Use the italicized words and word combinations in sentences of your own.

Text III

A Flat in our Country

A modern flat in our country is a three-room flat with constant hot water, a refuse-chute and built-in cupboards.

The study is a simply-furnished room. The main piece of furniture is the writing desk. Next to it stands a bookcase with sliding glass doors. The sofa against the wall faces the TV set of the latest model.

The adjoining room is the dining room. When dinnertime comes, the host(ess) spreads the tablecloth and sets the table. She/he takes the crockery and cutlery out of the sideboard and puts them on the table.

The walls in the bedroom are papered with beautiful wallpaper. There is parquet on the floor. The built-in wardrobe saves much floor space. The lampshade of the suspended lamp makes the room look cosy. A beautiful thick carpet, matching the furniture, is spread on the floor.

It is pleasant to have such a nice apartment!

1. Translate the text into Russian.

1. Explain the difference between the words below:

A flat – an apartment

Last – latest

 

Exercise 1

Give the 4 forms of the following words:

Spread, choose, pay, sell, set, put, take, keep, make, coat, give, write, come, find, see, buy, build, go, show.

 

Exercise 2

Complete the sentences:

1. They moved into a two-room flat with all modern conveniences including a refuse chute and constant ….

2. The main piece of furniture in the bedroom is ….

3. When dinnertime came ….

4. The walls in the living room are ….

5. The floor is not painted, it is …

6. The carpet which is spread on the floor ….

7. It is dinnertime, spread ….

8. The crockery and cutlery are ….

9. Built-in cupboards ….

10. The wallpaper patterned with leaves makes the room ….

 

Exercise 3

Translate into English:

1. Очень удобно, когда в квартире постоянно горячая вода.

2. Главное в этом гарнитуре – раздвижной обеденный стол.

3. Шторы и ковер гармонировали с обоями и делали комнату очень уютной.

4. В столовой – паркет, а на кухне пол крашеный.

5. Не накрывай на стол, я еще не расстелила скатерть. Где ножи и вилки?

6. Стены в ванной кафельные, в коридоре – покрашены, а на кухне – побелены, а в гостиной оклеены обоями.

7. Что обычно расстелено на полу?

8. Какого цвета абажур у люстры?

9. Их новые апартаменты состоят из трех комнат, ванной, кухни, туалета и прихожей.

10. Что делает их жилище таким удобным и уютным?

11. Ты не могла бы расстелить скатерть и накрыть на стол? Возьми в шкафу посуду, вилки и ножи.

12. Кроме круглосуточной горячей воды в их квартире есть все современные удобства, включая мусоропровод и телефон.

 

Exercise 4

Read and translate into Russian. Use the italicized words and expressions in sentences or short stories of your own:

Text 1

1. My elder sister has a room of her own. It faces a large square and she has a good view of the city from the windows. The room has a south-facing aspect so it is full of light all day long. The curtains on the windows match the walls which are papered with wallpaper of a pretty pattern. There is parquet in the room.

 

2. The carpet on the floor makes the room look very cosy. The room is not overcrowded with furniture. In the right-hand corner, next to the divan-bed, there is a writing desk with a plain wooden chair next to it.

 

3. The room is rather spacious. It is about 15 square metres. All the pieces of furniture fit in very well. A number of bookshelves against the wall are not out of place either.

 

Text 2

1. My aunt moved into a new flat last month. We were invited to their house-warming party, so we could have a look at their flat.

Most of all I liked the kitchen. It’s unusually spacious, about 10 square metres, with all modern conveniences. There is even a refuse chute, so my aunt could get rid of the garbage can which my cousin had to empty in the yard twice a day.

2. The gas-cooker/stove with four rings/burners has an oven to bake pies in. The walls are tiled and it makes the kitchen look clean. In the right-hand corner stands a fridge of the latest model (the fridge is the latest model). It’s very spacious.

Against the wall stands a kitchen table. Beside it there are two square stools. On the top shelf of the cupboard there is crockery, on the middle shelf there is a tea set. In one of the drawers my aunt keeps the cutlery.

3. The plate rack above the kitchen sink is close at hand. The only thing which is out of place here, to my mind, is the armchair which occupies much floor space and doesn’t fit in there.

Through the door on the left we enter the adjoining – room. It is also very comfortable, with a built-in closet and a new suite of furniture.

