8. Would you rather live in a flat in the city centre or a cottage in a suburb area?

There are two kinds of people: those who prefer living in a flat and those who love living in a house. It’s a very complicated choice, and it depends on a lot of different factors so, ultimately, it’s just a matter of personal preferences. I believe that it is very difficult to choose between living in a flat in the city centre or a cottage in a suburb area. But, to be honest, I'm keen on the idea of living in a house or a cottage of your own somewhere in the suburbs. I live in Moscow, and all those busy streets, crowded metro stations, where thousands of trains arrive at every day, and the noise of roads – all those things are not pleasant for me. I would like to live in a quiet place without strange neighbours and hustle of big cities.

Firstly, I am thinking about my health. In my opinion, the air in the suburbs is much cleaner than in the city centre, as there are fewer cars and generally fewer people.

In a suburban house, I can make a garden around the house, plant trees, flowers, make a recreational area. As for the flat, I can only change the furniture and decorations.

In addition, buying a house in the suburbs would be much more budget-friendly than a flat in the city centre, if we are talking about Moscow. In fact, sometimes the mortgage payment for a house in the suburbs can even be less than renting a flat in the city.

Houses usually provide parking spaces or garages, and as you probably know, finding a parking space in front of a crowded flat complex can sometimes be a daunting task. Since I'm planning to buy a car, it would be better to live in a house of my own in the suburbs.

I enjoy the peaceful lifestyle much more than the hectic city life. The country is where the sun is brighter and there are more stars than lights, where you can hear the birds and bees and the quiet breeze in the branches of the trees during the day. Compared to the city, where everyone seems to be rushing around, moving fast and trying to get things done as quickly as possible, living in a flat in the suburbs seems better for me.

In my opinion, the biggest advantage is the independence. When you live in a detached house, you don't need to worry about what your neighbours will tell you when you throw a party with loud music.

In a detached house, you feel like living in your own castle. Nobody disturbs you. I love the privacy and natural beauty that a suburban house provides. There will be no neighbours to bother you, no curious eyes spying from the building across the street.

In conclusion, I am still a fan of suburban houses and country living in general. I hope my dreams will come true in the future, and I will build a house in the suburbs and live in it with my family and possibly with a dog.

9. What kind of accomodation can a family get in Great Britain? What about this country? What types of houses do they have in England?

Generally, there ate two options in Britain if we are talking about accomodation – owning and renting. About 70 per cent of all the houses in the country are occupied by their owners and almost all of them were bought with a mortgage. It is a financial system, which allows a person to borrow money from the bank (usually it is 80 per cent of the price of the house) to buy a house, and the money should be paid back in 20-25 years. And very rich people can afford buying a house without morgage system.

But there`s another option – renting, of course. It`s not popular with the British, I should say. You can rent a flat in a block of flats or in a council house and pay rent for it every month. But in this case you don`t have privacy and status. The English are a nation of former farmers, and to be more precise, they preffered and prefer to live in houses only. Even when there was a war, they didn`t leave their houses. That`s all about the English.

2) In my opinion, we do not have as much kinds of accommodation as the British have. Generally, we either owning or renting it too, but people in this country prefer to buy flats and live there. It can be cheaper, and that is a big advantage. Lovers of the city life will never buy a house, cause they will have to live in the countryside then, cut off from the city. And having a house doesn`t show your status, a flat in the city centre can cost a lot more than the house in the suburbs. I think that probably eighty per cent of Russian people live in a flat in a block of flats, others live in houses of their own in the suburbs.

3) Houses are an important part of British life. To my mind there is no other nation that is so fond of houses.

The first type is a detached house. It is not connected on any side with any other building, it is free-standing. The traditional building material is brick, the shape is usually irregular, with little corners, making the house feel cozy. There is a large front garden with trees and bushes, giving greater privacy. The garage is hidden discretely away, so that it does not spoil the rural feeling. Almost everybody in Britain dreams of living in a detached house.

The second type is a semi-detached house. A semi-detached house is one building with two separate households. Each house is the mirror of the other, inside and out. These houses can be found, street after street, in the suburbs of cities and the outskirts of towns all over Britain. There is a separate front garden for each house. At the sides there is acces to the back, where there are also two gardens. The typical house has two floors and three bedrooms.

The third type is a terraced house. This kind of house usually has no way through to the back except through the house itself. Each house in the row is joined to the next one. They usually have two floors, with two bedrooms upstairs. Some have gardens back and front, others only at the back and others no garden at all.

The next are flats. They are not popular at all. Only about 20% of the population live in flats. Flats, they feel, provide the least amount of privacy and don`t show your status.

Then there are cottages. A cottage is a small house, especially an old one in the country. These are often thought of in a very romantic way as being cozy and safe, and having a thatched roof and roses round the door.

The next type of houses are bungalows. Bungalows are one-storied houses which are particularly popular with older people. They don`t have to cope with stairs and so on.

And the last one is mansion. A mansion is the largest house of them all. This is usually a place full of rich residents. The typical mansion consists of multiple large rooms, many floors and a huge garden. If you’re lucky enough to own a mansion, you will probably have a pool, if not two.

In conclusion I would like to add that British houses reflect the British national character and help us to understand this nation better. The well-known saying “The Englishman's home is his castle” illustrates the desire for privacy and the British attitude to housing.

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