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Unit 3 THE PLACE WE LIVE IN



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When we speak about personal values we mostly mean moral principles and beliefs. But there is a sort of physical level of values. We may place great value on comfort, cleanliness, quality, and physical perfection in whatever we do or have. Homes, to some extend, belong to this category of values. A truly comfortable home serves up more than basic needs; it is tailored to everyday life. Some people value privacy and the feeling of being protected the home gives. For others home is associated with hospitality. It provides a place to entertain friends, a place to have fun and enjoy pleasures of their life. And for some people house means having a family. What values do you associate your place of living with?

Ex.1 Read the definitions a) – i) and match them with the types of the houses:

a terraced house, a castle, a block(of flats), a hut, a caravan, a bungalow, a cottage, a semi-detached house, a detached house (country).

 

a) A large strong building with thick high walls and towers, built in the past by kings or queens, or other important people, to defend themselves against attack.

b) One of a row of similar houses that are all joined together.

c) A road vehicle without an engine that is pulled by a car, designed for people to live and sleep in, especially when they are on holiday / vacation.

d) A house that is joined to another house on one side.

e) A house that is small, usually old and in the country.

f) A small, simply built house or shelter.

g) A house that is not joined to any other house.

h) A house all on the ground level, no upstairs.

i) A building that contains individual flats on different floors.

Ex.2 Look at the pictures and label the buildings:

 


1. _________

2. _________

3. _________

4. _________

5. _________

6. _________

7. _________

8. _________

9. _________



Ex.3 Fill the gaps with the words given above.

1. Many people dream of buying a… in the country where they can escape to at weekends.

2. We live in a…. house so we get noise from the neighbourhood on both sides.

3. I’ve moved to a …. now as I found I couldn’t manage the stairs any more at my age.

4. I live in a modern … on the seventh floor.

5. We visited the ruins of a medieval … which are magnificently sited high up on a cliff.

6. It costs a lot of money to heat the … house when you live in a cold climate.

7. Most families in England live in a … or … house with a small garden and a garage.

8. It was a small beach …which had no cooking or sanitary facilities.

9. Many old houses were knocked down and people got new flats in a many-storied … .

10. To my mind, this is a fine … house for a family with three children in a quiet residential neighbourhood.

11. My house is … and it annoys me most of all when the neighbours’ children start bouncing the ball against the wall.

12. Graham bought a … house in a quiet city street.

13. The Johnsons prefer to live in a … when they are on holiday because they can travel with comfort and stop at any place they like.

Ex.4 Brain Teaser

Find out who can live in that sort of accommodation: a palace (or a castle), an igloo, bed-sit, a wigwam (or tepee), a monastery, a convent, a communal flat, a ranch(-house), a tent (or caravan), a penthouse, a sewer, a pagoda, a two-bedroom flat, a yurta (nomad tent), a shelter of branches, a chalet.

Ex.5 Study the plan of the detached house.

 

a) Look at the plan and match the following words with the numbers on the plan:

windowsill, doorstep, garage, balcony, sunshade, terrace = patio, window, swing, French window, hanging basket, aerial, roof, lawn, hedge, tub of flowers, window box, attic = loft, chimney, back door, fence, drainpipe, basement, vegetable patch / garden, shutter, screen door.


1. …………

2 …………

3. …………

4. …………

5. …………

6. …………

7. …………

8. …………

9 …………

10. …………

11. …………

12. …………

13 …………

 

14. …………

15. …………

16. …………

17. …………

18. …………

19. …………

 

20. …………

21. …………

22…………

23. …………

24. …………

25 ………….


 

b) Draw the front of that house, label the following words:

door bell (knocker), gate, mat, porch, hedge, path, driveway, letterbox, garage, front door, shed, flowerbed.

Ex.6 Fill in the gaps with an appropriate word.

1. My father expects me to help mow the ... at the weekend.

2. He keeps all the gardening tools in a ... in the corner of the garden.

3. At the top of the house there is a … which I’m going to convert into an extra bedroom.

4. The burglars got in by climbing up a ... and through the bathroom window.

5. They got on so well with their neighbours that they decided to take down the ... between their gardens.

6. There must be someone at home. I can see smoke coming out of their ... .

7. There’s a …. under the house where we store the produce we grow in our garden.

8. I couldn’t see over the ..., but I could hear children playing in the front garden.

9. I opened the …and had hardly stepped on the path when I was immediately set on by a large dog.

10. In the past people used … for storing food, nowadays they converted it into a big enough to walk in built-in wardrobe.

11. We walked up some stone … to the … door, wiped the feet on the … and rang the … bell .

12. On quiet summer evenings we have a very simple supper round the fire in the sitting room and then lay the table for tea on the ….

13. In summer when I put the … of flowers out on the … it looks like a small garden.

14. We had to climb ten … of … to get to her flat because she lives on the fifth floor and the lift wasn’t working.

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.