My relatives are indeed lucky to have got such a nice apartment.

House and Flat

Sean A. Stack

Most people in Britain live in houses, with only a few, usually in the poorer areas of the city, living in flats. Many flats were built in the ‘60s, but now these great blocks of flats are often in ruins, and some have already been demolished to make room for more houses. The terraced houses which the blocks replaced are being rebuilt, and far more popular. Terraced houses are usually for working families, but now in London, where houses prices are very high, the middle classes are moving into them and changing the character of entire streets. In the suburbs one finds older middle class areas, with semi-detached or detached houses, all with large gardens, and a garage for the car.

Most houses have two or three bedrooms on the upper floor. These are often furnished with fitted furniture, which is built especially to fit that room. There will be a bed or a double bed for the married couple, a desk, a dressing table, and bedside table, where a lamp and an alarm clock would stand. On the ground floor there will be a bathroom and toilet, a kitchen, a living room and perhaps a dining room. Only the largest houses have a study or library nowadays.

Twenty years ago, to have all modern conveniences (all mod cons as they are called for short) meant to have running water and an indoor toilet. Now, a house is considered primitive if it doesn’t have a bath and a shower, a washing machine and a dishwasher, a cooker and a microwave oven, a refrigerator and a freezer. Of course, a television in the living room is considered a necessity, and there is usually a video-player there as well. There will be a three piece suite, consisting of a sofa and two armchairs, a coffee table, usually covered with newspapers opened at the television page, and probably some cabinets displaying favourite ornaments, or old family photographs, or books.

The dining room is usually next to the kitchen, at the rear of the house, and is dominated by the big dining table under a tablecloth, surrounded by chairs. There will be pictures on the wall, but usually there is no other furniture in this room, expect perhaps a small cabinet for cutlery and crockery. Every room is carpeted, except for the bathroom and the kitchen.

One can tell a lot about the owners of a house by looking at the garden. If it is neat, with a short lawn and well-kept flowerbeds, you will find tidy, houseproud, conventional people. If the lawn is overgrown, and the flowers choken by weeds, you have found a house of lazy people – the house will probably be dirty inside as well. If the garden is used for growing vegetables, you will find careful, practical people inside, who probably enjoy to work in the garden if it is for something useful, like homegrown potatoes or cabbage. But if you find a garden where all the plants have been covered by concrete, then you’ve found someone who hates people staring at this garden to see what sort of person he is. So don’t stand there looking too long, or he may come out and hit you.

 

1. Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary.

2. Explain the difference between the words below:

A study – a cabinet

3. Write in the missing words and use them in sentences of your own:

___ ruins, to make room ___, to move ___, ___ the suburbs, ___ the upper floor, to consist ___, to be covered ___, next ___, ___ the rear ___ the house, except ___, to stare ___, to come ___.

4. Prepare a report on housing in this country using the text above.

 

Memory Practice

Learn the following dialogues by heart:

Dialogue № 1

– So you have moved into a new flat, haven’t you?

- Yes, last Saturday we had our house-warming party. Now we have a nice three-room flat with all mod cons in a new block of flats in the centre of the city. Here’s the front entrance.

- Shall we have to climb the stairs?

- No, there is a lift to take us up… This is our landing… By the way, Pete’s flat is two flights down.

 

Dialogue № 2

– Let me help you out of your coat. Hang your hat on that peg… Now I’ll show you round the flat. This door leads to the living room.

- What a spacious room! What’s the floor space?

- About 25 square metres, I believe.

- I like the pattern of the wallpaper. It makes the room look gay.

- The room is not well furnished yet. The sofa fits in very well, but the writing desk looks out of place here.

- But don’t cram too much furniture into the room. There should be enough space to move about. I don’t like heavy pieces of furniture.

- You are quite right. An overcrowded room doesn’t show good taste.

- You get a fine view from the balcony!

- On the right you see a shopping centre. Everything is close at hand.

Dialogue № 3

– Here is our bedroom.

- A very nice room. A cheval mirror, a dressing table… But where is the wardrobe?

- We have a built-in wardrobe. It’s very convenient. Much floor space is saved.

- Is this your kitchen? We also have a gas cooker/stove and a refrigerator for storing perishable foods in. But we have no refuse chute.

