A.: I'm not really sure. Is it important?
P.: No, not really. Is that a new roof? It looks new.
A.: It is really new. It was put on last year. You can see that it's in very good condition. The previous owner was a builder.
P.: It's quite an old house. I'm worried about the electrical wiring. Has it been rewired?
A.: Yes, it has.
P.: Oh, when was it done?
A.: Five years ago. Also, it's been redecorated. Central heating has been put in, and a new garage has been built.
P.: Oh, when was it done?
A.: Last year… I think. It's a very solid house. It's built with a tiled roof…
P.: It's a long way from a big town. What are the services like?
A.: Hold on… I've got the details here. Yes… let me see… the dustbins are emptied every Thursday.
P.: It's important for me to see the post before I go to work. When is it delivered?
A.: It's usually delivered at about 7.30. The milk is delivered about six o'clock… so you'll have fresh milk for breakfast.
P.: It's certainly very cheap. I've seen a lot of similar houses… and they're more expensive.
A.: Ah, yes… it's a real bargain.
P.: Are there any plans for the area?
A.: Pardon? Plans… well, a new school is going to be built in the village next year…
P.: Anything else?
A.: … and a new road, a motorway actually, will be built next year, too. You'll be able to get to London easily.
P.: Where exactly will the motorway be built?
A.: Well, actually, it'll be built behind the house. A bridge will be constructed over the house. It'll be very interesting. You'll be able to watch the traffic…
Ex.12. Speak about Mr. Palmer's impressions about the house and make a conclusion if he is going to buy it.
Ex.13. You want to buy a house but you can't find anything to your liking in the newspaper. That's why you've decided to apply to an estate agent. Make up a list of details (the type of the house and conveniences) you are interested in. The estate agent is trying to help you.
Ex.14. You are to interview a famous actress (your group mate) who always talks willingly about her home.
Ask her
- what her address is;
- if she lives in a flat or a house of her own;
- what kind of house it is;
- what modern conveniences she has;
- if she lives in the centre of the city or in the suburbs;
- if she has got a security system, a video entry phone.
Ex.15. Make a written report (200 words) about the actress's housing conditions.
Ex.16. Read the text and say how a new house can influence people’s mood.
It’s beautiful, perfect, brand-new, and you wouldn’t believe how affordable. It’s on an odd lot, which make a little a cheaper. Three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a walk-out basement. And so many extras!
Enormous as the moving van seemed, the new house was more enormous still, a split level with an attached garage. No longer did their store their teacups on the windowsill. Now Mona and Collie had a room Theresa had a room, Helen and Ralf had a Room, and in addition they had a living-room and a dining-room both, and a closet that could be made into a study, and a basement that could become a playroom; not to say a kitchen, of course (with that nook Helen loved, and wall-to wall carpeting, and own flight of stairs.
There was the last house of the neighbourhood to be build, but when they moved to the area was still so new that local maps showed it as a woods. The just-paved dead end was shiny black as the enamel walls of their oven, and all the yards were staked off with twine. Some of the more ambitious neighbors had planted bushes and trees too, but the grass was the true binding hope of the neighbourhood their life seemed so bright, so radiant with truth and discovery! A paradise, they agreed. An ocean liner compared to a rowboat with leaks. A Cadillac compared to an aisle seat on the bus. A top-quality family was growing out of a top-quality house, or so Helen believed. Taking her afternoon rest on the living-room couch, her feet on the cardboard cocktail table (she was saving up for a new one, and maybe for a love seat too, to go in her nook of the kitchen, she couldn’t help but wonder – could a house give live to a family?
Ex.17. Write an essay about the role of home in the life of people.
RENTING A FLAT
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
Anna is working in London sales office of Lufthansa, the big German airline. She is going to be in London for at least two years. She likes the job; she likes London. The reason she is not happy is that she cannot find a room of her own. She has looked at many flats but they have all been so expensive. At the moment she is staying with a cousin in Putney, a suburb of London. The two girls do not get on well together. Anna knows that she must find a room of her own. She likes Putney. The journey to her office only takes twenty minutes. So the question is: Can she find a room in Putney for a reasonable rent?