Home is a little world where one lives according to his own rules, his needs and dreams. Everyone creates his home in the way he understands it. That’s why many people believe that home is as much a reflection of a person's personality, as the clothes he wears, the books he reads and the friends he spends his time with. Visiting one’s home you can get the basic information about its owner, his interests, his lifestyle and character. What is your house like?

 


Ex.7 Reading

a) Read the text and say if it resembles your own place of living.

 

The place where you once move in becomes your second "ego". You start to furnish and deco­rate it to your own taste. If you have a house or your own flat 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 pantries, 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 glance at the coat rack, a big framed mirror 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 sink, an electric or gas cooker with an oven. Maybe, it needs a cooker hood?

The dining-room is lovely. A big dining table with chairs in the centre, a cupboard with tea sets and dinner sets. There is enough place to keep all cutlery and crockery in. You know pretty well where things 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 cosy. 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 look inside the bathroom: a washbasin, 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 sigh of relief, but... suddenly find out that the lounge is too crammed up with furniture.

Those who live in one-room or two-room flats may feel pity for those who live in houses. They do not have such problems. At the same time they have a lot of privileges: central heating, running wa­ter, a rubbish chute and... nice neighbours 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-storeyed palaces.

 

b) Draw a plan of your flat. Say what other items of furniture you can see in your hall, kitchen, dining room, lounge, bedroom.

 

Ex.8 Reading.

a) Tell your partner what kind of house you live in and what your favourite room is. Give your reasons.

b) Read the text “A room of my own” about Ivan Steward to find out what kind of place he lives in, and what kind of person he is.

Ivan Steward is a window cleaner. Window cleaning is not only his bread and butter, it is also his inspiration, because some of his ideas on interior decoration came to him when he was looking through his customers’ windows. He once saw a seaman’s chest looking splendid in someone’s room and set his heart on finding a similar chest. He finally came across one in the market. “They told me it was washed up on the shore – I wanted to believe that, so it’s true as far as I am concerned.” Now it’s in the sitting room of his top-floor flat with its panoramic view of London.

If the room has a faintly Continental air, that’s because while cleaning windows in Holland he noticed that Dutch people tended to have wooden floors rather than fitted carpets. “They have all these different coloured woods, so I decided every time I came back I was going to bring back some wood.”

Ivan, now 41, is just under two metres tall, log-limbed, with a gentle manner but a considerable degree of drive and enthusiasm. As well as being a window cleaner, he is also an actor.

Ivan bought the Persian rug in a carpet sale out of the money he was paid for playing in the TV series. His other role paid for the sofa and the Victorian farmhouse chair. His mother, who died some years ago, gave him the cheese plant, and most of other plants he bought in the flower market. The television-set stands on a cut-down Victorian table. He is devoted to dogs, and his girlfriend gave him the carved wooden dog on the bookshelf. He also has a retriever called Sidney.

The African figure on his coffee table is one of the three he bought in Africa when he went to stay with a fellow drama student who lived there. He came across the pair of boat paintings at a Sunday jumble sale in Essex.

Ivan keeps all his tips in the gin bottle and hoping to buy his flat soon.

 

c) Answer the questions:

1. Where does he get ideas how to decorate and furnish the room?

2. Do you think his room is cosy?

3. How do the things in his room reflect his lifestyle, his character, his interests? Prove your answers with the examples.

4. Do you like his room? Why?/Why not?

 

Ex.9 Listening

a) You’ll hear five speakers. Match the number of the speaker (Sp1 - Sp5) and the letter of the corresponding statement (A, B, C, D, E or F). There is one extra statement.

A. It’s important for me to feel comfortable in my bedroom.

B. I share a bedroom with my sister.

C. My old bedroom was bigger than this bedroom.

D. No one can enter my bedroom when I’m not here.

E. My parents get annoyed when my bedroom is untidy.

F. I try to keep my bedroom as tidy as possible.

b) Listen for the second time and write down five different ways how to introduce sth.

c) Write a short paragraph describing your room (5-6 sentences).

Ex.10 Talking points.

a) Decide where exactly in the house /flat you would possibly put these things. Give reasons.

 

 


b) Look at the pictures. What can you say about the lifestyles and characters of the people these rooms belong to?

 

c) Choose the picture you like best. Can you explain why? Use the following adjectives and phrases: old-fashioned, modern, tiny, spacious, crammed with furniture, light, dark, cosy, (un)comfortable, unusual, (extra)ordinary, soft, well-planned, tidy, clean, scattered, in a mess, ascetic, fantastic, simple, unpretentious, etc.

 

d) Does your room reflect your personality? Would you like to change anything in it?

 

e) In what way would you decorate and furnish a living room or a bedroom?

 

Our home is much more than just a castle, it is our identity and our prime obsession. This is why a house is not something you just passively “have”, it is something you constantly “work on”. Working on home improvements is an opportunity to exercise our creative talents. Or at least that’s how we like to think of it. Although it may sometimes be an economic necessity, we see the arrangement, furnishing and decorating of our homes as an expression of our unique personal taste.

Ex.11 Read people’s complaints and tick (ν) the ones that are true for you. Add one more sentence as in the example.

