§ 2. My Home Is My Castle

1. Different people prefer living in different places. Some people live in the countryside, others like living in cities and towns. What about you? Do you live in a flat or in a cottage? How many rooms are there?

2. Study the Vocabulary, get ready to read and translate the text “My Flat”

Vocabulary

a study a bedroom a living-room a dining-room a mirror a carpet a dressing-table a refrigerator (fridge) a fireplace an arm-chair modern conveniences

central heating electricity cold and hot running water an apartment a cottage a flat/ a block of flats a multi-storey building comfortable cosy

in front of opposite in the middle of in the corner on the right/on the left in the suburbs of to receive guests to gather to face smth. to move in(to) smth. to chat

My Flat

Englishmen like to say «My home is my castle» and I agree with this statement. As for me I don’t live in a castle. My family, the Smiths, has a flat in a three-storey building in the suburbs of Manchester.

There are four rooms in our flat: a living-room, two bedrooms and a study. There is also a cosy kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet.

The living-room is large. There are two windows in it. The windows face the park. In the evening all the family gathers in the living-room to watch a TV programme, to receive guests. The room is well-furnished. On the table there is a vase with flowers. There are two arm-chairs and a sofa near the wall. Opposite the sofa there is a TV-set. There are some pictures on the walls. In the middle of the room on the floor there is a thick carpet. Unfortunately there aren’t any plants.

The bedrooms are cosy and comfortable. As for my bedroom its window faces the street. There is a dressing-table with a mirror in the corner. Near the wall there is a bed and opposite it there is a dark wardrobe.

My mother usually spends much time in the study. She is a teacher of Spanish at the University. So it takes her much time to prepare for lessons. There is a table with a computer on it in front of the window and a comfortable arm-chair near it. You can see shelves full of books, magazines, CDs and souvenirs on the wall. There is a bookcase in the corner of the room.

There are usual modern conveniences in our flat: central heating, gas, cold and hot running water. Our kitchen is also equipped with a fridge, a microwave oven, a dishwasher and a washing machine. In the middle there is a large square table with six chairs round it. On weekends we like to cook tasty things, sit around the table and just chat.

I like my home very much and think that there is no place like home.

3. Find English equivalents to the words and word combinations in the text:

Мой дом – моя крепость, трехэтажное здание, семья собирается, толстый ковер, уютная кухня, проводит много времени, готовиться к занятиям, также оборудована, по выходным, посудомоечная машина.

4. Scan the text and say whether these sentences are true or false.

Model: The family has a castle. False

1. They have a flat in a four-storey building.

2. The flat is in the suburbs of Manchester.

3. The windows of the living-room face the garden.

4. In the middle of the living-room there is a large round table with five chairs round it.

5. There are some posters on the walls of the living-room.

6. There is a table with a computer in the study.

7. The kitchen is equipped with a TV-set, a microwave and a toaster.

5. Ask and answer Yes/No questions about the Smiths' flat

Model : There are four rooms in their flat. – Are there four rooms in their flat? Yes, there is.

1. There is a vase with flowers on the table.

2. There are some posters on the walls in the living room.

3. There is a dressing-table with a mirror in the middle of the bedroom.

4. There is a dark wardrobe opposite the bed

6. The Smith family has a flat in a three-storey building. What about you? Make not less then 10 true sentences about you place of living. Use There is / There are.

1. There ……….. in my flat.

2. There …………in the living room.

3. In front of the window there …..

4. There ………….on the walls

5. There …………..in the middle of …..

6. There …………..in the corner of the room.

7. There …………...near …… .

8. There ……………behind …… .

9. Opposite the sofa there ……. .

10. There ………… on the floor.

7. Write down the names of …

Model: Somewhere you can put books. A bookshelf

1. Somewhere two/three people can sit in the living room.

2. Somewhere you can put down your coffee-cup.

3. Somewhere you can keep your clothes in.

4. Something you can look at on the wall.

5. Something for listening music.

6. Something under your feet.

7. Somewhere you can keep your food cool.

8. Somewhere you can keep dishes, cups, etc.

8. Match the room with what you do in it:

You relax and receive guests You cook You sleep You have a shower You do your homework

in the bathroom in the living room in the study in the kitchen in the bedroom

9. Fill in the blanks with the prepositions or adverbs where necessary: in (7), around, opposite, under, on (4), near, with, of (2), from, at, in front of, above.

1. We have a nice apartment … the centre of the city. It is … the third floor. It is a three-room flat … a kitchen. … the kitchen there is a refrigerator to keep food cool. 2. Pete has got a nice cottage … the country. Its windows face … the garden. 3. We have a lot … furniture … the dining-room. There is a square table … centre …the room and six chairs … it. 4. My office is not far … my home. It is … the shopping mall. 5. How many multi-storey buildings are there … your street? 6. Pat is … the kitchen. She is cooking the dinner. 7. Where is Tina? – She’s … work. 8. The cat is … the table. 9. There is a tree … the bungalow. 10. In Britain they drive … left. 12. The supermarket is … the cinema. 13. Our flat is … the first floor. 14. There are pictures … the shelves. 15. His name is … the door.

10. Nick and John haven’t seen each other for a long time. Nick’s family moved to a new flat. Read the dialogue between them.

• Hello, Nick! Glad to see you.

• Hi, John. Haven’t seen you for ages.

• They say you moved to a new flat.

• Yes, we are lucky. The flat is large and comfortable.

• How many rooms are there?

• There are three rooms: a living-room, a bedroom, a room for children and a large kitchen with built-in furniture.

• Do you like the new district?

