In pairs talk about Circle 1, 2, 3. Ask at least one more question. Get as much information as you can.

Circle 1

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

House or flat? Where?

What’s it like?

How long have you been living there?

Who do you live with?

Do you get on well?

Circle 2

WHAT HOUSEWORK DO YOU HAVE TO DO?

The cooking?

The cleaning?

Tidying the room?

The ironing?

The washing-up?

The shopping?

Anything else?

Circle 3

WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS AT HOME?

Watching TV?

Housework?

Studying?

Going out?

Playing music?

Money?

Anything else?

Who do you argue with most?

What about?

TALKING POINTS

Ex. 1. Speak on the following topics.

1. There is no place like home. Explain the proverb.

2. My home is my castle. Explain the proverb and discuss it.

3. Household duties (doing the washing-up, cleaning, hoovering etc.) are relaxing and give us pleasure and satisfaction. Do you agree? Discuss.

4. Show me your home and I’ll tell you who you are. Explain the saying and discuss it.

5. Neighbours are often as important in our life as family. Do you agree?

6. Good fences make good neighbours. Do you agree?

Ex. 2. Dramatize the following situations.

1. A husband and a wife have just bought a new flat and they are discussing how to furnish it.

2. Two students live in different hostels with different living conditions. They are comparing their hostels, rooms and the rules there.

3. You are a wife and a husband who are going to get a new flat. You are discussing what furniture to buy.

4. Discuss with your friend what house you’d like to buy, what you’d like to have around the house, in what area you’d like it to be located, etc.

5. You are a real estate agent. Help your client to find a house he/she is interested in.

6. You have a room for rent. Show it to a possible tenant and discuss it with him/her.

Topic: plant and animal life text a. Plant life and animal life in the uk

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

With its mild climate and varied soils Britain has a great variety of natural vegetation. When the islands were first settled, oak trees covered almost the greater part of lowlands. But now woodlands occupy only 11, 8% of the surface of the country.

Woodlands are of oak and ash over much of the country. In south beech is often dominant. Alder is common in wetter parts, especially along streams. Other English trees are rowan, lime, yew, maple and holly. A great many trees which have become common such as sycamore and horse chestnut have been planted by man. The Highlands with thin soil are largely moorland with heather, grasses, peat moss, rowan, and bilberry. In the cultivated areas there are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.

The fauna of the British Isles is, in general, similar to that of north-western Europe, though here are fewer species.

The only surviving large mammals are red deer, which live in the Scottish Highlands and in Exmoor in southwestern England, and roe deer, found in the woodlands of Scotland and southern England. Semiwild ponies also inhabit Exmoor and the Shetland Islands. At one time wild boars, bears and wolves roamed Britain, but they were hunted to extinction.

Many smaller mammals inhabit Britain, including badgers, foxes, otters, red squirrels, wildcats, rabbits, black rats, muntjac deer, wallabies, voles, shrews, hedgehogs and mink. Wildcats are found only in parts of Scotland.

Reptiles and amphibians are few. Britain has five species of frogs and toads and three species of snakes. Northern Ireland has no snakes.

Britain is home to a large variety of birds. About 200 species are regularly seen in Britain. The most common are birds that remain year-round, such as blackbirds, chaffinches, sparrows, and starlings. Other well-known resident birds include crows, kingfishers, robins, wrens, woodpeckers and various tits. Cuckoos, swallows and swifts are the best-known summer visitors, and in winter many species of duck, geese and other waterbirds are seen.

Saltwater fish were once important to Britain’s economy. Cod, haddock, whiting, herring, plaice, sole, and mackerel are still caught off the coasts of Britain. Lobster, crab, and other shellfish are caught along inshore waters. Freshwater fish in Britain include game fish, salmon, trout, perch, pike, dace, carp and roach.

There are more than 21000 different kinds of insects, most of them are small. Among the largest are the rare swallowtail butterfly (8 to 10 cm) and the stag beetle (6 cm).

Ex. 2. Comprehension questions.

1. What are the common plants of the United Kingdom of Great Britain?

2. What plants can be found in the Highlands?

3. What are the only surviving mammals on the British Isles?

4. How many species of birds are regularly seen in Great Britain? Can you name some?

5. What saltwater fish inhabit the ocean and seas washing the British Isles?

6. What are the largest insects in the UK?

Ex. 3. Retell the text.