ν 1. It’s so far from the city centre! It takes me an hour and a half to get there.
2. I have to share a room with my brother/sister.
3. There’s always so much housework to do!
4. It’s terribly noisy!
5. We’ve got some awful neighbours!
6. There’s too much furniture in the flat!
7. Almost nothing in our house/flat is new.
8. There’s always something that’s not working.

 

Ex.12 If sth is broken, damaged or torn it needs to be repaired / mended / done up / restored / renovated. Some problems you can manage yourself, for others you need to call out/to send for someone.

a) What do you have to do when you have problems listed below? Match them with the possible solutions.

e.g.: If the hot/cold tap is dripping, you have to put a bowl and call out the plumber.

  problems   solutions
1. The hot/cold tap is dripping. a) To cut, to mow
2. The roof is leaking. b) To make draught-proof window and door
3. The sewage drain is blocked. c) To paint
4. The paint on the windows is peeling off. d) To put the bowl, to call out the plumber
5. The wallpaper is faded. e) To renew
6. The glass panel in the window is cracked. f) To take away
7. The kitchen is flooded. g) To put a new one
8. The washing machine broke down. h) To wash by hand, to go to the laundry
9. The bathroom door-handle has come off. i) To screw it back on
10. The ceiling is sooty. j) To knock down, to remove
11. The plug is not working. k) To install radiators
12. The grass is overgrown. l) To unblock the drain, to send for the plumber
13. There is no central heating in the house. m) To renovate
14. The garden shed is very old.. n) To whitewash, to paint
15. The bulb has burnt out. o) To block the water, to send for the plumber
16. There’s builders’ rubbish everywhere. p) to change
17. There is a draught in the room. q) To mend, to repair

b) Make a list of things people do when they move to a new flat or house.

Ex.13 Read the dialogue and substitute the italicized words in American English for their British English equivalents.

APARTMENT

— I hear you have moved to a new apartment, Steve. Is it true?

— Yes, it is. One of these days we'll arrange a housewarming party And I want you and your wife Carol to be present.

— Thank you for the invitation. How do you like your new apartment?

— It is very comfortable. It is a three-bedroom apartment with modern conveniences, an electric stove and a lot of built-in cupboards.

— What floor is it on?

— Our apartment is on the tenth floor of a high-rise dwelling house. We've got two elevators which work round o'clock.

— Is the garbage chute in the flat?

— No, it’s on the stairs.

— Is it far from the centerof the city?

— Rather. It takes me about an hour to get to the center by bus and by subway. If I drive a car, it takes me thirty minutes.

— I see. Have you bought new furniture?

— We've bought wall units, two armchairs and a new ice box. We are planning to buy two carpets and a dining set.

— Good luck!

— Thanks. Are you going to move to a new apartment?

— No, I am not. We have been living in our two-room apartment for about eight years and we don't want to move anywhere.

—Your apartment is comfortable, isn't it?

— Yes, very. My wife arranged everything very nicely and I like it very much. We don't have much furniture, but we have got everything we need.

—I am glad to hear it.

Ex.14 Reading

a) As you read the text, answer the following question: If the couple decided to sell the house next month, which of these features could they say that it had?


1. two bathrooms

2. polished wooden floors

3. a slate roof

4. attractive wallpaper throughout

5. double glazed windows

6. three bedrooms

7. a spacious garden shed

8. an excellent fireplace

9. a vegetable garden

10. a modern kitchen


 

When my wife and I moved into our present house, it was a little better than a slum, completely unfurnished apart from some pieces of furniture the former owner had either forgotten or – more likely – decided not to take with her: an enormous sideboard, a chest of drawers with its only remaining door hanging off, an ugly bookcase with cracked glass doors, a ghastly tallboy and divan.

The floors then were just bare boards with one or two mats and stripes of lino. We now have fitted carpets in every room except the bathroom (where we have special long-lasting tiles) and a kitchen (where we have polished parquet floor), plus several sheepskin rugs in the dining room. On arrival, we found most of the interior decorated with faded, flowery-patterned wallpaper, peeling in the corners. We have painted throughout in magnolia except in the sitting room. A few tasteful reproductions and a number of old German prints (all expensively framed) are on the walls. In the children’s rooms there are some carefully selected posters.

Numerous structural alterations have been carried out. The old garden shed has been converted into a second bathroom completed with a bath, basin, bidet and W.C. (lambswool-covered lavatory seat and a press-button flush). We’ve extended the green-house and made a sun-lounge with window seats all around it – leading on to a newly-laid patio. The roof has been completely renovated – slates gave way to tiles, double glazing has been fitted on all windows and the old fire-place has been blocked up. In terms of heating, we have gas-fired central heating with an extra large boiler and double radiators, each with its own thermostatic control.

