John and Jenny

We are thinking of moving. We have been looking for something a bit bigger. Now the children are growing up and there isn't much room where we are. We saw a very nice place yesterday. It's in the country, about 10 miles from Winton. I'd like to live in the country. There's only one thinking that puts me off through - the journey into work every day. There's a bus service into Winton from the village but it only goes once a day. The new house was built in 1980 and is on a small housing-estate with its own private gardens for the use of residents. It's a two-storied house with a large sitting-room, overlooking the gardens, a dining-room, a kitchen and a cloakroom. Upstairs there are two double bedrooms, and one single, and a bathroom and a separate toilet. The house in centrally heated throughout with gas-fired central heating, including a small radiator in the hall. The kitchen is fully fitted with ample cupboards and storage space. I'm afraid there is no garage, but parking space is provided for the use of residents at a small annual rental.

1. Why do they want to move? 2. Where is the house situated? 3. Why don’t they like this place? 4. How many rooms are there in the house? 5. What kind of heating is this house equipped with? 6. How many children do they have? What do you think about it?

Task 7. Read the texts and say in what way their characters are revealed, answer the questions.

1

I live in a three-floored house, with a small garden at the back. The garden at the front is very small and, in fact, forms part of the gardens which belong to the whole of the estate. We have our own garage, and driveway at the front of the house, and, as you enter through the front door, you go into a hall where you can get into the garage to the left, and then as you go into the hall, further down you'll find the kitchen and the dining-room - the main living area in the house. The dining-room opens up on to the rear garden, so that the children can get in and out during the day-time quite freely. Then, the second floor has a sitting-room and a bedroom with a bathroom; and then, upstairs on the third floor, there are two small bedrooms, another bathroom, and a larger bedroom with its own bathroom. So, it's a three floor house with four bedrooms.

1. How many rooms are there in this house? 2. How many children do they have? Give your opinion. 3. What don’t they like in their house? 4. Do they have one garden? 5. What is their favourite room?

2

I rent a flat and live together with my colleague. Sharing a flat certainly has some advantages. To begin with, it should be cheaper, and if you are sharing with people that you get on well with, it is nice to have some company at home rather than being alone and all on your own. Also, the household chores are shared, and that is very important. Particularly when you are younger, and you are living apart from your parents for the first time, it can be very enjoyable to live with people of your own age, whose interests and life-style you share.

However, sharing a flat does have some distinct disadvantages, and the main one is that the flat is not your own. So you cannot do what you want in it. What happens if your flat-mate wants to play music? To a certain extent you have to be unselfish. What is more, there can be little privacy.I would say that as you get older, it is probably better to live on your own. Having had my own flat for a few years, I would not like to have to share again.

1. What are the advantages of sharing a flat? 2. What are the disadvantages of living together? 3. When is it easier to share the flat? 3. How old is the speaker? How do you think?

3

Erm, it was in the slums of Birmingham. It was one of a terraced house, and it had smashed windows, tiles were off the roof, and when you went inside, the wallpaper was coming off the walls and there was, erm, dry rot, and it was all camp, and no carpets. There was no proper sanitation. There was a lot of mess about the place. Erm, there were rats upstairs and no clean bed-sheets or towels or anything like that. It was all very messy and untidy. And the children that lived in the house were also very dirty and didn't have very nice clothes or anything like this. And it just seemed so unfair, you know, it was such a shame that some people should have such a hard life. And it must have been awful to live in that sort of conditions because there was nothing to look forward to or obviously no treats or Read and say no different people feel about their houses. In what way are their characters revealed when they speak about the housing problems?

1. What does the word “erm” mean? 2. Does the speaker like the house? 3. How does he feel when he speaks about it? 4. Can you describe the children from this house? 5. What is the most awful thing, when we speak about this place?

Task 8. Describe your ideal place to live.

• Would you rather live alone or with lots of people?

• In a town or a rural area?

• In the downtown or in the suburbs?

• In a flat, a cottage or something more unusual like a boat?

• Do you like old buildings or modern ones?

• Is there anyone in the group with the same taste as you?

Task 9. Speak about advantages and disadvantages of living in a treehouse or a caravan?

Task 10. Choose A, B, C, for each adjective in brackets. A– positive, B-comparative, – superlative.

The Americans are very ___________(proud) of their country. They say that in the USA buildings are ____________(tall), the cigar are ___________(long), the cars are _______(big), and the girls are ________(pretty) than anywhere in the world. The English don’t always agree. Some say the Americans are __________(loud), ________(rich) and __________(noisy) than any other nationality. Other British people think there are lots of __________(good) things about the USA like Hollywood, jazz and Superman.

It is true that most American skyscrapers are ____________(tall) than buildings in the UK, but the British think their stately homes are ___________(old) and ________ (beautiful) than anything in the USA. The Americans love coke and hamburgers – people in the UK think British food is mush ___________(healthy). Clothes are __________ (cheap) in the USA, but fashion design in the UK is ____________(good) than in the USA.

Pair work

1. Read and learn the following dialogues: