UNIT 2: HOUSING

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1. HOME, SWEET HOME
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VOCABULARY PRACTICE I: THE HOUSE OUTSIDE
lawn porch flowerbed fence shed patio pond gate hedge
pavement cellar attic roof chimney drainpipe TV aerial garden
garage at the back at the front outdoors

1. Match the words in the box to the letters in the picture.

2.Look at the following pairs/groups of words and decide what the difference in meaning is
between each word. You may use a dictionary:
a. A terraced house / a semi)detached house / a detached house
b. A bungalow / a flat / a bedsit
c. A cottage / a hut
d. A caravan / a tent
e. A town / a city / a village / a suburb / the capital
f. A county / a country / a continent

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 g. A skyscraper / a penthouse
3. Name each of the following:

VOCABULARY PRACTICE II/: THE HOUSE INSIDE

sitting room dining room kitchen bathroom carpet bedroom armchair bath
cooker cupboard dishwasher fridge upstairs downstairs toilet shower washbasin
indoors washing-machine floor curtains study

1. Describe the place where you live to a partner. What is it like on the outside and inside? Use:
- I live in… .
- My address is… .
- I live in an old /a new house/flat.
- I own / rent my flat / house.
- My flat / house is in an old part of the city / not far from the center / in a new district / in the
suburbs.
- My flat / house has / consists of… .
- There are… rooms in my house.
- In front of the flat / house } there is / there are …
- At the back of the building
- In the garden we grow… .

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 2.Formulate questions to learn where your classmate lives:
- flat or house?
- old or new?
- in the center or in the suburbs?
- address?
- how long?
- own or rent it?
- number of rooms?

READING AND WRITING PRACTICE

AN UNORDINARY HOME
- So, Geoff, this is your home?
- That’s right. Do you like it?
- I like it very much. It’s a very nice boat. It’s so quiet here on the river.
- It’s noisy in the summer with the tourist boats, but in winter it’s perfect.
- How big is it?
- Well, it’s a special type of boat for the canals, which are very narrow in Britain. It’s called a
narrow boat and it’s ten meters long and about two meters wide.
- Ten meters! Is it difficult to drive it along the canals?
- At first, it’s difficult, but after a while, with practice, it’s quite easy.
- But I suppose, with ten meters, you have a lot of space.
- Yes, well, we’re in the living room, and there’s a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms through
there.
- How many people live in the boat with you?
- My wife and our baby daughter, three people in all.
- Three of you, I see. And what sort of furniture do you have?
- Well, there’s a fridge and a cooker, several armchairs, a television and a shower, but there isn’t
room for a bath and a dishwasher. But it’s quite comfortable.
- And what the most important item for you?
- I suppose it’s my computer. Yes, it’s my computer.

3.Answer the questions:

- What do you think about the “house” in the text? Give for and against answers.
- Would you like to live in such a house? Why?

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 4. Fill in the blanks with the missing prepositions:

5. Read the excerpt from a magazine article interview with professional burglar Sticky Fingers.
Then complete the tips on how to avoid having your home burglarized.

Better Safe than Sorry

THE BEST WAY to handle an emergency is to avoid one, if you can. Part Four of our ongoing
series on crime prevention focuses on protecting your home against burglary. Sticky Fingers, an
experienced burglar now serving a 6-year prison sentence, agreed to talk to our reporter.
Reporter: Sticky, what do you look for before burglarizing a house?
Fingers: Well, first, I make sure no one is home and no one is watching. I nose around
neighborhoods where people don’t seem to know each other very well. That way, I won't be noticed.
Next, I try to find a house where the people are on vacation and not likely to return soon. I do this by
looking for houses with no lights on in the evening. Then I look at doorways. They're a sure giveaway.
When newspapers, mail, and deliveries are piled up, I can tell that people have been away for days. I
can even count how many days from the number of newspapers.
Reporter: How do you break into a house?
Fingers: Well, usually it's no sweat. Lots of times people leave a window open, or doors and
windows unlocked. Then I just slip in. When I have to break in, I look for a patio door on the first floor.

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 They usually have weak locks and you can force them easily. I watch out for dogs, though. If I hear a
dog barking, I go somewhere else.
3. Read the following housing ads and the notices for roommates. Then choose one of the places and
write a notice advertising for a roommate to share it with.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING PRACTICE

1. A man phones a building superintendent for information about an apartment for rent. Listen
and fill in the answers to his questions on the checklist:
- no. of bedrooms:
- rent:
- includes: heat? / electricity
- what floor:
- elevator?
- washers / dryers in bldg.?
- near shopping?
- quiet bldg.?
- address:
- who to see:
- time:
- other info:
- Now say where things are inside your Academy. (the language lab, your dormitories, the
cafeteria or the mess-hall, etc.)
- How far is the closest bus stop / restaurant / post office ? etc.

2. A young couple is moving into a small apartment. Write the name of each piece of furniture
in its correct position on the floor plan.

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