We have also made dramatic improvements in the kitchen. The old installation were ripped out last year and in their place came: a new sink unit with a mixer tap and sewage drain, a line of smart cupboards all along one wall and two rows of shelves along the other, an electric cooker, microwave oven with grill, dishwasher – you name it, I think we’ve got it. Upstairs, the old iron double bed we inherited has been replaced by elegant twin beds with interior-sprung mattresses, duvets and feather pillows. My wife has her own personal dressing table. Our children have recently moved out of their bunk beds and into single beds in separate rooms; these have been specially equipped with a desk, blackboard, and toy chest. All bedrooms have built-in wardrobes.

Our more expensive purchases, apart from the above include: a leather upholstered sitting-room suite with four-seat sofa and two arm-chairs, a solid wood table and a set of matching dining room chairs, new stereo equipment, plasma screen, CD-player, X-box (play station), home computer and cocktail cabinet.

b) What things would you like to have done to improve your room, flat or house?

 

Ex.15 Look at the advice some people gave about choosing an area to live in. Match the first part of each sentence 1-4 with the second part A-D


1. Being near a hotel isn’t so important…

2. It’s nice to have a friendly restaurant nearby…

3. You should find out…

 

4. It’s good to be near the shops…

A …if you suddenly realize you need bread.

B …for times when you don’t want to cook.

C …what sports you can do in the area.

D …if you have your own home.


Ex.16 Agree or disagree with the following ideas.

1. In my opinion, living near the academy is the most important thing.

2. If you live in a flat it’s quite important to live close to a park.

3. Personally, I don’t think being near a cinema is very important because you can watch DVDs at home.

4. From my point of view, the most important thing is a bus stop near your house.

5. I think it’s better to live in the suburbs.

6. If you ask me, living near the main road is awful because of the traffic noise and pollution.

7. I’m sure it’s very convenient to have a shopping centre nearby.

8. I’d like to live in the neighbourhood with the people I like a lot.

9. I don’t think it’s very good to have shops and offices on the ground floor of your block because there are always lots of cars and people nearby, but on the other hand it can be convenient.

10. It’s necessary to have a garage or a parking place not far from your block of flats.

11. It’s desirable to have a special area to walk my dog in, so that not to quarrel with my neighbours.

12. To my mind a good yard is of great importance: with benches, flowerbeds and a playground.

 


Ex.17 Listening

a) Listen to two descriptions of places to live. As you listen complete the information in the table.

  First house Second house
Location    
Type of dwelling    
Kinds and number of rooms    
Facilities    
Transport    
Facilities in the neighbourhood    

b) Speak about the advantages and disadvantages of each house.

Ex.18 Read the textand cross out ten extra words.

Town and country.

The main advantage of living in the city is that there are so many things for to do in your free time. There are cinemas, theatres and stadiums. It is very much difficult to be bored in the city, as long as you have got money to spend. I do not think so I would like living in the country because it is too quiet. People who are prefer the country say that it is much more relaxed than the city. They say that they do not worry about no crime, and that they enjoy breathing a clean air every day. I am sure that all this is true, but I think I would get bored out after only a few days. I do not like the traffic noise and air pollution of the city, but I can tolerate with it if it means I can spend all day making shopping, then go to the cinema and a night club in the evening. What is there to do in the country? Going for long walks in the fields, surrounded about by trees and cows is not my idea of a good time.

 

Ex.19 Study the list of advantages and disadvantages of living in a city and in the country. Do you agree with it? Can you add anything else?

The best things about living

in a city: in the country:
There's good nightlife. There's a wide range of shops. You can get whenever and whatever you want. There are a lot of cultural activities. There are good job opportunities.   You get peace and quiet. You're surrounded by lovely scenery. You get fresh air. You can walk in the countryside. The pace of life is slower and more relaxed.

The worst things about living

in a city: in the country:
It's very crowded. People are more aggressive. It can be noisy and dangerous. The streets are often dirty. There's a high crime rate and cost of living. There isn't much nightlife. Public transport is hopeless. You don't get many shops. There isn't much privacy because everyone knows what you are doing.  

 

Ex.20 Listen to five people speaking about their life in the city and in the village. In the list above tick the advantages and disadvantages they mention.

Ex.21 Talking points

1. Look at the two sets of photos A and B:

a) Compare and contrast them.

b) Which one is more similar to where you live?

 
 


2. Does your flat/house belong to you or do you rent it?

3. How are people’s lives in the countryside different from those in the city?

4. Where would you prefer to spend your holidays; in the city or countryside?

5. Would you change your flat for a country house (country house for a flat)?

6. Think of your ideal house – the house you’d most like to live in (where it would be, what you would see from the window, what it would be like inside).

 

Ex.22 Writing

a) Imagine that you are looking for a new house/flat. Read the advertisements and change the base words in bold to complete the gaps.

 

 

b) Write a short advertisement to rent a flat/house.


Have you ever dreamed of a "clever" house, automatically carrying out routine daily operations, protecting forces of the owners, creating comfort, saving the budget, safeguarding? Such houses are predicted for the future.

Predicting the future gives a person the opportunity to broaden people’s horizons and spark imaginations. But how could we possibly know what our homes will look like in the future and how they will be lived in?

