UNIT 8. HOME
1. Read and translate the text
HOME
Home, sweat home. It does not matter what your home is like – a country mansion, a more modest detached or semi-detached house, a flat in a block of flats or even a room in a communal flat. Anyway, it is the place where you once move in and start to furnish and decorate it to your own taste. It becomes your second «ego».
Your second ego is very big and disquieting if you have a house. There is enough space for everything: a hall, a kitchen with an adjacent dining room, a living room or a lounge, a couple of bedrooms and closets (storerooms), a toilet and a bathroom. You can walk slowly around the house thinking what else you can do to renovate it. In the hall you cast a glance at the coatrack and a chest of drawers for shoes. Probably, nothing needs to be changed here.
You come to the kitchen: kitchen furniture, kitchen utensils, a refrigerator (fridge) with a freezer, a dish drainer, an electric or gas cooker with an oven. May be it needs a cooker hood?
The dining room is lovely. A big dining table with chairs in the center, a cupboard with tea sets and dinner sets. There is enough place to keep all cutlery and crockery in. You know pretty well where thing go.
The spacious living-room is the heart of the house. It is the place where you can have a chance to see the rest of your family. They come in the evening to sit around the coffee table in soft armchairs and on the sofa. You look at the wall units, stuffed with china, crystal and books. Some place is left for a stereo system and a TV set. A fireplace and houseplants make the living room really cozy.
Your bedroom is your private area though most bedrooms are alike: a single or a double bed, a wardrobe, one or two bedside tables and a dressing table. You like inside the bathroom: a sink, hot and cold taps and a bath. There is nothing to see in the toilet except a flush-toilet.
You are quite satisfied with what you have seen, but still doubt disturbs you: is there anything to change? Yes,! The walls of the rooms should be papered, and in the bathroom and toilet – tiled! Instead of linoleum there should be parquet floors. Instead of patterned curtains it is better to put darker plain ones, so that they might not show the dirt. You do it all, but doubt does not leave you. Then you start moving the furniture around in the bedroom because the dressing table blocks out the light. You are ready to give a sign of relief, but suddenly find out that the lounge is too crammed with the furniture.
Those who live in one-room or two room flats may feel pity for those who live in houses. They don’t have such problems. At the same time they have a lot of priviledges: central heating, running water, a refuse-chute and nice neighbors who like to play music at midnight. Owners of small flats are happy to have small problems and they love their homes no less than those who live in three-stored palaces. Home, sweet home.
Vocabulary
| adjacent dining room | смежная обеденная комната |
| armchair | кресло |
| around the house | по дому |
| bathroom | ванна |
| bedroom | спальня |
| bedside table | тумбочка |
| blocks of flats | многоквартирный дом |
| block the light | загораживать свет |
| central heating | центральное отопление |
| chair | стул |
| chest of drawers | комод |
| china | фарфор |
| closet | кладовка |
| coatrack | вешалка |
| coffee table | кофейный столик |
| cold tap | кран с холодной водой |
| communal flat | коммунальная квартира |
| cooker hood | вытяжка |
| crockery | посуда |
| country mansion | загородный особняк |
| cozy | уютный |
| crystal | хрусталь |
| cupboard | буфет |
| decorate | украшать |
| detached house | отдельный дом |
| dining table | обеденный стол |
| dinner set | обеденный набор |
| dish drainer | сушилка для посуды |
| dressing table | трюмо |
| double bed | двуспальная кровать |
| electric cooker | электрическая плита |
| enough space | достаточно места |
| fireplace | камин |
| freezer | морозильная камера |
| furnish | обставлять мебелью |
| gas cooker | газовая плита |
| hall | коридор |
| hot tap | кран с горячей водой |
| houseplants | комнатные растения |
| keep all the cutlery | хранить всю посуду |
| kitchen | кухня |
| kitchen utensils | кухонные принадлежности |
| living room (lounge) | гостиная |
| move | двигать |
| oven | духовка |
| paper | наклеивать обои |
| parquet floor | паркет |
| patterned curtains | занавески |
| plain curtains | плотные занавески |
| refrigerator | холодильник |
| refuse-chute | мусоропровод |
| renovate | обновлять |
| semi-detached house | дом на 2 семьи |
| single bed | односпальная кровать |
| sink | раковина |
| sofa | диван |
| spacious | просторный |
| stereo system | стерео система |
| tea set | чайный набор |
| three-stored palace | трех-этажный особняк |
| tilled | выложенный кафелем |
| TV set | телевизор |
| wall-unit | стенка |
| wardrobe | гардероб |
| where things go | где лежат вещи |
2. True or false
1) There are only three categories of houses.
