Unit 5. Area where you live Part 1. Vivien

Ex.1. Read the text and pick up the terms referring to the topic.

As the district I’m living in now is right in the center of town, it’s very convenient for schools and for work. It’s also good for shopping, although there aren’t many all-night or twenty-four-hour shops close by. I’ve lived in better places in this respect − although I have to say that Hungary is better than England, where there aren’t usually any 24-hour shops anywhere. Maybe there are a few in the centre of London, but they are the exception rather than the rule. But even if there are just a few 24-hour shops, if you want to go shopping in the daytime, for clothes or books or things like that, it’s perfect.

We have a park just around the corner which is very nice. It’s just been completely renovated. They dug up the whole park and put down new lawns, new grass, planted trees and built a playground for children and a dog toilet.

We’ve got a cinema right opposite us − actually, there are three within five min­utes’ walking distance, which means we have a good choice of films.

The air is a problem. I have to say, the air quality is awful. I never go out onto the balcony of our flat, because you just get a big blast of smoke and fumes from lorries going past below. As a result, I’ve developed a cough, which is known as the Budapest chest. Almost everyone I know here who comes from abroad has developed some sort of cough, as a result of breathing in all the traffic fumes. I think the pollution in Budapest is much worse than in London, or at least it feels like it. Certainly, my lungs feel it. I think it comes from these old-style cars that don’t run on lead-free petrol.

I don’t know how much pollution comes from factories, but where I lived in South London it seemed like the air was much cleaner. Although, saying that, whenever I came back from my parents’ house in the coun­try, I could immediately smell the pollution in London when I got off the tube. I got this smell of oily tar in the back of my throat, and thought “Back in London!”

The area where I live is also not so good from the point of view of noise, especially in the morning, as every morning at six o’clock, a rubbish van comes to take away the rubbish from the hotel opposite... every day at six o’clock... and they crash around. They’re only there for about ten minutes, but that’s enough to wake me up. And at night, there are always people walk­ing past, singing and shouting, because there are a couple of all-night bars down the road. This can also be a bit irritating some­times.

A lot of traffic goes down the road outside our house. I’ve heard they’re hoping to make it into a pedestrian precinct and ban all cars from using it, which would be wonderful. I think it would increase the value of the flat by, I don’t know, ten times. I’d certainly prefer to live somewhere where there was no traffic going past. At the moment, people use it as a shortcut, particularly in the morning when there’s rush-hour traffic, and as it’s a very narrow street with cars parked on both sides of the road, people have to walk in the road, and then the car drivers start using their horns and shouting at people, and getting angry and stressed out. So, all these things together don’t make for a very peaceful life.

Two years ago, before I came here, I lived in London in an area called Brixton. I lived in a similar kind of situation to here. I was in a flat with three other people, for six or seven years. Different people came and went differ­ent flatmates. Sometimes it was all girls, and sometimes there was a mixture of girls and boys. It was a really cheap flat, but it was also very noisy, as it was right by an intersection where five roads met, so there was always traffic going past and the house used to shake. It was also on the route ambulances used on the way to hospital, so there were all these sirens going past.

My parents live in the country, so I’ve lived in both the heart of the city and in the depths of the countryside, and I know the differences. The country is really nice... It’s really nice to go to the country for a break, but on the other hand I do get bored if I’m there for a long time, and miss things like being able to go out and go to the cinema, meet friends and things like that. It was my ideal really when I lived in London, because I had all of that but I could also go home to my parents and take a breath of fresh air, and just relax and do nothing for a while. Of course, the town is much better for work and for going out, although with the pace of modern life I think all of the people there get really stressed out and nervous, so it would be good if everybody had the opportunity to get out.

Ex.2. Suggest the Russian equivalents to the English ones.