 

Ex.23 Reading

a) Answer the questions:

1. Have you ever tried to predict future life?

2. Will people live in houses and flats similar to ours or will the places to live in change a lot?

3. If so, will they change for the better or for the worse?

4. What makes you think so?

 

b) Read the text and draw ‘The Home of the Future’ described in the text as you imagine it. Would you like to live in such a house?

Weather-proof, solar-powered - and no housework to speak of!

Just imagine a house which cleaned itself, where robots prepared the meals, where dusting, ironing and DIY were things of the past. Imagine a house heated and powered by the energy equivalent to just one gas cooker ring, a house in which you could actually go skiing. Science fiction? Science fact!

The Home of the Future will be built indoors, for a start. Small groups of houses will nestle under gigantic glass domes surrounded by lush trees and shrubs. Tropical birds may flit across the roof-tops in the constant, computer-controlled warmth.

The house itself will be any style or size you fancy. Being indoors, it will need only a tiny amount of energy to heat. Much power will come from solar panels in the dome -the round roof.

Forget front door keys. Your door will be opened as soon as it hears a voice it recognizes. Your space-age butler - the ultimate home computer – will oversee security. This discreet electronic servant will control everything, from temperature, humidity and lighting to household gadgets and cleaning chores. He'll pay bills and order food, making sure it's delivered to your door. He'll book your holidays, order library books, even help you with the crossword!

Having a party? Маke the living room larger by moving the walls. After your guests leave make it smaller again. Push a button and the walls will move backwards or forwards.

You'll be able to see what your guests are wearing before they arrive by calling them up on a video-phone in the hall. And the washing? Simply place it in the integrated laundry until it comes out ready to wear, thanks to the new, easy-care fabrics. What, no electric sockets? Instead each room will have a 'power wall' where you will be able to attach electric appliances.

Gone, too, will be the good old-fashioned duster - the air will be filtered and then scented with your favourite perfumes.

There will be plenty of room for fun! The leisure room door will be the en-trance to a world full of endless adventure. When you get bored, simulators will provide any experience from canoeing to parachuting and skiing.

The garden will be in the attic. Roofs will be made of glass. This will allow flower borders, shrubs and lawns to grow well in that wasted space we normally use for rubbish.

Love them or loathe them, such homes of the future are on their way.

__________________

At Japan's Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, companies including Toshiba, Panasonic and Mitsubishi say they are going to use the mobile phone to create 'intelligent homes'.

Panasonic's 'Echonet' is already on sale. This piece of technology is the same size as a book. You put it on the kitchen wall and it allows you to communicate with your fridge, air conditioner, washing machine, oven and burglar alarm. It doesn't matter where you are: on a train, in the street, or at the airport; if you have your mobile phone you can control everything at home.

 

c) Complete the sentences choosing the variant A,B,C which best suits the text. Find out information from the text to prove your choice.

1) Houses in the future…

A won’t have their own roofs.

B will practically have two glass roofs.

C will have tropical gardens instead of roofs.

2) The houses will look …

A quite different.

B similar to each other.

C tiny and too close to each other.

3) Such houses will need …

A a huge amount of energy.

B very little energy.

C unknown kind of energy.

4) Living in such houses people …

A won’t need keys.

B won’t have any bills.

C won’t have any holidays.

5) You can easily change the size of the room …

A by breaking the special walls.

B with the help of your guests.

C by pushing a button.

6) The integrated laundry will substitute …

A a dishwasher.

B a washing machine.

C an electric socket.

7) To use electric appliances you’ll have …

A a solar panel on each window.

B lots of electric sockets.

C a “power wall” in each room.

8) You can experience any adventure …

A in your leisure room.

B when you leave your leisure room.

C when you enter the attic.

d) Write down a list of objects which according to the author will create “intelligent homes”. Which of these things have already appeared in our life? How do we use them?

Ex.24 Home reading

Read the text and answer the questions below. Retell the text.

Rebecca

by Daphne Du Maurier (adapted)

I had never realised that life at Manderley would be so orderly and planned. I remember now, looking back, that when I got downstairs, after nine o'clock, on that first morning I found Maxim had nearly fin­ished his breakfast and was writing letters. He looked up at me and smiled. "You mustn't mind," he said, "this is something you will have to get used to.” Maxim got up from his chair, and lit a cigarette. "I've a mass of things to see to this morning, do you think you can amuse yourself?" "Of course," I said, "I shall be quite happy." Then he picked up his letters, and went out of the room.

I sat long over my first breakfast, and it was not until I saw Frith come in and look at me, that I realised it was after ten o'clock. I sprang to my feet at once, feeling guilty, and apologised for sitting there so late, and he bowed, saying nothing, very polite, very correct, but I caught surprise in his eyes. I wondered if I had said the wrong thing. Perhaps I shouldn’t have apologised. I wished I knew what to say, what to do.

