II. Listening and compehenstion tasks

Angela is a student at a university. She is looking for a room to let. She saw an advertisement and has decided to phone the landlord. Listen to the recording and find out what information Angela Smiley got from the landlord.

 

III. Follow up activity

Do you think Angela will rent the room or not? Why?

 

Ø Speaking

1. Pretend you are a landlord / landlady. Think of the rules you want to have in your house. Then ask another student these questions and decide if you think he / she would be a suitable person to have in the house.

2. Imagine you want to rent a room in a house. Make a list of questions you want to ask. Then ask another student these questions and decide if you would like to live in his / her house.

3. You try to persuade a friend of yours that it’s very enjoyable to share a room with people of your age. Your friend is of a different opinion.

4. You are going to move away from the hostel. You see an advertisement in the local paper and come to have a look at the room and ask a few questions. Say whether you find this variant suitable or not. Your final decision may be:

a) you like it and are going to rent it;

b) you don’t like the room, you are going to look for another one.

 

Self Check

Exercise 1. Explain the difference between:

a) a landlord and a lodger;

b) a rent and a deposit;

c) a mortgage and a lease;

d) ground floor and first floor;

e) a cottage and a bungalow;

f) a bedsit and a studio;

g) a villa and a time-share.

 

Exercise 2. Put one of the following words in each space in the sentences below.

for at in on of into with

a) She wanted a place ____ her own.

b) He’ll move ____ tomorrow.

c) He’ll move ______ his new flat tomorrow.

d) I share the kitchen ________ three other people.

e) The landlord asked the tenant ________ more rent.

f) My flat is ________ the top floor.

g) My flat is ________ a modern block.

h) The house is _________ good condition.

i) I looked _________ advertisements _______ the newspaper.

j) She pays a rent _______ £ 90 a week.

 

Exercise 3. Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct position in the passage below.

deposit fee flat advertisement self-contained landlord rent block references accommodation agency

 

The first thing I had to do in London was to find somewhere to live, if possible a small, one-bedroom (a)__________. I didn’t want to share a kitchen or toilet; I wanted to be independent in my own (b)__________ place. I decided I could pay a (c)__________ of £ 50 a week. I couldn’t find what I wanted in the newspaper (d)__________ so I went to an (e)________. They offered me a nice place. It was in a modern (f)________ on the third floor. I had to pay the agency a (g)_________, and the (h)_________ wanted a big (i)_________ and (j)_________ from my employer and bank manager.

UNIT 3

Buying a House

Active Vocabulary

an estate agent / estate agency

to charge for one’s services

a giveaway leaflet

to inspect the details of the houses on offer

to make an offer to smb.

a building society

a depositor

to save one’s money with

a savings account

to pay interest

an interest rate

a long-term loan

a mortgage

monthly expenses

the official asking price

the original price of the house

 

Read the following passage about two types of organizations involved in house buying and selling.

Buying a House

There are two types of organizations which are central to the buying of houses and flats.

The first is the estate agent. An estate agency is, essentially, a shop which arranges for the sale of homes.

Let us imagine that Mr and Mrs Smith want to sell their house. First, they ask one or more local estate agents to visit the house and tell them how much they should be able to sell it for. They will also want to know how much the agent will charge for his services (usually between 1% and 2% of the selling price). If the Smiths are happy with his proposals, the agent will publish details of the house in the form of giveaway leaflets and possibly in the local or even national newspapers. The leaflet will describe the house in detail, describing the position, number and sizes of its rooms, the garden and so on.

Mr and Mrs Smith then wait for prospective buyers to arrive.

Imagine that Mr and Mrs Johnson want to buy a house in the same area. They go to the estate agency and inspect the details of the houses on offer. If they are attracted by the description of the Smiths’ house, they will visit the property to look at it. If they are still interested after seeing the house they may make an offer to the Smiths via the estate agent. Often the offer will be slightly less than the official asking price. If the Smiths agree, the house can be sold.

But the Johnsons probably do not have enough money to pay for the house immediately, so what do they do? They go to the second type of institution involved in house buying and selling – the building society.

A building society’s main function is to lend people like the Johnsons enough money to buy a house. Banks also offer a similar service.

Building societies make their money by borrowing money from some members of the public – their “depositors” – and lending it to others. Many British people have building society savings accounts. They save their money with a building society, which pays them interest. The society then lends this money to people who want to buy a house or flat and charges them a higher interest rate on the amount borrowed. This long-term loan is called a “mortgage”.

So Mr and Mrs Johnson go to a local building society where they will be asked a number of questions – what type of jobs do they have? How much do they earn? What are their monthly expenses? And so on. The society will also inspect the house to see if it is worth the money they are being asked to lend. All being well, it will offer to lend the Johnsons up to about 90 per cent of the price of the house, to be paid back with interest over 25 years, or sometimes less. When all is agreed and the papers signed, the money is paid to the Smiths or to their legal representative – usually a solicitor – and the Johnsons can move in.

Over the 25 years, the Johnsons, because of the interest on the loan, will pay far more than the original price of the house – but since they are paying it in fairly small sums once a month they are, at least, able to afford it.