2) In the hall we get together with families and watch TV.
3) In the kitchen we cook meals, eat and drink.
4) In the bedroom there are: fridge, gas cooker, oven.
5) Usually the family gets together in the living room.
6) All the bedrooms are look like.
7) All people furnish and decorate their flats to their taste.
8) All people love their homes.
3. Fill the table
| Place | What furniture can you find? | What activities can you do? |
| hall | ||
| kitchen | ||
| living room | ||
| bedroom | ||
| your room | ||
| study | ||
| balcony |
4. Find the words connected with the word House
| HOUSE | ||
| noun | adjective | verb |
| bedroom | modern | move |
| sofa | expensive | find |
5. Describe the picture and answer the questions
Use the next expressions: in the middle, in the far end, in front of, next to, opposite the, on the left, on the right.
1) Who may live in this room (a man, a woman, a girl, a boy)?
2) How old is he or she?
3) Where does this person live?
4) What does he or she do? Does he/she work or study?
5) What does he/she like?
6) What can you say about his/her character?
7) What can you say about his/her hobbies?
6. Read the dialogue
- Hello
- Hi, I am calling about the apartment for rent. Is it still available?
- Yes, it’s available. Would you like to see it?
- Yes, but would you mind if I ask you a few questions over the phone first?
- No, not at all. What would you like to know?
6. Read information about the apartment for rent and answer the questions
Location: Downtown
Rent: $680.00
Size: 1 bedroom
Distance to University: 25 minutes by car/40 minutes by subway.
Public Transportation: 2 minutes from the subway/Near all major bus routes.
Pets: No pets allowed.
Facilities in Building: Pool/Weight room.
Neighborhood: Busy downtown neighborhood close to the theaters, restaurants, pubs, and shopping centers.
Parking: Private underground parking.
1) Where is it located?
2) How much is the rent?
3) How big is it?
4) How far is it from the university?
5) How close it to public transportation?
6) Are pets allowed?
7) Are there any facilities in the building?
8) What is the neighborhood like?
9) Is there a parking?
Ask your groupmate about his/her flat, using these questions.
GRAMMAR CORNER
FUTURE SIMPLE
| УТВЕРЖДЕНИЕ | ОТРИЦАНИЕ | ВОПРОС | КРАТКИЕ ОТВЕТЫ |
| I will study. | I will not (won’t) study. | Will I study? | Yes, I will. No, I won’t. |
| You will cook. | You will not (won’t) cook. | Will you cook? | Yes, you will. No, you won’t. |
| He will read | He will not (won’t) read. | Will he read? | Yes, he will. No, he won’t. |
| She will dance | She will not (won’t) dance. | Will she dance? | Yes, she will. No, she won’t. |
| It will happen | It will not (won’t) happen. | Will it happen? | Yes, it will. No, it won’t. |
| We will help | We will not (won’t) help | Will we help? | Yes, we will. No, we won’t. |
| They will speak | They will not (won’t) speak | Will they speak? | Yes, they will. No, they won’t. |
7. Give your opinion about shopping in 2020 with will or won’t
1. We _________ do most of our shopping on the Internet.
2. Small local shops _____________disappear.
3. People __________stop shopping in street markets.
4. Funny gadgets shops ________become very popular.
5. People ____________buy food only in supermarkets.
6. We ________buy newspapers and magazines.
8) Say two sentences about future and then ask a question about the future to someone else. Try to use many of the expressions below.
I’ll probably 
I might
I’m thinking of
I’m planning to
I intend to
I’m going to
I hope to
I have decided to
| START | tomorrow | next winter vacation | next week-end | the person you will marry |
| your dream | tonight | your country | outer space | the next holiday |
| your next birthday | school in the future | medicine | your city in ten years | your studies |
| next fall | your breakfast tomorrow | next Monday | the ocean | your next test |
| your friends in 10 years | next year | future science | your New year resolution | twenty years in physics |
| future transportation | future houses | when you are old | next Thursday | your future job |
| the environment | next summer vacation | next Wednesday | after you graduate | FINISH |
10) Predict your friends’ reactions to the jokes and news below
Example. You hide your friend’s school bag/ She will get angry. She will shout at you.