- These shelves are for kitchen utensils and this is a sink with a rack for dishes above.

- Indeed, you are lucky to have such a nice apartment!

 

1. Explain the difference between the words below:

Comfortable – convenient

2. Read the dialogues and make up your own ones using the italicized vocabulary

Dialogue № 4

can’t make head or tail of sth – understand

or rather – to be more exact

it’ll cost you a pretty penny – cost much

it is not likely to fall in value – price is not going down

scaffolding – poles and planks to help construction

How much will it be? – How much will it cost?

Have it your own way – just as you please, if you don’t want to tell me, I don’t want to know.

If I were in your shoes – in your situation

French windows – a pair of light doors made of glass in a frame usually opening out on to a garden or balcony

 

Building a House

 

- I hear you’re going to build a house, or rather to have a house built.

- Yes, my wife is keen to have a house of her own.

- What sort of house is it going to be?

- Oh, a fairly big one of two storeys. I’ve bought the site. Land’s pretty dear here.

- Then, it must have cost you a pretty penny.

- It did. But it’ll be a good investment and the land is not likely to fall in value as years go by.

- Have you got the plans?

- Yes, they are in my flat. Care to come and have a look?

- I’d love to, but I can’t make head or tail of plans of houses. And have the workmen begun yet?

- They began some time ago. Come along and see how they are getting on.

- Oh, they’re putting up the scaffolding. That means they’ll soon be laying the bricks. And how much will it be, by the way?

- Oh, not very much.

- All right. Have it your way.

- I’ve made big money lately and this seems a good way of spending it.

- You’re lucky. I wish I were in your shoes.

- Look here at the plan. There’ll be French windows opening on to each balcony.

- I’m happy you are going to have a house of your own. Well, I must be going now. So long.

- So long. I hope I’ll see you soon.

Dialogue № 5

A Room to Let

Student: Landlady: Student:   Landlady:     Student: Landlady:   Student: Landlady:   Student:   Landlady:   Student: Landlady:   Student: Landlady:   Student:   Landlady:     Student: Landlady:   Student:     Landlady:

Hello. Is that Mrs Davies? Speaking. Good afternoon. My name’s Stephen Brent. I was given your address by the student accommodation agency. I understand you have a room to let. Yes, that’s right. I’ve just got one room still vacant. It’s rather small, but I’m sure you’ll find it’s very comfortable. I see. And how much do you charge for it? The rent’s Ј25 a week. That includes electricity, but not gas. Has the room got central heating? No, it’s got a gas fire which keeps the room very warm. I see… And what about furniture? It is furnished, isn’t it? Oh yes… There’s a divan bed in the corner with a new mattress on it… Let me see… There’s a small wardrobe, an armchair, a coffee table, a bookshelf… Is there a desk? Yes, there’s one under the window. It’s got plenty of drawers and there’s a lamp on it. Oh good… Is there a washbasin/sink in the room? No, I’m afraid there isn’t a washbasin. But there’s a bathroom just across the corridor, and that’s got a washbasin and a shower as well as a bath. You share the bathroom with the people in the other rooms. The toilet is separate, but unfortunately it’s on the floor below. Oh, that’s all right… What about cooking? Can I cook my own meals? Well, there’s a little kitchenette next to your room. It hasn’t got a proper cooker in it, but there’s a gas ring and an electric kettle by the sink. I find my students prefer to eat at the university. I see. And is the room fairy quiet? Oh yes. It’s at the back of the house. It looks onto the garden and it faces south, so it’s bright and sunny, too. It’s very attractive, really. And it’s just under the roof, so it’s got a low, sloping ceiling. Would you like to come and see it? I’ll be in for the rest of the day. Yes, I’m very interested. It sounds like the kind of room I’m looking for. Can you tell me how to get there? Oh, it’s very easy. The house is only five minutes’ walk from Finchley Road tube station. Turn right outside the station, and then it’s the third street on the left. You can’t miss it. It’s got the number on the gate. It’s exactly opposite the cemetery.

 

1. Explain the difference between the words below:

To let – to rent

To charge – to pay

To include – to exclude

2. Read the dialogues and make up your own ones using the italicized vocabulary

Listening Practice

Flatmates

 

I. PRE-LISTENING TASK

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