I went upstairs to the pri­vacy of my bedroom, but when I opened the door I found the housemaids in there doing the room, one was sweeping the floor, the other dusting the dressing-table. They looked at me in surprise. I quickly went out again. It was not expected of me to go to my room at that hour in the morning. It broke the household routine. I crept downstairs silently and went into the library which was cool, the windows were wide open, the fire laid but not lit.

I shut the windows, and looked round for a box of mat­ches. I could not find one. There were matches upstairs in the bedroom, but I did not like to go for them because it would mean disturbing the housemaids at their work again. I decided I would fetch the matches from the side-board in the dining-room. I tiptoed into the dining-room once more. I crossed the room quickly, and picked up the matches, and as I did so Frith came back into the room. I tried to hide the box into my pocket, but I saw him glance at my hand in surprise.

"Did you require anything, Madam?" he said.

"Oh, Frith," I said awkwardly, "I could not find any matches. I felt rather cool in the library and I thought perhaps I would just put a match to the fire."

"The fire in the library is not usually lit until the after­noon, Madam," he said. "Mrs. de Winter always used the morning-room. There is a good fire in there. Of course if you should wish to have the fire in the library as well I will give orders for it to be lit."

"Oh, no," I said, " I will go into the morning-room. Thank you, Frith."

I turned away into the hall again, trying to look confident. I could not tell him that I had never seen the morning-room, that Maxim had not shown it to me the night before. There was a door to the left of the great stair­case, and I went recklessly towards it, praying in my heart that it would take me to my goal, but when I came to it and opened it I saw that it was a garden-room, a place for odds and ends, there was a table where flowers were done, there were basket chairs stacked against the wall, and a couple of mackintoshes too, hanging on a peg. I came out, and saw Frith still stand­ing in the entrance to the dining room, watching me. I could not deceive him.

" You go straight through the double drawing-room, Madam, and turn to your left." “Thank you, Frith,” I said humbly, pretending no longer.

I went through the long drawing-room, as he had di­rected, a lovely room, beautifully proportioned, look­ing out upon the lawns down to the sea. The pictures on the walls and the furniture had their history. I knew that those chairs and tables were probably priceless but for all that I had no wish to stay there. I could not see myself sitting ever in those chairs, standing before that carved mantelpiece, throwing books down on the tables. It had all the formality of a room in a museum. I went through, and turned to the left, where I found the little morning-room.

I was glad to see the dogs there, sitting before the fire, and Jasper, the younger, came over to me at once, his tail wagging, and thrust his nose into my hand. The old one lifted her muzzle at my approach, and gazed in my direction with her blind eyes, but when she had sniffed the air for a moment, and found I was not the one she sought, she turned her head away with a grunt, and looked steadily into the fire again. Then Jasper left me, too, and settled himself by the side of his companion, licking his paws. This was their routine.

I went to the window that looked out upon the rhododendrons. There were great blood-red bu­shes of them, massed beneath the open window. There was a little clearing too, between the bushes, like a miniature lawn, and in the centre of this, the tiny statue of a naked faun, his pipes to his lips. The clearing itself was like a little stage, where he would dance, and play his part.

There was no musty smell about this room, as there had been in the library. There were no old well-worn chairs, no tables littered with magazines and papers, seldom if ever read but left there from long cus­tom.

This was a woman's room, elegant, cosy, the room of someone who had chosen every particle of furniture with great care, so that each chair, each vase, each small thing should be in harmony with one another, and with her own personality. There was no mixture of style, no confusing of period, and the result was perfection in a strange and startling way, not coldly formal like the drawing-room shown to the public, but vividly alive. And there were rhododendrons everywhere. Their great warm faces looked down upon me from the mantelpiece, they floated in a bowl upon the table by the sofa, they stood, lean and graceful, on the writing-desk beside the golden candlesticks. The room was filled with them, even the walls took co­lour from them, becoming rich and glowing in the morning sun. They were the only flowers in the room. There were flowers in the dining-room, flowers in the li­brary, but orderly and trim, rather in the background, not like these, not in such quantities.

I went and sat down at the writ­ing-desk, and I thought how strange it was that this room, so lovely and so rich in colour, should be, at the same time, so business-like and purposeful. Somehow I should have expected that a room furnished in such exquis­ite taste, would not be a place of decoration only, quietness and intimacy.

But this beautiful writing-table was not a pret­ty toy. It was a place where a woman would write little notes, nibbling the end of a pen, leaving it, day after day in carelessness. The pigeon-holes were marked "letters-unanswered," "letters-to-keep," "household," "es­tate," "menus," "miscellaneous," "addresses". I opened a drawer, and there was an open leather book, whose head­ing "Guests at Manderley" showed at once what visitors had come and gone, the rooms they had used, the food they had eaten. There was also note-paper of the house, with the crest, and the address, and vis­iting cards, ivory-white, in little boxes.

I took one out and looked at it. "Mrs. M. de Winter" it said, and in the corner "Manderley." I put it back in the box again, and shut the drawer, feeling guilty suddenly, as though I were staying in somebody else's house. And when the telephone rang, suddenly, alarmingly, on the desk in front of me, my heart leapt and I started up in terror, thinking I had been discovered. I took the receiver off with trembling hands, and "Who is it?" I said, "who do you want?" A voice came, low and rather harsh, whether that of a woman or a man I could not tell, and "Mrs. de Win­ter?" it said, "Mrs. de Winter?"