1. You put a spider in your friend’s bed.
2. Your friends hear on TV that Brazil beat Germany in football.
3. Your friend gets a letter saying they have won 1000 dollars.
4. You put salt instead of sugar into your friend’s tea.
5. Your friend gets an invitation to Pop star.
11) Choose three people in your group. Write predictions about their futures.
Example. Peter will work as a teacher or a scientist. I think he will have a big family. May be he will move in Moscow.
12) Read the text and translate
BRITISH AND AMERICAN HOMES
About 51 million people live in England and most of them (84%) are largely concentrated in London. Like in any other capital city there are a lot of blocks of flats with modern flats and a lot of people prefer living there. But people who are most conservative and value the traditions of their country live in the countryside.
The houses in the countryside are usually more expensive than the flats in big cities. I think it is normal because when you live in the country, you pay not just for the house but for the marvelous views, fresh air and a possibility to spend your free time in a garden (gardening is one of the most favorite hobbies among the British). English houses often have two floors and an attic. There is a kitchen, a dining room and a living on the ground floor. Almost in every house there is a fireplace in the living room, which is the most favorite place for all the family in the evening or on holidays. There are bedrooms and several bathrooms on the first floor. There is always a room for guests. There is always a room for guests. There is usually a study on the attic.
Usually houses in England are built from stones or bricks (from the local area), which are different in colors. And sometimes it seems that Britain is a country of multicolored houses. In England there are many types of houses. People can live in a flat as it was told above. In most towns all over England there are streets of houses joined together are called semidetached houses. If the houses are not joined to any other buildings they are called detached houses. The most popular types of houses among British people are semidetached and detached houses.
Though more and more people tend to buy a house in the countryside, it has become a great problem for the English to buy a house because the prices on the property are increasing much faster than the wages. But it is always possible to take a mortgage in a bank, call upon rich relatives or buy a house jointly with friends.
13) Answer the questions
1. Where do most of English people prefer to live?
2. Why are the houses in the country more expensive than the flats in big cities?
3. What types of houses do you know in England?
4. What are the most popular types of houses among English people?
5. Is it easy or difficult nowadays to buy a house? Why?
6. How can you buy a house?
14) Read the text and translate
American homes
American homes are some of the biggest and best in the world. Many have a garage for one or two cars, a bin modern kitchen, a living room, and a playroom for the children.
Upstairs there are two bathrooms and three or four bedrooms. Young Johnny sleeps in one room. His sister, Sally, has another. Their parents sleep in the third bedroom. There is another room for visitors. Some families have two homes. They have one house or apartment in the city or suburbs. They live and work there.
But they have another home near the sea or in the mountains. They go to their second home on weekends and for vacations. Seventy percent of Americans buy the house they live in. they are lucky. A suburb (a small community near a big city) offers the advantages of safer, more intimate small-town life with the recreational and cultural activities of the big city nearby.
But thirty percent cannot buy a house or an apartment. Some of them rent their home from a landlord. Some landlords are good, but some are not. Windows break, or roofs get old, and the landlord doesn’t always help. Some high-rise apartments are very expensive and elegant, but many are built for moderate or even law-income families. Many apartment buildings are condominiums or cooperative apartments, which means that each family owns the unit it lives in.
The poorest people live in public housing apartments. These apartments are not like rich American homes. People don’t like to live in public housing projects. They are afraid of thieves and drug sellers.
Americans who live in town and cities move often. A family stays in one house for four or five years and then they move again. Some people move because they have found a new job. Other people move because they want a bigger or a smaller home. In American suburbs, families come and go all the time.
Americans are always trying to make their homes better. They take a lot of time to buy furniture and make their homes beautiful. They buy books and magazines about houses and furniture. They work hard on their homes in the evening and on weekends.
More than 10 million Americans live in mobile homes, living quarters built on wheels. They can be moved, but are generally brought to a site that becomes more or less permanent. Then the wheels are removed and the home is attached to the ground. Because they cost less than conventional homes, mobile homes are especially popular with young couples and retired couples with a limited income.
Americans like to think the United States is a young country, but really it has a long and interesting history. You can see some of its history in the styles of the houses. The lovely pueblo houses of Native American villagers, the old pioneer log cabins, the plantation houses in the South, the beautiful colonial homes of the Northeast – they are all a part of American history. They are part of modern America too, because people copy the old styles in new houses. The history lives on.
15) Fill the table about advantages and disadvantages of living in the house
| HOUSE | |
| advantages | disadvantages |
| FLAT | |
| advantages | disadvantages |
16) Write an essay about your flat or house