• Oh, it’s a green place and I like it very much. Our windows face the park. And there is a school, a cinema and a supermarket too. Why don’t you come and see us some day?

• Good idea!

• See you then.

• Good-bye.

Dramatize the dialogue.

11. What do we call … ?

1. a multi-storey house where people mostly live in cities;

2. a small house in the suburbs;

3. a house in which rich people lived in the Middle Ages;

4. a house with only one floor where people live during the holiday on the sea;

5. a house which stands in its own ground;

6. a house which is joined to another one.

Match a picture with the name of the house: a detached house, a bungalow, a castle, a cottage, a block of flats, a townhouse

1	2	3
4	5	6

12. Make the sentences negative and interrogative according to the model.

Model A: Near the wall there is a bed. – What is there near the wall?

Model B: Near the wall there is a bed. – There isn’t any bed near the wall.

1. There is a table with a computer in front of the window.

2. There is a comfortable arm-chair near the table.

3. There is a bookcase in the corner of the room.

4. There are usual modern conveniences in our flat.

5. In the middle there is a large square table with six chairs round it.

6. There is no place like home.

7. On the wall above the sofa there are our family photos.

13. Read the advertisement, then complete the sentences with some, any, a and an.

This lovely cottage is 200 years old. It is in the countryside, two miles from London. There is a Post Office and a small shop here. There are some good pubs and restaurants in the suburbs. The cottage has a garden with different flowers and fruit trees. Children can play safely in it. There are three bedrooms, a bathroom and a toilet. The dining room has a fireplace. Phone 0984 6678

TV – Internet - garage – dishwasher

1. There are … restaurants in the area.

2. There is ….. small shop in the village.

3. Does the cottage have … dining room?

4. There are … fruit trees in the garden.

5. Are there … flowers in the garden?

6. There is … open fire in the living room.

7. Is there … garage near the house?

14. Use «some», «any», «no» (A) and there derivatives «something», «anything», «nothing», «somebody», «anybody», «nobody» (B)

A. 1. I want to show you … pictures. 2. There is … coffee at home. 3. Are there … bookshelves in you study? 4. There are … English students in our university. 5. Are there … newspaper on еру desk? 6. Have you got … children? 7. Jane has … sisters or brothers. 8. I have … friends in Britain. 9. We have … pets at home. 10. There are … tables in the study. 11. He hasn’t got … money. 12. Would you like … tea? 13. They don’t have … food. 14. I’m sorry, there are … buses to the museum. 15. We’d like … information. 16. There is … place like home. 17. There are … good films at the cinema this week. 18. She can’t find … comfortable flat in this area. 19. They gave me … advice. 20. I bought … furniture for my living room.

B. 1. I want to tell you … interesting about our friend Nick. 2. Is there … interesting in today’s paper? 3. There is … in the fridge. 4. Do you know … in that house? 5. Hi! Is there … in the house? – No, I’m afraid, there is … . 6. There is light in the flat. … is at home. 7. … knows their new address. 8. There is … in the room. I can’t see … . 9. Is there … in the bathroom? 10. Would you like … to drink? – No, thanks. I don’t want …. at the moment. 11. She has … to do today. 12. They have got … to listen to. 13. You look worried. Is …. wrong? 14. There is … outside. They want to see you. 15. … is impossible to a willing heart.

15. Use «much», «many», «(a) little», «(a) few».

1. I am busy now. I have … time. 2. We know … English and American songs. 3. There is not … milk in the fridge. 4. There are … rooms in the house. 5. Does she read … ? 6. Are there … bedrooms in your house? 7. There is … light in that room, because there are … windows in it. 8. Is there … or … furniture in your new flat ? 9. Have you got any money? – Yes, I’ve got ….. .10. When did you see Sam? - … days ago. 11. I need … time to think about it. 12. Does he speak English? – … 13. There is … food in the fridge. 14. They haven’t got … money, but they’ve got a lot of friends. 15. Do you go to the cinema much? – No, not … 16. I went to the park yesterday. There were … people in the park. 17. How … foreign languages do you know? 18. Her English is very good. She makes very … mistakes. 19. Most of the town is modern – there aren’t … old buildings. 20. Did you enjoy the party? – No, not … 21. We are going away for … days. 22. She’s very thin because she eats … 23. I speak … words of Spanish. 24. Have you got any English books? – I’ve got some but not … 25. She smokes too … It’s bad for her health. 26. How … tickets do you want? 27. We’ve got … petrol. 28. I can’t drink this coffee. There’s … sugar in it.

16. Retell the text «My Flat»

1. in the third person; 2) in the person of Mary Smith.

17. a) Match the idioms in the left column with their Russian equivalents in the right column.

to build castles in the air a window on the world to shut the door in somebody’s face a magic carpet walls have ears to force an open door

у стен есть уши строить воздушные замки ломиться в открытую дверь ковер-самолет захлопнуть дверь перед носом окно в мир.

b) Explain their meanings.

c) Use them in the situations of your own.

18. a) Read the text

My house

I live in the cottage near the lake. It’s an old building, about 70 years old. It’s not very big, but it’s comfortable. There are two bedrooms upstairs. The living room is downstairs. Also there is a study with an open fire. Its window faces the garden. In spring and summer there are flowers everywhere.

I live with my family and on weekends we have a lot of visitors. Our city friends often stay with us.

I love my house for several reasons: the garden, the fire, the lake, but the best thing is the view from my bedroom.

b) Write a similar description of your place of living in about 100 words.

Paragraph 1.

Where is it?

Is it old or new?

How many rooms are there?

Is there a garden?

Paragraph 2.

Who do you live with?

Paragraph 3.

Do you like it? Why? What is the best?