III. Housing

Focus Vocabulary

property – имущество, собственность accommodation – жилье dwelling – место жительства flat – квартира tax incentives – налоговые льготы mortgage loan – кредит instalment – взнос to rent – арендовать thatched – соломенный terraced house – дом ленточной застройки semi-detached house – дом, имеющий общую стену с соседним домом

detached house – особняк affluent – богатый ceiling – потолок beam – балка, брус slums – трущобы to re-house – переселять outskirts – окраина tower blocks – многоэтажное здание storey – этаж playground – спортивная площадка facility – удобства, услуги

Patterns of Housing in Britain

Over half the people in Britain live in their own houses, about a third live in property rented from the local council and one eight live in privately-rented accommodation. The total number of dwellings is more than 22 million and houses are much more common than flats.

Although the number of houses built during the 1980s went down (especially in the public housing sector traditionally provided by local authorities) the number of people owning their personal homes has more than trebled in the last 35 years. Nowadays there are many tax incentives for people who want to buy houses of their own.

Buying a house is a large financial investment for many people. That is why the majority buy their homes with a mortgage loan from a building corporation or a bank. The loan is repaid in monthly instalments over a period of twenty years or more. Some people rent or buy accommodation through housing associations which provide a financial alternative to the mortgage system.

There are many different types of housing in Britain, ranging from the traditional thatched country cottages to flats in the centre of towns.

Terraced houses are usually found in inner cities. They can be anything up to 150 years old and were often built by industries to house their workers near the factories. Such houses are built in long rows where each house is attached to the ones on either side. The back of this type of house faces the back of another identical row of houses, so they are often known as “back to backs”.

Semi-detached houses have been built in large numbers since the 1930s when Britain's towns and cities expanded into suburbs. Each house is part of a pair and is joined on one side to its partner. Towns in Britain have areas which contain streets and streets of semis, often with well-kept gardens.

The detached house stands by itself, usually with a garden all around it. These houses are much more expensive than semis and are often owned by professional people. Most detached houses are to be found in affluent suburbs or in the green belt – a strip of protected open countryside around the city, where no industrial development is allowed.

Britain is famous for its country cottages which were often built on the country estates of wealthy landowners or around a village green. Such houses have low ceilings, wooden beams and sometimes a thatched roof.

In the 1960s local councils cleared a lot of slums in the inner city areas. The people were re-housed in tower blocks on the outskirts of the city or in the centre of the city. Tower blocks can vary from 3-5 storeys high up to 10-20 storeys high. Each storey contains five or six flats for families. In recent years local councils have tried to improve the areas around tower blocks by creating children's playgrounds and facilities for the community to use.

1. Say which of the statements are true. Correct the false ones.

1. Flats are the most common type of housing in Britain.

2. Tax incentives simplify the process of buying houses and flats.

3. Renting accommodation is the alternative to the mortgage system.

4. Types of houses in Britain vary from cottages to flats in the suburbs.

5. Terraced houses are usually built in short rows.

6. Semi-detached house consists of three houses joined together.

7. Detached houses are usually not very expensive.

8. Most detached houses are situated in slums.

9. Tower blocks are situated mainly on the outskirts of the city.

10) Areas around tower blocks contain shops and playgrounds.

2. Look at the verbs in block letters in the following sentences. Then complete the gaps with the nouns formed from these verbs.

1. A person who lodges with a family is their__________.

2. The large home which a rich family resides in is their__________.

3. The person who occupies a home is an__________.

4. The place where a person lodges is called__________in formal English.

5. People who squat in empty houses without any permission are________.

6. A place where a group of people decide to settle is a__________.

7. The people who inhabit a country are called its__________.

8. People who went to a newly developed part of a country to settle there were often called__________.

3. Make an outline of the text consisting of 5-8 sentences and retell the text according to it.