Convenient, to be the exception rather than the rule, to dig up, to put down new lawns, to have something right opposite, to get a big blast of smoke and fumes, lorries going past below, to develop a cough, as a result of breathing, traffic fumes, to run on petrol, pollution which comes from factories, to smell oily tar, to get off the tube, from the point of view of noise, a rubbish van, to take away the rubbish, people walking past, to irritate, traffic going past, rush-hour traffic, an intersection, the route ambulances, to go somewhere for a break, to take a breath of fresh air, pace of modern life, depths of the countryside, on the other hand.

Ex.3. Suggest the English equivalents to the Russian ones.

Круглосуточный магазин, за углом, обновлять, неэтилированный бензин, болезнь лёгких, кратчайшее расстояние, лондонское метро, сосед по квартире, разбить газон, в пяти минутах ходьбы, выйти на балкон, с точки зрения, грохотать, зона для пешеходов, запретить, стоимость, по обе стороны дороги, сигналить, разозлиться, выйти из себя, похожая ситуация, перекресток, нервничать.

Ex.4. Fill in the gaps in the sentences.

1. As the district Vivien is living in now is … it’s very convenient for schools and for work.

2. As a result, she has developed … the Budapest chest.

3. Sometimes it was all girls, and … girls and boys.

4. The area where she lives is … of view of noise.

5. She has heard … which would be wonderful.

6. Vivien has to say … is awful.

7. It was also … so there were all these sirens…

8. It was a really cheap flat … as it was…

9. Vivien gets bored if … and misses … and things like that.

Ex.5. Complete the sentences.

1. Vivien never goes out onto the balcony of her flat, because...

2. Maybe there are a few 24-hour shops in the centre of London, but they are…

3. Almost everyone has developed some sort of cough, as a result of…

4. She doesn’t know how much pollution…

5. A lot of traffic goes down…

6. She would certainly prefer to live somewhere…

7. Vivien has heard they’re hoping to make…

8. And the car drivers start…

9. It’s really nice to…

10. Vivien could also go home to her parents and…

Ex.6. Are these statements true or false?

1. Vivien is living on the outskirts and there is no place to buy food.

2. Unfortunately, the park which is around the corner is in very bad condition.

3. There is no place to go out.

4. There are no cars to pollute the air so you don’t breathe traffic fumes.

5. The area where she lives is very good from the point of view of noise and nothing irritates her.

6. Vivien considers the city to be suitable for having a rest.

Ex.7. Answer the questions.

1. Where is Vivien living now?

2. What is it good and convenient for?

3. Why is Hungary better than England?

4. What is there near the flat?

5. Where can one walk?

6. What has been done with the park?

7. What do they have right opposite the house?

8. How can she get to the cinema?

9. What is the main problem?

10. Why does she never go out onto the balcony?

11. What is the ecological situation in the place Vivien lives?

12. What is the ecological situation in England?

13. Prove that the place Vivien lives isn’t peaceful at all.

14. What would increase the value of the flat ten times?

15. Where would Vivien prefer to live?

16. What is the road outside their house used as?

17. What doesn’t make for a very peaceful life?

18. Why was it a very noisy place?

19. In what types of accommodation has Vivien lived?

20. Where does Vivien get bored?

21. What is Vivien’s opinion of the countryside?

Ex.8. Translate the sentences into English.

1. Я живу в очень удобном районе.

2. С магазинами в нашем районе нет проблем. Рядом очень много круглосуточных.

3. За углом есть парк. Его недавно привели в порядок, разбили газоны.

4. Прямо напротив нашего дома, в пяти минутах ходьбы, есть кинотеатр.

5. Воздух в городе ужасно плохой, от машин идет дым и гарь.

6. У вас может появиться кашель, если вы вдыхаете много выхлопных газов.

7. У нас очень загрязненный воздух.

8. Заводы очень загрязняют воздух.

9. Как только мы попадаем в город, мы сразу чувствуем загрязнение.

10. С точки зрения шума, мой район не очень хорош.

11. Мусорная машина очень грохочет, когда приезжает забрать мусор.

12. В центре города очень шумно, особенно по ночам, когда бродят люди, разговаривают и кричат, так как там много кафе.

Ex.9. Give a summary of the text.