Unit Three Our Flat

Our family lives in a flat in Yaroslavl. We have a three-room flat in a multistory block of flats of modern construction. Our windows look out over the river. There's a big yard with the children's playground near our house. There are some shops here and it is very convenient.

Our flat is neither big nor small. It is on the fifth floor. We moved here four years ago. Its number is 36. We have all modern conveniences in our flat: cold and hot running water, central heating, electricity and the telephone. Our flat has 3 rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a hall.

Our hall is rather small. We keep only a hall-stand, a mirror and a small chest of drawers with a telephone on it there.

Our living-room is the largest in the flat. It is light, because it has two big windows. You can see a piano on the left. There is a small round stool near the piano. The piano is new and black. The colour TV-set is on the right. You can see an armchair and a sofa near the TV- set. There is also a round table in the middle of the room. A thick carpet lies spread on the floor. You can see four chairs round the table. The set of wall units is on the left. There are some pictures of modern painters on the walls. The walls are soft green and the curtains match the walls.

We celebrate our family holidays, receive guests and watch TV there. I like our living-room and I often spend my free time watching TV and reading newspapers and magazines in it.

My parents' bedroom is not large but it has a balcony looking out on the park. There is not much furniture in this room: a double bed with two bedside cabinets, a wardrobe and a dressing table with a mirror. White net curtains make the room lighter.

I have my own room. It is the smallest in the flat. My room is not very light, because there is only one window. The furniture in my room is simple. There is a sofa on the right on which I sleep at night and take a rest in the day time. A small desk at which I usually do my lessons is at the window. There are two chairs at the desk and a TV set in the corner of the room. There is also a wardrobe to keep my clothes and a bookcase containing my collection of books. You can see Russian and English books there. I give my room a regular cleaning and tidying as I want it to look cosy and comfortable. I like my room very much. When my friends come to see me I invite them into my room. We watch TV, listen to music or just chat.

Our kitchen looks like any other kitchen you can see in modern blocks of flats. It is small but very comfortable. The furniture in the kitchen is not dark, it is light. There is a dining-table with four stools round it, a fridge and a cupboard there. If I mention a nice picture and a wall clock above the table, net curtains on the window and pot plants on its sill, it will be practically all that we have in the kitchen. But it is the real centre of our family life. We meet here every morning and every evening. We usually have breakfast and supper in the kitchen. Here we listen to the radio and get to know the latest news. Here we share our plans and our troubles.

Our bathroom is near the kitchen. It is small. There is nothing special in it, just the usual set of facilities for such a place: a bath-tub with a shower, a wash-basin with a mirror above it and a towel rack. There is also a shelf for washing things and a mat on the floor. You can see a washing-machine near the door.

We all like our flat. My friends say that it is a good one.

Home Duties

Speaking about the responsibilities, I'd like to say that everyone in our family has his own duties about the house. My mother is usually responsible for making dinner, doing the flat, washing and ironing the linen, washing up and so on. My father always helps my mother in her work about the house. As a rule he does everything she asks him about, and he often cleans the carpets with a vacuum-cleaner, takes the rubbish out, and does shopping. Besides I'd like to mention that my daddy is very good at cooking, he likes to cook dinner, to make sandwiches and toasts for breakfast, and helps my mother and me in baking cakes and biscuits.

When the weather is fine, my father makes us run in the stadium. So he cares much of our health.

And now I'd like to tell you some words about my duties. Of course, my first duty is studying. Besides that I have very much to do. I always keep our flat in order: I sweep the floor and wash it, sometimes I clean it with a vacuum cleaner, dust the furniture, wash up, water the flowers. As I am fond of cooking, I help my mother to do it, and very often I make dinner all by myself.

As our family is very friendly, we often receive guests. At that time we know our responsibilities quite well. As for me, usually I lay the table, my mother is busy cooking meals, and my daddy helps her and we all think of the plan to entertain our guests. They say "two heads are better than one". When we think all together, very nice ideas usually come to our minds. As a rule not only we are satisfied with the receiving our guests, but they are glad as well.

I make such a conclusion because our guests come to us often and invite us to their place.

Now, as you see, it is the best way when everybody in the family has his own duties. When it is so, there is never fuss about anything.