 200 acres of pasture, meadowland and an enclosed formal garden flanked by beech woods and yews. He often fantasised about living there.

It is dream that came true more than two decades ago when the estate came on to the market and Nicky raised the money to buy it. Since then it has been home to Nicky, a son of Sir Charles Mander and a heir to his baronetcy, his Swedish wife Karin and their five children, all born at Owlpen.

For the past two years that space and the magnificent house has been shared with the public. These days parties of visitors gaze upon the antiques, furniture, painted cloths and Arts and Crafts pieces. Opening Owlpen as a commercial concern was `absolutely essential`, says Karin very firmly. `If we wanted to go on living here we had to make it pay`. Nicky, whose passion for the place led him to study its history in depth and write a detailed booklet about the estate, has more sentiment in his interpretation: `This is a wonderful historic site with architecture from different times. It went through a Sleeping Beauty period when it was left, overgrown with ivy, huge trees falling down, and the place crumbling. That`s how it was until 1925 when Norman Jewson, a latter-day Arts and Crafts architect, came and pulled it back to good shape.

So it is that on a day of washed blue skies and sudden vivid sunshine, Nicky and Karin walk me around the house and cottages and an old mill, which they have converted into holiday accommodation, past the medieval Church of the Holy Cross, and on to the Queen Anne and Georgian gardens and the flowerbeds of the Tudor enclosure, described by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe as possibly the earliest domestic garden in England to survive intact. In summer they serve cream teas on the lawns overlooking the valley and the children, when they are home, help with this. They are also conscripted as wine waiters in the restaurant opened recently in a converted barn where Karin prepares Swedish and European dishes. This often means, she says, `sitting up until the small hours poring over recipe books then working out how to interpret the dishes. Everything is made here, down to the ice-cream and stock for the soups. I never use a bouillon cube`.

The Manders waited until four of the children were at school before `going public`, as Nicky puts it. But Fabian was still only five and, Karin remembers, `He couldn`t understand why I got uptight when he opened the kitchen door on to the hall when a coachload was coming in, or why other children used his slide. On his birthday, which is at Easter, he had to sit in the ticket office with me, opening his presents. It was 100 per cent disruption of family life at first, and even now we are working every day of the week. But the children really enjoy it. They have become very self-sufficient and they get paid – although not very much – when they help or act as guides`.

It is a tiring business and last year, Karin recalls, she and Nicky decided it was a holiday or bust. They went to Sweden for a week, leaving the children in charge. She says, `We did feel more than a little nervous but they were wonderful. The great thing was the children coped in their own way and didn`t ring us the whole week.`

Even when they are there, things do not always go according to plan. Giving Nicky an old-fashioned look, Karin recalls the time Nicky was showing people around the top of the house where the family quarters are. `I`d gone to our bedroom to change. I was stark naked in the middle of the room when in walks Nick, followed by eight people. I dived behind the four-poster and shouted, `Get out!` I suspect those guests are not ones who return regularly.`

And now the afternoon is drawing down, Karin and Nicky move from the garden to the family kitchen with its long wooden table. They open a bottle of wine, clink glasses and consider: `Sometimes we wonder that we`ve taken on, but people seem to be enthusiastic. It means we can live here and we can`t think of a nicer way to earn a living.`

Tick the statements which are true.

1. The family moved into Owlpen Manor less than 20 years ago.

2. His wife was from Switzerland.

3. The youngest son`s name is Fabian.

4. People began to visit this place three years ago.

5. Norman Jewson came and reshaped the house seventy years ago.

6. Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe described the garden as an oldest English garden to survive.

7. When summer comes, children work as waiters at the restaurant.

In the article find synonyms for the following word combinations:

a) to think about

b) as Nicky says

c) to leave somebody responsible for smth.

d) to take smb. for a walk

e) to remain in its original form

f) to undertake

g) to show to the public

h) to get nervous

i) to be in a bad state of repair

Explain in English what is meant by:

a) washed-blue skies

b) to gaze upon

c) to raise the money

d) an old-fashioned look

e) to dive

f) to bust

g) enclosed formal garden

h) to be conscripted as a waiter

i) to covet

j) to crumble

k) to be self-sufficient

Write out the words and phrases describing:

a) the decline of the house

b) artistic and architectural values of the estate

c) family business and life

Retell the text.

XXIII. Discussion point.

Step A. What would you expect to find in the following?

A bureau; a chest-of-drawers; a linen chest; a safe; a sideboard; a wardrobe; a writing table; a fridge; a bathroom cabinet.

Step B. Arrange the following household contents under three headings.

1. Furniture

2. Household appliances

3. Soft furnishings

XXIV. Choose the right answer.

1. Be careful going up the stairs, Ma. Hold on to the ________ .

a)banister b)edge c)railing d)side

2. All the rooms have ________ carpets, which are included in the price of the house.

a)adapted b)equipped c)fitted d)suited

3. She read him a good-night story, __________ him up and then kissed him and turned the light off.

a)fixed b)folded c)packed d)tucked

4. The Palace offered a variety of ________ riches: Persian rugs, marble tables, etc.

a)affluent b)opulent c)packed d)tucked

5. Put the vase on the _______ over the fireplace.

a)ledge b)mantelpiece c)sill d)step

6. The children were sleeping _______ in bed.

a)easily b)homely c)snugly d)softly

7. Don`t leave your coat on the chair, hang it on the _______ behind the door.

a)bracket b)hook c)lump d)rod

8. In the old days, curtains were hung over doors to keep out _______ .

a)breezes b)currents c)draughts d)gales

9. The drawer is _______; I shall have to try and open it with a knife.

a)bolted b)dislocated c)screwed d)stuck

10. With its expensive furniture and carefully-chosen colour scheme the room looked _______ .

a)convenient b)homely c)luxuriant d)luxurious

11. The room was ________ of furniture.

a)absent b)devoid c)scanty d)scarce

12. As Mary opened the door, the candle ________ in the breeze and then went out.

a)flamed b)flickered c)sparkled d)twinkled

13. There is no danger in using this machinery as long as you __________ to safety regulations.

a)abode b)adhere c)comply d)observe

XXV. Writing essays.

1. Describe the house (flat) of your dream.

2. What would our flats and houses be like in future?

Date: 2014-12-22; view: 3414