On Tuesday, April the 15th, Anna asked the manager for the morning off. The manager said that she could have the whole day free. She left the house and got a bus to Putney Bridge. Anna set off for the offices of the Echo, the local newspaper, to put an advertisement. She arrived at the offices of the Echo at twenty past nine and went up to the advertising department on the second floor.
Opposite her she saw a pretty, dark-haired girl and smiled at her. The girl was also filling a form.
Anna looked at the girl for a while and finally said:
Anna: Excuse me. I’m not quite sure how you say this in English. Do you say:”I want to let a room” or “I want to rent a room?”
Girl: Well, that depends. Have you got a room, or…
Anna: No, I want one …
Girl: Then you want to rent a room. You rent a room from someone, you let a room to someone.
Anna: I see. I always mix up those two verbs.
Susan: You speak very good English. Where do you come from?
Anna: Germany. My home’s in Hamburg. My name’s Anna Klein.
Susan: How do you do? I’m Susan Bond. (They shake hands) You say you’re looking for a room?
Anna: Yes.
Susan: Furnished or unfurnished?
Anna: Furnished.
Susan: Hm. How much do you want to pay?
Anna: Not more than five pounds a week.
Susan: That’s funny. We want to let a room, and the rent is five pounds a week. Why don’t you come and see it? It’s quite near here.
Susan and Anna left the offices of the Echo together. They crossed the bridge over the river and walked along the busy High Street. Then they climbed a steep hill and took the third turning on the left. The name of the street was Chestnut Avenue.
It was a tall, well-built house. Anna liked the look of it immediately. Susan walked up a short flight of steps and opened the front door. Anna followed her into the hall.
Susan: Mother’s out. But I can show you the room. It’s on the top floor. (They climbed the stairs). Here we are. (She opens a door on the landing at the top of the stairs).
Anna: What a lovely room!
Susan: You like it?
Anna: Yes, I do. Very much. (She walks over to the window and looks at the view). And such a marvelous view! Doesn’t the river look beautiful when the sun’s shining on it? I do like to live near the water. You’ve got a very nice garden, haven’t you?
Anna liked the room very much. It was bigger than she expected - about twenty feet (6 meters) long by sixteen feet (5 meters) wide. One end had a curtain in front of it. Anna looked behind the curtain. In one corner there was a wash-basin. She turned on the taps. The water from the hot tap was really hot. There was also an electric cooker, and on a shelf above it there were three new saucepans and a frying pan. Beside the cooker there was a small cupboard. Anna opened it. In it there were plates, cups, saucers and a teapot. In a drawer at the top there were knives, forks and spoons. This part of the room was really a small kitchen. Anna pulled back the curtain and looked at the rest of the room.
The carpet was light grey and covered most of the floor. In front of the gas fire there was a thick red rug. The curtains were also red – but of a lighter shade. The walls were white. The sun was now shining brightly through the window. It was a cheerful comfortable room.
Beneath the window there was a dressing-table with three drawers and a mirror. There were two armchairs, a small table with reading lamps and a few pictures on the walls. Anna did not like the pictures. “I’ll soon change those”, she thought, for she had already decided that she wanted the room. Next to the gas fire there was a large built-in cupboard for clothes.
That evening Anna met Mrs. Bond. The two of them got on very well.
Mrs. Bond: Well, that’s fine, Anna. We’ll be very pleased to have you. When do you want to move in?
Anna: May I come on Saturday?
Mrs. Bond: Yes, of course. I’ll be in all Saturday morning. I hope you ‘ll like it here.
So, Anna got a room with a view over the river Themes.
Ex.1. Translate the following sentences from the text. Compare the ways of expressing the same idea in English and in Russian.
1. Anna is working in the London sales office of Lufthansa, the big German airline.
2. ... she cannot find a room of her own.
3. At the moment she is staying with a cousin in Putney, a suburb of London.
4. The two girls do not get on well together.
5. Can she find a room in Putney for a reasonable rent?
6. Anna asked the manager for the morning off. The manager said that she could have the whole day free. She left the house and got a bus to Putney Bridge.
7. Anna set off for the offices of the Echo, the local newspaper to put an advertisement. She arrived at the office of the Echo at twenty past nine and went up to the advertising department on the second floor.
8. They crossed the bridge over the river and walked along the busy High Street. Then they climbed a steep hill and took the third turning on the left.
9. It was a tall, well-built house. Anna liked the look of it immediately. Susan walked up a short flight of steps and opened the front door. Anna followed her into the hall.
10. She walks over to the window and looks at the view… “Doesn’t the river look beautiful when the sun’s shining on it? I do like to live near the water”.
11. Anna pulled back the curtain and looked at the rest of the room.
12. The curtains were also red, but of a lighter shade.
13. There were two reading lamps and a few pictures on the walls.
14. … she had already decided that she wanted the room.
15. Anna got a room with a view over the river Themes.
Ex.2. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases. Arrange them into groups according to the subject matter.
По крайней мере; своя собственная комната; посмотреть много квартир; дорогой (о цене); дорога на работу занимает 20 минут; умеренная плата за квартиру; во вторник 15 апреля; можете быть свободны весь день; отправиться куда-либо; редакция местной газеты; поместить объявление; отдел объявлений на третьем этаже; заполнить бланк(анкету); напротив кого-либо; улыбнуться кому-либо; смотреть на кого-либо некоторое время; сказать что-либо по-английски; сдавать комнату кому-либо; меблированная комната; шесть метров в длину и 5 метров в ширину; на верхнем этаже; заглянуть за занавес; повернуть краны; рядом с чем-либо; в ящике наверху; ковер покрывал почти весь пол; быть более светлым по тону; настольная лампа; въехать в квартиру.
Ex.3. Arrange the points in logical order. Reproduce the original text using the key words below.
1. to ask for the morning off, to get a bus, to set off for, to put an advertisement, to sit down examining the form.
2. to speak good English, to come from, to shake hands, a furnished room, five pounds a week, to be quite near here.
3. a room of her own, at the moment, not to get on well together, the journey to her office, for a reasonable rent.
4. opposite her, a dark-haired girl, to smile at her, to fill in the form, to say smth, in English, not to be quite sure, to rent a room, to let a room to someone.
5. to climb the stairs, on the landing, what a lovely room, to walk over to the window, to stay here.
6. She liked the look of it, to walk up a short flight of steps, to follow sob, to be out, to show the room, on the top floor.
7. to leave the office, to cross the bridge, to climb a steep hill, to take the third turning on the left.
8. to cover most of the floor, in front of the gas-fire, of a lighter shade, through the window, beneath the window, next to the gas-stove.
9. to be pleased, to move in, to be in, you’ll like it here, to get a room, a view over the river.
10. to be bigger than she expected, to look behind the curtain, in the corner, turn on the tap, a shelf above, beside the cooker, in a drawer at the top, to pull back the curtain.
Ex.4. Disagree with the following statements and correct them. Give reasons for your disagreement. Make sure you begin your answer with such commonly accepted phrases as:
I don’t think that’s quite right.
You are not quite right (there).
I’m afraid I don’t agree with you.
That’s not quite right.
I wouldn’t say so.
Oh no, quite on the contrary.
As far as I remember.
1. When Anna asked her manager for the morning off, he refused.
2. Anna is staying at the hotel but she wants a room of her own.
3. Anna doesn’t like Putney.
4. On the morning of April the 15th Anna set off for shopping.
5. Susan was the first to start the conversation.
6. Anna left the office of the Echo alone and went to her office.
7. When the girls arrived Mrs. Bond was busy in the kitchen.
8. At first Anna didn’t like the house and the room.
9. Anna decided not to change anything in the room.
10. Anna decided to move in the next day.
11. When Mrs.Bond met Anna, she was disappointed
Ex.5. Answer the following questions:
1. What is Anna doing in London? How long is she going to be in London?
2. Why does Anna want to find a room of her own?
3. Why does she want to find a room in Putney?
4. What makes her difficult to find a room?
5. Why did Anna ask the manager for the morning off? When did she do it?
6. The manager let her have the whole day free, didn’t he?
7. Where and when did Anna meet Susan? What was Susan doing in the advertising department of the local paper?
8. Why did Anna agree to go and see the room?
9. What was the name of the street where Susan lived and how did the girls get there?
10. What did the street look like?
11. Susan’s mother was out when the girls arrived, wasn’t she?
12. Did Anna like the room? What did she like about the room?
13. What made the room cheerful and comfortable?
14. What did Anna want to change in the room?
15. When was Anna going to move in?
16. What is Anna’s address in England now?
Ex.6. Talk about:
a) Anna’s decision to have a room of her own;
b) Anna’s meeting with Susan;
c) c) Susan’s house and the room Anna got.
