Fill in the missing words.

1. Our family lives in a new flat in one of the newly built _________areas.

2. It is important that our ______ of flats is within easy ______ of the underground station and it doesn’t take me long to ______ to any place I like.

3. Our flat has all modern __________: central ______, running ______ and _____ water, electricity and _____.

4. We have a two-_____flat.

5. In my opinion, it’s quite a well-_______ flat.

6. As my parents don’t like much furniture in the house so in the living room there are two _________ armchairs and a sofa, a coffee table and a nice ______ carpet on the floor.

7. Opposite the window there is a _______, but it doesn’t take much ____ in the room.

8. We like to _______ our guests in this room.

9. I am very glad to have a room for ________, that’s why I always try to keep it ______ and cosy.

10. In the _______ I keep clean linen and handkerchiefs and in the _______ I keep my clothes which I hang on the _______.

11. On the _______ table in front of the mirror there is a hair ______ and a comb, a _______ of scent and a powder ______.

12. We are not big-eaters, but we use our kitchen as a ________ where we can have a ______ about our problems and life.

13. There is a _______ above the staircase. It is made of _______.

14. Please tidy your room. You always make a ______ in it.

15. All the things like empty tins, bits of paper we throw away into our ______ bin.

16. Come ____stairs immediately. It’s time for bed.

& Reading

Lucky Houses

People in California are learning about the Chinese art of feng shui.

Michael Ho is a seventy-two-year-old retired professor from Hong Kong. He is a lean man with grey hair, and he owns a home in Covina Palms, an area outside Los Angeles.

Before Ho bought his house in Covina Palms, he had looked at a house in an area called Hillcrest. Ho didn’t buy the Hillcrest house, because it had several major problems. It was unlucky, according to Ho.

“ The front and rear doors were in a straight line, without any obstruction, ” said Ho.

The Hillcrest house had another problem in the main bedroom, Ho recalled: “It was difficult to find a suitable place to put the bed.”

Why were these things problems? Ho and many Asians believe that some houses are “lucky” or “unlucky” because of feng shui (pronounced fung-shway). Feng shui is the Chinese word for “the art of placement.” Feng shui tries to create a good relationship between people and all the things around them.

For example, according to feng shui, a straight path from the front to the rear door allows cosmic energy (ch’i) to come in and out of the house too fast. This may mean that the money, peace, and happiness of people who live in the house escape too easily. This was a problem in the Hillcrest house.

Feng shui dictates that the owner’s bedroom should be in a particular part of the house – usually in the house’s south-west corner. And some Chinese think it is very bad when the foot of the bed faces the door, because this echoes the Chinese way of positioning dead people with feet toward the door. In the Hillcrest house, it was hard to find a good or “lucky” position for the bed.

There are many Asians in California who want to buy “ lucky” houses, so building companies are listening to Michael Ho. They want to know more about feng shui. What about you?

rear – back

obstruction – something that blocks the way

With a partner, decide which one of these three floor plans is lucky for Professor Ho. Underline the parts of the text that support your choice.

& Reading and! writing

Part A. Read the text.

MY HOUSE

I live in a house near the sea. It’s an old house, about 100 years old, and it’s very small. There are two bedrooms upstairs but no bathroom. The bathroom is downstairs next to the kitchen and there’s a living room where there’s a lovely old fireplace. There’s a garden in front of the house. The garden goes down to the beach and in spring and summer there are flowers everywhere.

I live alone with my dog, Boxer, but we have a lot of visitors. My city friends often stay with me.

I love my house for many reasons: the garden, the flowers in summer, the fireplace in winter, but the best thing is the view from my bedroom window.

Part B. Write a similar description of your house or flat in about 180 words.

Paragraph 1: Where is it? Is it old or new? How many rooms are there? Is there a garden?

Paragraph 2: Whom do you live with?

Paragraph 3: Do you like it? Why? What is the best thing?

Role-play the following situations:

1. You are meeting your friend whom you haven’t seen for a long time. He tells you that he has received a new flat. You congratulate him on this occasion. He invites you to come and see his flat.

2. You are asking your friend about his flat: where this flat is situated, what the rent is, whether his flat has a balcony, how many rooms are in his flat, what conveniences are in his flat, whether he has a telephone; you unfortunately have no telephone.

3. While you are describing your flat, its space, the furniture and where it is, ask your friend to make a plan of it. Check it afterwards to see if the sketch is like your description.

& Reading

What is student accommodation like in Great Britain?

Generally British students live in “Halls of Residence.” These are often newly constructed buildings with a large number of individual “study-bedrooms,” consisting of a bed, a table, a chair, bookshelves, cupboards and with sometimes a washbasin. Students usually have a single room but sometimes they have to share for one year with another person. There is a bathroom, a kitchen and a laundry on each floor for communal use. There is also a “common room” (a room where students can meet), a TV room and a game room. Breakfast, lunch and evening meals are usually provided for the students in a self-service cafeteria, within the Hall. The student pays for his residence at the beginning of each academic term. Prices vary quite a lot from university to university.

These “Halls of Residence” are for “Red Bricks” (Victorian) universities, such as Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and Liverpool or more modern universities, such as Warwick.

The ancient, traditional universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and London, have a “collegiate system”. In many ways they are similar to Halls of Residence, but there are a few differences. In the first place, the student lives in a college. The buildings are usually very old, some dating from the Middle Ages. Colleges are more traditional than Halls of Residence. For example, many college students have to wear black gowns during the evening meal! Such a collegiate student has a tutor who acts as a “moral” and “academic” adviser. Perhaps the greatest difference is that students in these traditional universities have fewer accommodation difficulties than students in newer universities: one is guaranteed accommodation in college for 3 (or 4) years, if one so wishes, although many students choose to “live out” rather than “live in” as they feel that they have more independence. It must be added that many British students experience accommodation difficulties during their studies.

Usually the students study in the University Reading-Room, but those who want to prolong their working hours can work in their study-bedrooms or in specially appointed study rooms. The Halls provide a homely atmosphere conducive to studying.

Speaking

What is student accomodation like in Ukraine? Is it the same as in Great Britain? Speak about the way Ukrainian students live.

PART IV

HOUSEKEEPING

& Reading

Read the text and do the exercises that follow it.

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