Our Flat in the City.

We live in a new district in Moscow. We have got a flat in a new block of flats. There are sixteen floors in it. We live on the fourth floor. We’ve got a very nice flat. There are four rooms in it: a living-room, a bedroom, a study, a children’s room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet and a hall.

The living-room is not very large, but it’s very cosy. It has got two windows. The windows overlook the street. There are a lot of flowers on the windowsills.

There is a sofa, two armchairs, a piano, a wall unit and a TV set in the room. There is a beautiful carpet on the floor. There are two pictures on the wall.

In the bedroom there are two beds, two small tables and lamps above the beds. On the beds there are big soft pillows with neat pillow-cases, sheets and blankets. There is a rug near the bed. There is also a mirror and a wardrobe in the room.

The furniture in the children’s room is quite simple: twin-beds for children, a bookcase, a desk, two chairs and a toy chest. The room is big.

The study is small. There is not much furniture there. There is a desk, a sofa, an armchair, a bookcase and many bookshelves. We have got a lot of books. They are on the shelves and in the bookcase. There is a computer and a telephone there.

The kitchen is large. There’s a cupboard, a cooker with an oven and a fridge there.

The bathroom is not very large. There is a shower unit, a wash basin, a shelf with the mirror and a toilet in it.

Our flat is very cosy and comfortable. Our flat has got all modern conveniences such as central heating, electricity, gas, hot and cold running water and a telephone.

I like my flat very much. There is no place like home.

Ex.1 Imagine you have just moved into a new flat, and for the first six months you can only have six of the following. Which would you choose?

Sofa carpets dishwasher cooker sofa kettle

Desk bed dining table washing machine armchair carpet

Saucepans mixer TV-set curtains fridge mirror

Ex.2 Name:

1. three things in the lounge and kitchen you can turn on/off.

2. three things in the kitchen you can wash.

3. three things in the lounge and kitchen you can sit on.

4. two things you can use to boil water.

Ex.3 Complete each sentence with a word from the list.

Alarm comb gown hanger mirror pillow table toothpaste towel Slippers

1. My hair is in an awful mess. Have you got a …………………………………..?

2. When I get up I put my dressing ………….. and go downstairs.

3. It’s sometimes a shock to see your own face in the ……………………… .

4. Helen always sits at her dressing ……………and brushes her hair.

5. When I’m in the house I take off my shoes and put on …………………………

6. I want to clean my teeth but I can’t find any ……………………………………

7. Every morning at 6.30 the …………….clock goes off and I wake up.

8. You can wash your hands here, and there is a ………… behind the door.

9. I can’t get to sleep unless I have a really comfortable ……………………………

10. You can put your coat in the wardrobe on a coat …………………………………

Ex.4 Match each sentence with the necessary object from the list

Hairdryer iron lawnmover razor scissors tin-opener

1. Do you fancy some tinned beans for lunch? ……………………………………………

2. They grass in the back garden is awfully long. ………………………………………….

3. Sam has been letting his beard grow but now he’s going to shave. …………………….

4. When it’s long like this you need more than a towel. …………………………………..

5. You can’t go out with all those creases in your shirt.

Ex.5 Arrange the following adjectives in antonymic pairs. Use them in sentences of your own.

a/ high, cheap, simple, usual, useful, lovely, bright, nice, cold, long, heavy, bald, rich, light, noisy, huge, enormous, broad, young, early, strong, easy, clean, alive, dry, healthy, funny, clever, sensible, safe, fast, tidy, spacious;

b/ narrow, tiny, small, quiet, dark, expensive, poor, good, light, old, late, weak, short, hot, ugly, dark, terrible, useless, hard, extraordinary, low, impossible, dirty, damp, sick, stupid, foolish, sad, difficult, dangerous, slow, untidy.

Ex.6 Read the descriptions and complete the table.

1. We’ve just moved to a house in the suburbs. It’s got three bedrooms and a large garden. It’s very spacious and there’s lots of room for the children. The living room faces south, so it’s quite sunny.

2. I’ve got a 4-room flat in a big block near the city centre. It’s on the 5^th floor, and has a lovely view on the park. It’s very convenient for the shops, too. Unfortunately it’s on a main road, so it’s a bit noisy.

3. They’ve also got a little cottage in the country. It’s in a lovely position, right on the edge of a small lake, but it doesn’t get much sun, so it’s rather dark inside.

