Vocabulary

block of flats — многоквартир­ный

дом

conveniences — удобства

competitive — соперничающий,

конкурирующий

easy-going — общительный

to quarrel — ссориться

tremendous — огромный

stamina — выносливость,

стойкость, выдержка

obsessive — одержимый

long-lasting — длительный

to appreciate — оценивать

caring — заботливый

ambition — честолюбие, стрем­ление

shepherd dog — овчарка

to associate — ассоциировать­ся

to convert — превращать

majestic — волшебный

Armoury Chamber — Оружейная

палата

Monomach — Мономах

Questions

1. Where and when were you born? 2. How old are you now? 3. What can you tell us about your flat? 4. What is your hobby? 5. What is your ambition? 6. What can you tell us about your nearest and dearest? 7. What are your parents? 8. What subjects are you good at? 9. What are your favourite subjects at school? 10. What do you know about the historic places of Moscow?

Our Flat

I live in Moscow in a block of flats. It's a typical Moscow 16-storey building. We don't live in the centre of Moscow, but we live not far from the metro station. It takes us 10 minutes to get to the centre of the city. There are three rooms in our flat and we have all modern conveniences. The building is centrally heated; there is cold and hot running water in our flat. We have good kitchen and bathroom facilities really. There is a big living room and two bedrooms in our flat. My brother and I share one big bedroom. We have two beds, a couple of very comfortable chairs and a lot of storage space for us to keep our things. In the hall there is a little corner where our computers live. And in the living room there is a video, a very good hi-fi system and a fantastic television. Our windows look down on a football pitch, which is occasionally used by schoolchildren. A lot of trees are visible from our windows and we can see the top of the church too.

One of the great advantages of our flat is that our block of flats isn't next to any big roads. So we get virtually no noise from outside. Well, there are two layers of glass separating us from the outside world, a kind of double-glazing. We live on the 11th floor. And I like living high up, because a lot of light comes in. I like to have more sunlight, I think it's healthy for the spirit.

My mother always keeps fresh flowers in our flat. I like flowers very much and so does my brother. They make our flat feel alive. My mother waters them regularly, and I think they are happy, as they are well taken care of.

Vocabulary

is centrally heated — имеет

центральное отопление

facilities — оборудование

storage space — место для хранения

football pitch — футбольное поле

hi-fi system — музыкальный центр

visible — видимый

advantage — преимущество

to separate — разделять

double-glazing — двойные стекла

sunlight — солнечный свет

spirit — дух, моральная сила successful career woman — женщина с успешной карье­рой

software designer — разработчик

программного обеспечения

cosy — уютный

My mother is a successful career woman, and my father is a software designer. There is always a very nice family atmosphere in our flat. Our parents are very friendly. And besides, every little detail, every picture on the walls, every vase of flowers gives the place a homely atmosphere. So I can say that our flat is very cosy.

Questions

1. Where do you live? 2. How many floors are there in your block of flats? 3. What floor do you live on? 4. What modern conveniences do you have in your flat? 5. How many rooms are there in your flat? 6. What furniture is there in your flat? 7. Are there fresh flowers in your flat? 8. Is your flat comfortable and cosy?