"I'm afraid you have made a mistake," I said, "Mrs. de Winter has been dead for over a year." It was not until the name was repeated again that I had understood what a silly thing I had said. "It's Mrs. Danvers, Madam," said the voice, "I'm speaking to you on the house telephone."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Danvers," I said stammering, "the telephone startled me, I didn't know what I was saying, I didn't realise the call was for me."

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Madam," she said, "I only wondered whether you wished to see me, and whether you approved of the menus for today."

"Oh, I'm sure I do, that is, I'm sure I ap­prove of the menus, just order what you like, Mrs. Dan­vers, you needn't bother to ask me."

“I'm very sorry I disturbed you while you were writing, Madam."

"You didn't disturb me at all," I said, "please, don't apol­ogise."

The pigeon-holes with the words upon them "letters unanswered," "estate," "miscel­laneous," were like a reproach to me for my idleness. She who sat here before me had not wasted her time, as I was doing. I drummed with my fingers on the desk. The pigeon­holes were empty now. There were no "letters unanswered" waiting to be dealt with, no bills to pay that I knew any­thing about. I could think of nobody to write to. Only Mrs. Van Hopper.

I pulled a sheet of note-paper to­wards me, took up the narrow, slender pen, with the bright pointed nib. "Dear Mrs. Van Hopper," I began.

 

Answer the questions:

1. Did she feel relaxed on her first day at Manderley? Prove it with some facts from the text.

2. What kinds of room are mentioned in the text?

3. Where was the fire lit? What was the room used for?

4. What did she find in the garden room?

5. What did the view from the drawing room look over?

6. Why did the drawing room resemble a museum?

7. Did the dogs notice her entering the room?

8. What made the morning room look cosy and business-like at the same time?

9. Did she feel comfortable in the morning room?

 


Ex.25 Listening

a) Listen to the text ‘Beyond the shadow of a doubt’ by Alan Maley and fill in the missing words

1. She was … that she got her zip stuck.

2. She took a deep breath and told herself … .

3. After all it was only … .

4. He had driven her home after the party but only kissed her … way.

5. After graduation she had got a job … in the City.

6. In the taxi she thought how Jason had completely … .

7. In her excitement she … .

8. She saw the … of a female figure.

9. And behind it was Jason’s … .

10. He was the … on the latest women’s fashions.

b) Listen again and be ready to retell the story. Is it a good idea to turn your house into a working place? Could you imagine what his flat looks like? Do you think they will make it up?

Ex.26 Give the English equivalents for the following Russian phrases:

1. многоэтажный дом

2. дом на двоих соседей

3. сервант, забитый хрусталём и фарфором

4. выложить стены кафелем

5. переехать на новую квартиру

6. справить новоселье

7. поменять батареи в квартире

8. деревянный забор

9. средневековый замок

10. на пятом этаже

11. старомодный комод

12. электронный слуга

13. заботиться о безопасности

14. предсказывать будущее

15. солнечные батареи

16. стеклянный купол

17. просторный дом

18. по соседству

19. жилой массив

20. загромождать мебелью

21. работать круглосуточно

22. центральное отопление

23. снабжать дом энергией

24. вызвать сантехника

25. в хорошем состоянии

26. сарай с садовым инвентарём

27. лестничный пролёт

28. белоснежные простыни

29. покрывало и одеяло

30. двухъярусная кровать

31. высокий потолок

32. выцветшие шторы

33. прекрасный вид в парк

34. высокая живая изгородь

35. закрыть окна ставнями

36. нет водопровода

37. больше возможностей найти работу

38. высокий уровень преступности

39. дышать свежим воздухом

40. жить в пригороде

41. перепланировать квартиру

42. скамейки, клумбы и игровая площадка

43. перед камином

44. на площадке второго этажа

45. тропинка по газону

46. починить пылесос

47. мобильный телефон

48. обеденный сервиз

49. суета большого города

50. смириться с чем-нибудь

Ex.27 Translate the sentences:

1. Основной недостаток проживания в квартире в многоэтажном доме, это шум от соседей с обеих сторон. Но на каждый минус есть свой плюс. Ты никогда не чувствуешь себя одиноким.

2. Зимние вечера мы проводим с мужем у камина. Он любит читать детективные романы, а я вязать. Теплыми летними вечерами мы допоздна сидим на веранде и играем в карты.

3. Раньше люди гордились сервантами, забитыми чайными и обеденными сервизами, хрустальными вазами и фужерами, персидскими коврами на стенах комнат. Сейчас мы более практичны.

4. На кухне я советую выложить стены кафелем, а на пол положить линолеум. Выглядит красиво и современно, более того, убирать легко.

5. Первое, что мы сделали, когда переехали на новую квартиру – переклеили обои и поменяли батареи в комнатах, практически полностью перепланировали кухню и ванную комнату.

