Lexical exercises

Exercise 1. Match the following nouns and adjectives

- flat, sideboard, carpet, table, desk, house, sofa, set, bookcase, picture, curtain, furniture, armchair, block of flats; heating, party

- nine-storied, private, house-warming, central, lovely, new, cosy, modern, thick, round, dressing, night, built-in, radio.

Exercise 2. Make up sentences according to the example.

Example: 1. A kitchen - A kitchen is a room where we cook meals. 2. A dining-table - A dining-table is a table (a piece of furniture) at which we have meals.

A bedroom, a study, a wardrobe, a sideboard, a writing-desk, a bookcase, a bookshelf, a sofa

To sleep, to work, to keep clothes, to keep glassware and dishes, to write and read, to keep books

Exercise 3 Make adjectives from the nouns. Use your dictionary. Which of the nouns don’t have the corresponding adjectives?

Noun Adjective

-ful - less

wonder wonderful –

harm – harmless

colour – –

help – –

care – –

use – –

Text 1

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text.

My flat

We have a nice flat in a new block of flats. Our flat is on the fifth floor of a nine-storied building. It has all modern conveniences: central heating, hot and cold running water, electricity, gas, a lift and a chute to carry rubbish down.

We have a three-room flat which consists of a living room, a bedroom, a study (which is also my room), a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet. There are also two closets in our flat. Our flat has two balconies.

The living room is the largest and most comfortable one in the flat. In the middle of the room, we have a square dinner table with six chairs round it. To the left of the dinner table there is a wall-unit which has several sections: a sideboard, a wardrobe and some shelves. At the opposite wall, there is a piano and a piano stool before it. To the right there is a little table with a colour TV set on it. Opposite the TV set there are two cosy armchairs. A divan-bed and a standard lamp are in the left-hand corner. In front of the armchairs, there is a small round table for newspapers and magazines. There is a thick carpet on the floor. Two water-colours hang on the wall above the divan-bed. In the evening, we usually draw the curtains across the windows, and a red lampshade gives a warm colour to the room.

The bedroom is smaller than the living room and not so light as there is only one window in it. In this room, there are two beds, two dressing tables and a wardrobe. In the corner of the bedroom, there is a small colour TV set. On the dressing table, there is an alarm clock and a small lamp with a green lamp-shade.

Our study is the smallest room in the flat, but in spite of it, it is very cosy. There isn't much furniture in it, but there are a lot of shelves full of books. It has a writing table with a computer on it, an armchair and a bookcase too. A small round table with a cassette-recorder is standing in the right-hand corner of the study. Besides, there is a small sofa near the wall opposite the bookcase. This room was my father's study, but as I grew older, it has become my room. And in my opinion it is the best room in our flat. My friends come to my place to have a chat or to play chess in the evening, and they say my room is very comfortable. I share their opinion.

Exercise 2. In the text find synonyms for the words:

1. fine 5. point of view

2. a building 6. a storey

3. an apartment 7. a lavatory

4. a tape-recorder 8. too

Exercise 3. In the text find antonyms for the words:

1. to the left 5. empty

2. big 6. that

3. behind 7. up

4. dark 8. little

Exercise 4. In the text “My flat’’ find expressions corresponding to the following Russian phrases:

состоит из; вокруг; в левом углу; две акварели; меньше; несмотря на это; повзрослел; по моему мнению; поболтать; разделять их точку зрения; много (мало) мебели; в правом углу; у противоположной стены; в прихожей; полки для посуды; шкаф для одежды; в середине комнаты; столик для телевизора; спальня; туалетный столик.

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Exercise 5. Answer the following questions.

1. Do you prefer to live independently or with your parents?

2. Are you a city lover or a country lover?

3. What kind of house would you like to live in?

4. What conveniences must be in your flat?

5. How many rooms will there be in your flat/house?

6. What rooms will there be in it?

Exercise 6. Choosing the words from the list below furnish your study, bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room.

A sideboard, a cupboard, a piano, a bed, a night table, a dressing-table, a sofa, a bookcase, a wardrobe, a small table, a TV set, a tape recorder, a writing desk, shelves for household things, stools, chairs, armchairs, a refrigerator (fridge), a kitchen table, books-shelves, a carpet, some pictures, a vase with flowers, a computer.

Exercise 5. Fill in the blanks with prepositions and post verbal adverbs wherever necessary.

