Part VI a house of my dream
Are you proud of the house you live in? If the answer is ‘Yes’, then you are really a lucky person. But very often it happens so that people don’t like the houses they live in. That’s why in their dreams they often have an image of an ideal house, the house of their dreams.
‘What is the house of your dream?’- it is a question that several people were asked and here are their answers.
Reading
Read the following texts and do the exercises after them.
IRENE: For me, it’s absolutely easy to say what my idea of a perfect house is. I’ve been dreaming about it since my childhood. I was brought up in such a house. This is the house my parents have. My house should be my home, first of all. I mean it should be the place where I feel comfortable and welcome. I dream about a cosy house in a centre of a small quiet town, not very big but large enough for me and my family. I think it should be a house with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room, and a big dining room with a large table. I like to have guests and to treat them to something tasty – that’s what I need a big dining room for. I would also like to have a small garden with flowers and fruit trees, with an arbour and some comfortable benches. There should also be a lawn and a playing yard for children. I’d also like to have a fireplace in the house to sit around it with my husband and children. Isn’t it great?
NATALY: Well, let me think about my ideal house…. It should be large, first of all…. a mansion. I think, somewhere in an isolated place, two or three-storeyed building with a balcony, columns and the things like that. It’s even better if it looks like a castle with towers and gates and high walls. It’s so romantic! Plenty of rooms, staircases, attic and basement. It would be great if it was a real old house where ghosts lived, like in fairy-tales. I could feel there a princess. But there should be, of course, all those modern conveniences like central heating, electricity, cold and hot water, gas and telephone. The furniture should be also ancient, expensive and dark. And I’ll have two Doberman dogs, of course. It’ll add much to the style. There should be something mysterious about it. Yes, I think that’s the house of my dream, the place I’d like to live in. Isn’t it great?
JANE: A house I’d like to live in? No, I’d better call it a flat. If you have a house of your own you have to take care of it. It’s easier to live in a flat, somewhere in the centre of a city, in a skyscraper on the top floor. Well, yes, I think it’ll be fantastic! It should be very large: a bedroom, a kitchen, a toilet, a bathroom and a large living room. There should be enough place for parties. I like to have parties with dancing, music and snacks. The more people come the better. So I’ll need plenty of space for guests. There should also be as much kitchen equipment as possible to save my time and effort. I’m not much of a hostess. If I had a flat like that I’d be really happy, wouldn’t I?
GEORGE: A house of my dream? Well, it would be a farm or rancho, I think. It’ll be situated near a forest, a river or a lake. You know, I like nature. The house should be a simple one, not very big, but with a large yard and fields around. I don’t need all the modern conveniences, as I won’t spend much time in there. I’d like to have some cottages or cabins also to have some rest when I get tired. There should be a garden also to grow fruit and vegetables. But the main thing is the cattle-yard, the place I can keep cows, sheep, horses and pigs. I like animals and I like to take care of them. There should also be five or seven dogs to live with me. Dogs are my favourite animals: they are so clever and kind! And that’s practically all I want. Nature, animals and serenity – these are the only things I long for. Isn’t it terrific!
Exercise 1
Now look at the pictures of the houses below and say who wants to live in such houses: Irene, Nataly, Jane or George. Can you explain why you think so?
Exercise 2
Fill in the missing phrases to complete the following ideas about housing.
Irene has been dreaming about _______________.
Irene thinks that her house should be her home where she ____________.
Irene wants to live in ___________ with ____________.
Irene likes to have guests and to _____________.
Irene wants to have a ___________ near her house.
Nataly dreams about a house which looks like a _________with _______.
Nataly wants to live in a house with modern conveniencies like ________.
The furniture in Nataly’s house should be __________.
Jane doesn’t want to live in a ________, but she dreams about a _______ in a _________.
Jane wants to have a large flat: __________.
There should be a lot of place for _________ in Jane’s flat.
Jane is not very much of a ______, that’s why she wants to have as much ________ as possible.
George would like to live in a _________.
George wants his house to be surrounded by ________.
The main thing in George’s house is a ________ with _________.
George’s favourite animals are _________, because they are ________.
Exercise 3
Read the following advertisements of different real estate companies which offer houses and apartments for rent and sale. Which advertisement do you think would be suitable for Irene, Nataly, Jane and George. Tell about it and explain why you think so. Use the following model to tell about it.
I (don’t) think that …would choose the advertisement … , which advertises …, because she/ he wants to live in ….
Exercise 4
Choose from the advertisements above that will suit you better. And tell why you would use the advertisement to buy or rent a house or flat.
Reading
Are you interested in the way other people live? Do the puzzle and find it out. These houses belong to famous people. Can you guess whose house each one is?
CHER’S house is big and white. It’s in a beautiful valley in California and there are lots of palm trees everywhere. There’s a large verandah on one side of the house. This house has a flat roof.
MICK JAGGER has several homes. This is a very grand house in the country somewhere in Oxfordshire. It’s called Stargrove. It’s a very old stone house and it looks like a castle with all its big towers.
ELVIS PRESLEY’S house is called Graceland. His mother’s name was Grace. Now it’s a museum and a place of pilgrimage for Elvis’s fans. It has white stone lions near the front steps and a very classical facade with white columns and steps up to the front door.
TINA TURNER’S house is in London. It‘s a classical house with four storeys. It has a basement and a small balcony at the front. The windows on the ground floor are in the shape of arches.
MICHAEL’S house is in London. It’s a very modern style. It’s an unusual house because the garage is up at the top of the house and the living space is underneath. Many of its windows are in the roof.
GLORIA ESTEFAN’S house is on an island in Miami called Star Island. It has a red tiled roof. Most of the house is on just two storeys. It has a swimming pool, palm trees, lawns, and a small jetty where she keeps her powerboat.
Speaking
Now say what house is your favourite of all from mentioned above. Explain why you would like to live in such a house.
Chainword
Would you like to get to know the most popular British proverb about houses? Do the chainword and find it out. Remember that in chainwords the last letter of one word is the first letter of the next word. Write out the letters from the darkened boxes and make a word of them to complete the famous English proverb.
1. Сільська місцевість 13. Кухня
2. Обладнання 14. Поряд
3. Туалет 15. Кімната
4. Вершина, верхній поверх 16. Музика
5. Свині 17. Затишний
6. Маленький 18. Двір
7. Галявина 19. Їдальня
8. Новий 20. Сад, город
9. Вікно 21. Природа
Стіна 22. Їсти
Земля 23. Башта
Темний 24. Річка
Exercise 1
Have you found out the famous English proverb? What is it? Why do you think Englishmen call their homes castles? Is it because:
they want to live there alone?
they let nobody in?
they feel safe in there?
it looks like a castle?
Suggest some more reasons for that. Would you call your house a castle? Why or why not?
Exercise 2
Some people say that it’s possible to say what kind of person you are if they know what your house looks like. Do you agree with it? Do you think that it’s really possible? Why or why not?
Exercise 3
What can you say about Irene, Nataly, Jane and George taking into consideration their ideas about the houses of their dreams? Tell your groupmates about it and listen to their ideas. Do you share the same ideas or not? Who do you think is right?
Reading
Read the article and do the exercises, which follow it.