4. I’ve found a quiet little flat in the old part of the town. It’s a bit small- just 2 rooms. But it’s got a balcony which looks out on a square.

	What type?	Where is it?	More about its position
A			Faces south
B	flat
C		In the country
D
Your home

Ex.7 Complete these sentences with a suitable phrase use one item from Box A and one from Box B (e.g. the city + centre = the city centre)

A a detached a main a view block faces looks out the city the ninth

B centre floor house north of flats of the sea on a park road

1. They live on the coast. Their living room window has …………………………………

2. I hope the lift’s working: he lives on …………………………………………………..!

3. We live in ..........................................................…, so we don’t hear our neighbors’ TV.

4. Our bedroom window……………………………, so it doesn’t get much sun.

5. We get a lot of traffic noise: we live on ………………………………………………..

6. Our balcony ……………………………..- it’s a very pleasant place to sit.

7. I live right at the top of a tall………………………………………………………….

TEXT

“BUYING A HOME”

The new words:

An estate agency- агентство по продаже недвижимости;

To arrange-договариваться, устраивать;

Sale- продажа, торги;

To sell-продавать;

A local estate agent- местный агент по продаже недвижимости;

Charge- плата;

Service-услуга;

Proposal- предложение;

Leaflets-листовки;

To describe in detail- описать в деталях;

Prospective buyers- будущие покупатели;

Inspect- осматривать;

They are attracted by the description- описание привлекло их;

A property-собственность, недвижимость;

Via- через;

Price- цена;

Immediately- немедленно;

A building society- строительно-сберегательная касса;

To lend- одалживать что-нибудь кому-нибудь;

To offer-предлагать;

To borrow-занимать что-то у кого-то;

The public- народ;

Depositors-вкладчики;

Savings account-сберегательный счет;

To pay interest- платить проценты;

Interest rate- процентная ставка;

Amount- сумма;

Long-term loan- долгосрочная ссуда;

Mortgage- ипотечная ссуда, ипотечный кредит;

Expenses- расходы, затраты;

It is worth- стоит;

To sign- подписывать;

Legal representative- юридический представитель;

A solicitor- адвокат;

Fairly- довольно;

At least- по крайней мере;

To afford- позволить себе.

There are two types of organization which are central to the buying of houses and flats. The first is the estate agency. An estate agency is a shop which arranges for the sale of homes.

Let’s imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Smith want to sell their house. First, they ask one or more local estate agents to visit the house and tell them how much they should be able to sell it for. They will also want to know how much the agent will charge for his services (usually 1% and 2% of selling price). If the Smiths are happy with his proposals, the agent will publish details of the house in the form of giveaway leaflets and possibly in the local or even national newspapers. The leaflet will describe the house in detail, describing the position, number and sizes of its rooms, the garden and so on.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith then wait for prospective buyers to arrive. Imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Johnson want to buy a house in the same area. They go to the estate agency and inspect the details of the houses on offer. If they are attracted by the description of the Smith’s house, they will visit the property to look at it. If they are still interested after seeing the house, they may make an offer to the Smiths via the estate agent. Often the offer will be slightly than the official asking price. If the Smiths agree, the house can be sold.

But the Johnsons probably do not have enough money to pay for the house immediately, so what do they do? They go to the second type of institution involved in house buying and selling- the building society.

A building society’s main function is to lend people like the Johnsons enough money to buy a house. Banks also offer a similar service. Building societies make their money by borrowing money from some members of the public- their ‘depositors’ and lending it to others. Many British people have building society savings accounts. They save their money with a building society, which pays them interest. The society then lends this money to the people who want to buy a house or flat and charges them a higher interest rate on the amount borrowed. This long-term loan is called a ‘mortgage’.

So Mr. and Mrs. Johnson go to a local building society where they will be asked a number of questions-what type of jobs do they have? How much do they earn? What are their monthly expenses and so on? The society will also inspect the house to see if it is worth the money they are being asked to lend. All being well, it will offer to lend the Johnsons up to about 90% of the price of the house, to be paid back with the interest over 25 years, or sometimes less. When all is agreed and the papers signed, the money is paid to the Smiths or to their legal representative- usually a solicitor- and the Johnsons can move in.

Over the 25 years, the Johnsons, because of the interest on the loan, will pay far more than the original price of the house- but since they are paying it in fairly small sums once a month they are, at least, able to afford it.