1. My sister is married. She has a family ... her own. 2. They all live ... her husband's parents. 3. They live ... Sadovaya street. 4. Their house is ... a five-storey building. 5. Their flat is ... the third floor. 6. There are all modern conveniences ... the flat. 7. There is not much furniture ... the living room. 8. A square table is ... the middle ... the room. 9. There are six chairs ... the table. 10. ... the right-hand corner there is a small table ... a TV set ... it. 11. ... it there is a piano, … the opposite wall there is a sideboard where we keep dishes and glassware. 12. There is a beautiful carpet ... the floor. 13. ... the walls there are some pictures and my grandmother's portrait. 14. My friends have moved ... a new flat. 15. Now they live rather far ... the centre ... the city. 16. They live ... a ten-storied building. 17. There is a lift ... the house. 18. Their flat is ... the sixth floor.

Exercise 6. Translate into English. У моей сестры - отдельная квартира недалеко от центра города. Квартира не очень большая, но удобная. В ней две комнаты, кухня, прихожая, ванная. В доме современные удобства. В кухне стоит газовая плита, холодильник, стол, несколько табуреток, шкаф и полки для посуды. Кухня очень чистая и уютная. Она служит одновременно и столовой. На мытье посуды у сестры уходит мало времени, потому что есть горячая вода. В прихожей стоит вешалка для одежды и небольшой столик для телефона. У двери лежит небольшой коврик (rug). Одна комната служит гостиной, вторая - спальней. В гостиной стоит круглый стол, шесть стульев, сервант, столик с телевизором, два кресла и тахта. Над тахтой висят книжные полки. В спальне стоит кровать, туалетный столик, платяной шкаф и ночной столик. На полу лежит большой толстый ковер. Сестра очень довольна своей квартирой

Exercise 1. Read the dialogue 1 out loud with your partner.

Dialogue 1

Kate: Pete, have you moved to a new flat?

Pete: Yes, we have. Our new address is: Flat 22, 16 Lesnaya Street.

Kate: Is it far from the centre of the city?

Pete: It takes me about forty minutes to get to the University by bus.

Kate: What floor is your flat on?

Pete: It's on the fourth floor. There are nine storeys in the house.

Kate: Is there a lift?

Pete: Of course, there is.

Kate: How many rooms are there in your flat?

Pete: There are two rooms, a kitchen, a hall and a bathroom in it. One room is 20 sq.m. and the other is 30 sq.m. The kitchen is rather large; it serves as a dining-room.

Kate: You have all modern conveniences, haven't you?

Pete: Yes, we have, even a chute for refuse. Well, next Sunday we are going to have a house - warming party. Come and see it with your own eyes.

Kate: I’ll be delighted.

Exercise 2. Match the following questions and the answers.

1. What is Pete’s new address?

2. How long does it take him to get to the University?

3. How many storeys are there in Pete’s house?

4. What is there in his flat?

1) It takes hum about forty minutes to get to the University by bus.

2) His new address is: Flat 22, 16 Lesnaya Street.

3) There are two rooms, a kitchen, a hall and a bathroom in it.

4) There are nine storeys in the house.

Exercise 3. Act out the scene with your partner.

Exercise 4. Read the dialogue 2 out loud with your partner.Dialogue 2

Ann: Have you got a flat of your own?

Alice: Certainly. I have a flat of my own.

Ann: Is the flat large?

Alice: Rather. We have three rooms, a kitchen, a hall and a bathroom.

Ann: Are there all modern conveniences in the flat?

Alice: Yes, there are. There is hot and cold water, central heating, gas and electricity, of course.

Ann: What is your room like?

Alice: The room faces south-east. It is not very large, but very comfortable. As for me, I don’t like much furniture. There is nothing superfluous in my room. On the left, there is a cosy sofa and a small brown table near it, at the window there is my old writing-desk, in the right-hand corner there is a dressing - table. Near it, there is a built-in wardrobe where I keep my clothes.

Ann: Have you got a TV set?

Alice: Yes, we have, but it is in the living room where we usually sit in the evenings.

Exercise 5. Ask the questions. The following sentences can be answers.

1. Alice has got a flat. ( a flat of her own)

2. Alice has got electricity, gas, cold and hot running water and a telephone. (modern conveniences)

3. The dining room is cozy and comfortable. ( Alice’s room)

4. Her family usually spends a lot of time in the living room in the evenings. (a TV set)

Exercise 6. Make up dialogues on the following topics:

1. Discussing a new flat.

2. Furnishing a new flat

3. About your flats

Exercise 1. Look through the text and get ready to do the tasks.