Ex. 7. Read the text and retell it on the part of Mary.
Mary and Tom are a young married couple. They are looking for a flat. This is quite a problem for them because furnished flats in London are not only difficult to find but they are nearly always very expensive.
Flats are usually advertised in the local paper and in the London evening papers. Mary and Tom are looking under “Furnished Flats to Let”. There are advertisements about several flats in today’s newspaper. But Mary and Tom are looking for a self-contained flat with its own entrance, one bedroom, one living-room and a kitchen and bathroom. Their flat must be in a house (detached, semidetached or terrace) close to a shopping centre and a tube station; besides it must not be too far from Tom’s office as fares in London are very expensive, especially for students and people with low-paid jobs. Here is one of the advertisements they are reading now: “Flat over shop to Let. Fully furn. Incl. Fridge, cooker, 1 room, kit. & bath. No children or pets. 40 pounds pw. 23 Rosewood st.” Mary is going to see that flat today. It is in quite a good neighbourhood, not far from Tom’s office, so it may suit them…
Ex.8. You want to let a room. Make up an advertisement to a local newspaper.
MODERN FLATS
Getting the keys to your first home signals the beginning of a new chapter in your life and there has never been more choice for young Glasgow house hunters to find their perfect home, with something to suit every taste and pocket. Linda Robertson takes a look inside two homes that would make an ideal first-time buy.
Moving from the Dunblane family home into Glasgow heralded the beginning of independence for 24-year-old Mark Nicolson.
The charted accountant had started a job in Glasgow and a city center residence was just what he needed – and he found 432 St Vincent Street was right up his street.
It only took him five minutes to view the property before instructing a survey to buy. Mark says:” This flat is in a fantastic location for me. It is only five minutes from work and five minutes into the centre of town. I had rented properties while I was a student in Glasgow, so I knew the area and the heart of the city was where I wanted to buy”.
It has been Mark’s home for the last two years, but now he is moving to another newly-built flat in the west end. He believes 432 St Vincent Street is one of the best first-time buys around for a single professional or a young couple.
“The spiral staircase from the lounge up to the gallery room was what won me over. It only took a few minutes to make up my mind. The gallery room also has a timber barreled wall and it makes an excellent bedroom. The semi-circular window there lets in loads of light and the flat is very bright and roomy. There is also plenty of storage space in this flat because it has access to a loft.”
The flat has two big bedrooms, has contemporary décor throughout and is well maintained. There is laminate flooring in the lounge and the spiral staircase features an iron balustrade into a gallery room that can be used as a bedroom, dining room or a study area. One of the bedrooms in the top floor flat has two windows at the rear of the property. There are cream units in the kitchen, a three-piece suit in the bathroom and an electric shower.
Other advantages include double glazing, central heating and a resident’s car parking space to the rear. The close vicinity to the city center and easy access to the M8 are other plus points.
The fixed price is L 69,950 and further information can be had from Slater Hogg & Hokinson on 0141 552 8599.
Ex.1 Find the sentences with the following words and word combinations, read and translate them.
To instruct a survey, to view the property, the best first time buyers, to win somebody, a loft, a top floor flat, close vicinity.
Ex.2. Match the words from the columns to make phrases. Translate them and think of your own sentences with them
city space
center residence
newly-built professional
spiral wall
timber barreled window
floor décor
single flooring
semicircular flat
storage staircase
laminate flat
top
contemporary
Ex.3. Find the words which mean the same.
Advantages, specious, not married, to have a look, modern, in good condition, a place for parking, a flat on the upper floor, the center of the city.
Ex.4. Paraphrase using word combinations from the text.
1. The flat is situated in the area that suits me perfectly. It takes me only 5 minutes to get to my work.
2.It was the spiral staircase that I liked most of all.
3.There is a lot of place to keep different things.
4.The flat has modern decorations and is in good condition.
5.This makes the room spacious and full of light.
