IV. Discussion point.

Step A. Answer the questions about your house/flat.

1. Do you live in a house or a flat?

2. If you live in a flat, what floor is it on?

3. If you live in a house, do you have a garden?

4. Does the house/flat belong to your family, or do you rent it?

5. Do you have your own garage or personal parking space?

6. Would you describe your house/flat as dark or light?

7. Is it noisy or quiet?

8. Do you have central heating?

9. What other modern conveniences do you have?

Step B. Now let`s see how well you know your own home. Answer these questions as quickly as possible. Then discuss advantages and disadvantages of the location of the given objects.

1. Have you got a mirror above the washbasin in the bathroom?

2. Have you got a towel rail on the same wall as the washbasin?

3. Is the toilet next to the bath/shower?

4. Have you got a wardrobe and chest of drawers in your bedroom?

5. Have you got a lamp on your bedside table?

6. Have you got an alarm clock?

7. Is your washing machine in the kitchen or in the bathroom?

Step C. Rewrite the description of a flat making it opposite. Which variant do you prefer? Why?

The rooms on the ground floor are quite dark because they don`t get very much sun. They are also quite noisy because they are near the roads and the traffic. The other negative thing is that the rooms are draughty, the cold air comes into the room through the windows and under the doors because they don`t fit very well. This means it is expensive to heat the rooms. Fortunately I have a very good central heating system. In other ways, it is also very nice: it`s in good condition, and the rooms are huge.

V. Read the text and answer the questions after it.

THE HOUSE

In many parts of England cottages are built in a long row, each house joined to the next one, and each with a small yard at the back, and a still smaller one at the front. On the ground floor there are generally two rooms, and on the upper one, the first floor, two. In the bigger of the lower rooms food is prepared, meals are eaten and guests are received. Such a room is called a kitchen or simply a living-room.

Here is the description of such a living-room. It has three doors: the one in the centre leads out on to the street, the one on the right – to the stairs landing to the first floor, and the one on the left – to a bedroom on the ground floor. There is a fire-place on the right. Dark curtains cover the window at the back. The room contains a table, some chairs and a comfortable rocking chair placed by the fire-place. On the left there is a cupboard with a shelf above it on which are a few dishes. A birdcage hangs in the window. On the wall near the fire-place hangs a large calendar with a bright coloured picture of some cows drinking at a stream. Over the table hangs a gas-lamp and by the fire-place is a small gas-ring with a little tin kettle on it.

The cottages of the well-to-do people, however, are a little larger, pretty and comfortable. They stand a little way back from the road and some have a rather big garden round it and a smooth lawn in front of the house.

You go through the garden gate and walk along a path leading to the house. Mounting a few steps you get on to a verandah and right in front of you is the entrance door. Passing through this door you find yourself in the hall where in the corner is a sort of a cloak-room with racks to hang your coat and hat on.

There are some three-four doors (depending upon the plan of the house) which lead to the kitchen, study, dining-room and lounge or sitting-room. The sitting-room is a big room some twenty-twenty-five feet long and about fifteen-eighteen feet wide. In the sitting-room there might be a thick carpet on the floor, one or two good water-colours on the walls, a piano on one side of the room, a radio or TV set on the other side, a book-case standing against the wall, a small table near the window with a beautiful bowl of flowers, and a couch.

The dining-room is also a pleasant-looking room with a carpet, a dark oak dining-table which, being unfolded might seat ten-twelve persons, six chairs and a side-board. A red lamp-shade hanging down from the ceiling gives a warm colour to the room, and a central (or electric) heating system keeps it warm and comfortable.

Upstairs are the bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory, though the latter two might be in some cottages on the ground floor as well.

1. What is there on the ground floor in a typical English cottage?

2. Where is the fire-place?

3. What is there by the fire-place?

4. What do some Englishmen have round the cottage?

5. What impression does a red lamp-shade make?

6. Do the Ukrainians have similar houses? Describe a typical Ukrainian house.

7. Do the back-translation of the text.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14