Notes:

1. fascinating [`fæsineiti]-очаровательных

2. a whole heap-целое множество

3. a franchise [ `fræntaiz]-специальное разрешение, выданное или проданное кампанией одному лицу или группе людей на продажу товаров или услуг, производимой данной кампанией.

4. yuppie shops [jpi]-магазины для хорошо обеспеченных людей

5. to pop up-v. внезапно появляться, возникать

My name is Sara O'Connor. I live in Newtown, Sydney.

. I work just down the road in Woolloomooloo. I have lived in Newtown for 5 years... and have lived right in King Street for almost 6 months. There are some fascinating characters that live in King Street. There is an Old Man with a little dog who sits outside the Post Office every single night. Some of the shops have been there for years and years and now there is a whole heap of new franchises and yuppie shops popping up. Newtown has changed so much that I think it would be really interesting to know what the real locals think about their street. Those people that live right in the heart of it. Exercise 2. Do the tasks

1. Which of these is not true?

1. Sara O’Conner s a citizen of Sydney.

2. She has lived on King Street for 4 years.

3. The Old Man who sits outside the Post Office is a fascinating character.

2. What is popping up?

1. new hotels

2. new pubs

3. new franchises and yuppie shops

3. What would be interesting for Sara O’ Connor to know?

1) what the real locals think about the street

2) what the real locals think about new franchises and yuppie shops popping up

3) what the real locals think about her work

Exercise 1. Read the text and answer the question:

What conclusion can we draw about Sarah Parker?

1) she misses her life in Mudgeeraba street.

2) she misses her relatives

3) she lives in the city

Notes:

Gum trees - Эвкалипты

Big Red Kangaroos [kægə`ru:]

a gradual influx [ `inflks] - постепенный приток

to escape over - ускользать

hectare[ `hekta:] - гектар

paddock [`pædək] - лужайка, выгон, 2. австрал. Поле, участок земли

mud - грязь, слякоть

neighbourly [`neibəli] - добрососедский, дружественный

gossip - болтовня, беседа

innocence [`inəsns] - невинность, простота, наивность

My name is Sarah Parker. I have lived in my street for 16 years. With my grandparents we were the first people to build in that area, this was around the 1970's. Over the 16 years, there was a gradual influx of people into the area. All the kids would get together while the parents would be drinking at a neighbour’s house; we would escape over to the 1000 hectares of horse paddocks or swim in the mud rivers, we would talk about our dreams and tell some lies. I often wondered if I would leave this area of Gum trees, Big Red Kangaroos and neighbourly gossip. I now live in the city and have not stepped on fresh cut grass or smelt the leaves of a gum tree since I was a child, but every now and then, I miss that country innocence, and that time when you wondered what was going to happen next or you would go out exploring and have great adventures. I'm all grown up, but Mudgeeraba street is never too far away.

Exercise 1. Here are examples of the letters. Read them and translate. See the rules of writing a letter.

A House of Their Own.

(Ann to Mavis)

17a Carlyle Street

Chelsea, S.W.3.

3 September 2008

Dear Mavis,

I really should have written earlier. The matter is I had no time because we moved to a new house. Our new house has its roof on now, so Jack and I are getting very excited about it. We are busy with choosing furniture. Luckily, we have wardrobes built in, and even a sideboard, so we don’t have to spend a fortune. We haven't a fortune to spend.

I'd very much like your advice about curtains and rugs. I'm sure you know much better than I do what colour schemes would look well.

Could you spare a few hours one Sunday next month to go out to Park Green with us and look at the house? You'd want to know what colour the walls are before thinking about curtains and rugs, wouldn't you? The inside decoration will be finished early next month.

Jack tells me he is going to write to David about the garden.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Ann

(Mavis to Ann)

32 Parkway,

Hampstead, N.W.5

5 September 2008

Dear Ann,

I was awfully glad to get your letter.

Of course, I'd be delighted to help you, if you think my advice in choosing curtains and rugs is useful,. It will be almost as exciting as choosing them for my own house. You are lucky having a house built for you: David and I will probably have to wait five years before we can marry, unless we can get a building society to help us.

I'm very fond of reds - they make a room look warm. Blues and greens are rather cold colours, don't you think? Yellows and creams are good for walls, but not very suitable for rugs.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing the house. Do let me know when the inside decoration is finished, and we'll fix a date. I hope David can join us, though he is not really an expert gardener.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,

Mavis