Ex.5. Find in the text attributes used to describe
a) the flat on the whole;
b) rooms;
c) furniture;
d) the place where the flat is situated.
Sunny Side up Makes This the Perfect
Home for Sharon
If you are in need of some sunshine in your life, Sharon Morrison’s stunning Shawlands flat could be right up your street. With wooden floors, stylish décor and streams of sunlight flooding through the windows, the top floor tenement flat is warm and welcoming home. It was the sunlight-streaked rooms that won over accountant Sharon.
“I was house hunting for two or three months before I found this flat’, says the 29-year-old. “It was its brightness that really attracted me. It faces the south-west and is really sunny. I looked at a few other flats after seeing this one, but this place always stuck in my mind because it was so bright and airy. It was basically in walk-in condition. I knew I could live it straight away without needing to gut it and start again.”
The next owners will not have much to do on the decorating front either. Sharon has decorated her home in neutral shades, adding splashes of colour and texture with lots of accessories.
“I have kept things minimal, because I like them natural”, she says. The flat still has many original features, such as cast cornicing and feature fireplaces in the lounge and two bedrooms. “The lounge is my favourite room because it gets the sun all day. It means the flat is always warm and I do not need to have the heating on very often”
Sharon has a modern, fitted kitchen in light oak and a built-in oven hob and canopy. There is a small dining area that can take a table and chairs. Her bedroom is dominated by a beautiful iron bed and the decorative fireplace is a focal point in the room. The second double bedroom is currently being used as a study and it also has a decorative fireplace. It is an extremely spacious flat, with plenty of storage. The south side of Glasgow is proving as popular as the west end with house hunters, thanks to its affordable accommodation and multitude of bars, restaurants and independent shops.
“I worked in the west end and looked at a lot of properties there, but they were just too expensive’, says Sharon. “ The south side has everything the west end has – great shops, nice bars and pubs, a lovely park and good transport links. That’s why I shoes Shawlands because it’s like a little west end”.
Sharon’s flat is in an enviable position. It is in the heart of Shawlands yet within a street that is virtually noise-free. “The flat is ideal for a young professional person” says Sharon. “It’s so handy for everything, from shops to bars – and you don’t need to find a taxi after a night out”.
The flat is on the market at offers over L 65,000 and includes all blinds, light fitting (except hall), gas fire in lounge, oven, hob and canopy, shower fitments and alarm system.
For more details contact seal Estate Agents on 0104 649 8899.
Ex.1. Read the sentences with the following words and word combinations, translate them.
To stick in one’s mind, original features, to house hunt, to gut, a fitted kitchen, a double room, enviable position, to be handy.
Ex.2. Match the words from the columns to make phrases. Translate them and think of your own sentences with them.
feature links
neutral accommodation
built-in condition
walk-in point
dining shop
focal room
affordable shades
independent area
transport fireplaces
sunlight-streaked kitchen
fitted oven
Ex.3. Find the words and word combinations which mean the same:
Immediately, full of air, the most attractive place of the room, accommodation for a reasonable price, a quiet place, private shops, to warm the room, because of, to look for a house.
Ex.4. Express the same idea using phrases from the text.
1. I was looking for a house for two or three months.
2. The windows look on the south-west, and the flat is hull of sunlight.
3. The first thing that you see in the bedroom is a beautiful iron bed.
4. The south side of Glasgow is becoming as popular as the west end with those who want to rent a flat because of the reasonable price of the accommodation and because there are a lot of bars, restaurants and private shops.
5. The flat is in the center of the city and the street is really very quiet.
6. Everything is very convenient, from shops to bars.
Ex.5. Write down the advantages of each flat. Then compare them and try to find out if they are the same.
Ex.6. Give expanded answers to the following questions:
1. What is special about each flat?
2. Is there anything that can be considered as a disadvantage?
3. Which if two flats would you prefer? Why?
Ex.7. Advertise one of the two flats to your group mates and try to convince him(her) that it is the best choice for him (her). Work in pairs.
Ex. 8. Talk about types of flats which are most popular among young couples and single professionals.
9. THE HOUSE OF THE FUTURE
Automation is the use of automatic equipment and machines to do work previously done by people.
1. How much automation is there in your home?
2. What would you expect to find in a fully automated house?
Share your ideas with the class.
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