6. Порванные шторы, выцветший диван, сервант с потрескавшимися стеклами придавали комнате мрачный и унылый вид.

7. Спальня очень маленькая. Как раз место для кровати, туалетного столика и платяного шкафа.

8. С одной стороны дома деревянный забор, а с другой – живая изгородь.

9. Те, кому везет – живут в роскошных дворцах и средневековых замках, менее удачливые – в хижинах, сараях, вигвамах и даже около канализационных труб.

10. Окна квартиры выходят на две стороны. Вид из спальни – на небольшой сквер, а из столовой – на школьный двор.

11. Мне бы стало скучно в деревне через два-три дня. Я всегда начинаю хандрить без шумных улиц, переполненных магазинов и ночных клубов.

12. Водосток (канализационная труба) на кухне засорился. Придется вызвать слесаря. Кстати, он проверит горячий кран, он подтекает.

13. Трудно отапливать дом зимой, если живешь в суровых погодных условиях. Центральное отопление довольно-таки дорогое.

14. Я переехала в отдельный двухэтажный дом пять лет назад, и с тех пор живу в живописном меcте в 20-ти километрах от города.

15. Я видел, как вы занимались перепланировкой сада. Я тоже хочу заменить грядки на клумбы и выложить дорожки камнями.

16. Где ты находишь такие интересные идеи по обустройству квартиры? – Я просматриваю журналы «Наш дом», сижу в Интернете. А иногда подглядываю в окна квартир на первом этаже.

17. На подоконнике нет цветов, потому что наша кошка любит сидеть там.

18. У вас такая необычная мебель! – Мне не нравятся гарнитуры. Я покупаю отдельные вещи на распродажах. А это сундук мне достался в наследство от моей прабабушки.

19. Что мне нравится в моей комнате, так это то, что в ней много полок и большой комод. Достаточно места для всех моих вещей, книг и многочисленных безделушек: мягких игрушек, вырезанных из дерева фигурок собак, сувениров из поездок по стране.

20. Я верю, у меня будет дом с электронным слугой, который будет следить за порядком в доме, готовить еду и даже заботиться о моей безопасности.

21. Предсказывать будущее достаточно сложно, но я уверен, что в своих домах люди будут широко использовать компьютеры, роботов, солнечные батареи и новейшие технологии.

22. Нам обещают, что, пользуясь мобильным телефоном, мы будем держать под контролем абсолютно всё в своём доме, находясь далеко за его пределами.

23. Я бы с удовольствием провёл каникулы в таком необычном месте, но жить постоянно под стеклянным куполом – не для меня.

24. Пожилые люди не любят суету большого города, они предпочитают тишину, покой и свежий воздух.

25. Городская жизнь более привлекательна для молодых людей, которые не обращают внимания на шум и загрязнённость.

26. Этот просторный дом на двух хозяев с современными удобствами, гаражом и прекрасным садом позади, находится в жилом массиве сo множеством подобных домов.

27. Я живу на первом этаже в коммунальной квартире с очень шумными соседями и мечтаю о трехкомнатной квартире на четвёртом этаже с балконом и с видом на парк.

28. В вашей квартире много мебели? Нет, но у нас есть всё необходимое. Мне нравится, что квартира просторная, уютная, не загромождена мебелью.

29. Я слышал, что вы переехали на новую квартиру. На каком этаже? –На девятом, но лифт пока не работает круглосуточно.

30. Что находится у тебя в кухне? - Ну, как обычно, есть холодильник, электропечь, шкафы для посуды, микроволновка, стол и несколько стульев. А в следующем месяце мы планируем купить посудомоечную машину.

31. Что касается отопления, у нас двойные батареи с терморегуляторами на каждой из них.

32. В нашем городе во всех домах – центральное отопление, но не во всех квартирах тепло. В прошлом году нам пришлось установить новые батареи.

33. Мы с братом недавно переселились в отдельные комнаты. Это так удобно!

34. В нашей квартире вечно что-то не в порядке: то кран подтекает, то нет электричества, то кофемолка не работает.

35. Видишь вон ту странную крышу? На ней установлены солнечные батареи, которые снабжают дом энергией. – Правда? А я думал, такие дома появятся ещё не скоро.

 

 

Ex.28 Talking points

1. Describe the place you live in: neighbourhood, type of building, number of rooms, what they look like, furniture.

2. What do you like and what do you dislike in your flat? What would you like to change in it? What modern conveniences have you got?

3. Is your flat or house in good condition? How often and on what occasions do you have anything repaired in it?

4. What is the most comfortable place in your flat or house? What makes it cosy?

5. Speak about your own room if you have one. In what way does it reflect your personality?

6. Where would you like to live: in town or out of town? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living there?

7. What do you think about unusual houses people live in? Which do you prefer: something typical or extraordinary?

8. What do you think of future houses? Would you like to have robots to help you about the house?

9. What values do you associate your place of living with?

10. Speak about your ideal flat or house.

 


VOCABULARY



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