 

Comprehension questions:

1. What is an estate agency?

2. If Mr and Mrs Smith want to sell their house, what will they do first?

3. What will they want to know from an estate agent first?

4. What will the agent start his work with?

5. How can Mr and Mrs Johnson know about the houses on offer?

6. Can the price be negotiated?

7. Where can people get money to buy a property?

8. How do building societies function?

9. What is a mortgage?

10. What questions will Mr and Mrs Johnson be asked at a local building society and why?

11. How will the mortgage be paid back?

12. Why do people want to get mortgages?

 

♦ Listening

Looking for a House to Buy

I. Pre-listening task

Here are some words you will hear in the recording. Study their pronunciation and meaning.

to knock down (v) – разрушить, снести

our gas bills will go down – счета за газ уменьшатся

a converted loft – переоборудованный чердак

a lane (n) – узкая улочка, переулок, тропинка

to fix the stairs – укрепить лестницу

the roof is leaking – крыша протекает

the ceiling will come down – потолок просядет

 

II. Listening and comprehension tasks

Listen to Linda and Jeremy’s conversation and say what their general impressions of the house are.

Describe the house they are talking about. Give only the facts, not their opinions.

III. Follow up activity

Do you think Linda and Jeremy will buy the house or not? Give your grounds.

 

Ø Speaking

1. Imagine you are looking for a house to buy. Is its location important to you? Look through the list below and decide:

- which of the facilities in the list you often use;

- which ones are important for you;

- if there are any other facilities not mentioned which you would like to have in your neighbourhood.

WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?
	Important	Useful	Not Important
launderette library cinema supermarket bank post office swimming pool tennis courts newspaper/ bookshop football pitch basketball pitch park restaurant clothes shop museum or art gallery language school bus stop video hire shop hairdresser pub

2. What aspects are the most important to you in a home? With a partner, look at this list, and choose the three factors which you consider most important for a successful home. Add other factors if you think important ones are missing.

- It should be situated near friendly neighbours or your family.

- It should have personal possessions which mean a lot to you.

- It should be in a quiet location.

- It should have an efficient kitchen.

- It should have an efficient bathroom.

- It should have good central heating / a good air conditioning system.

- It should be appropriate for its environment.

- It should have a comfortable sitting room.

- It should be near your work.

- It should be near shops.

-...

3. Share your opinions about your parents’ home. Speak about the advantages and disadvantages of its location and the things you would like to have in your neighbourhood.

4. You are going to buy a house. Which organization will you go? What are its main functions?

5. You have been saving up and now you’re planning to buy a house. Share your plans with your elder sister. Your decision is to buy a two-storeyed house:

a) with the help of a building society;

b) with the help of an estate agency.

UNIT 4

Furniture and Furnishing

Active Vocabulary

bathroom / washroom (AmE)

bedroom

bedsitter (BrE)

hall

kitchen

living room

lounge

nursery

sitting room

study

toilet / loo

utility room

 

air conditioner

cassette recorder

CD player (compact disc player)

video cassette recorder / VCR

stereo system

colour TV set

computer

freezer

iron

plug

socket

record player

refrigerator (fridge) / icebox (AmE)

tumble drier

vacuum cleaner (hoover)

 

armchair

article / item of furniture

ashtray

build-in furniture

bookshelf

bureau

cabinet; display cabinet; liquor cabinet

carpet / fitted carpet

chandelier

coffee table

cot (BrE) / crib (AmE)

couch / sofa / sofa bed / settee

cupboard

curtain

desk

desk lamp

dining table

drawer

dressing table

 

dishwasher

electric / gas cooker

mirror / hall mirror

microwave (oven)

parquet floor

plant pot

puff

rocking chair

rug

sink

standard lamp

suit (kitchen suit)

tap (BrE) / faucet (AmE)

wall unit

wardrobe / clothes closet (AmE)

washbasin

writing table

 

to decorate

to fix

to furnish

to install

to paint

to repair

to switch off / on

to turn off / on

to have smth. installed / repaired / painted, etc.

to whitewash

 

Around the Home

A. Rooms

The living room or lounge (= where you sit, relax, talk and watch TV); the dining room; the kitchen; the bedroom(s); and the bathroom(s).

Some people also have a study (= room with a desk where you work), a utility room (= a room usually next to the kitchen, where you have a washing machine), a spare room (= a room you don’t use every day. Often this is a room that guests can use), and possibly a playroom for small children.

 

B. The Lounge

While the cat was asleep in the armchair, I sat on the sofa and had a look at the paper. Then I turned on the TV and went to make a cup of tea.

 

C. The Kitchen

I put the meat in the oven, put my dirty clothes in the washing machine, made the coffee and put the milk back in the fridge.

 

D. The Bedroom

I put on my pyjamas, got into bed, set the alarm clock, switched off the light, and went to sleep.

 

E. The Bathroom

I didn’t have time for a bath, but I had a wash, cleaned my teeth, and then I went to school.

 

F. Housework

My room is very clean and tidy (= everything in order), but my brother is very untidy; he leaves his clothes all over the floor and never makes his bed. What’s worse, he doesn’t clean his room very often, so most of the time it is quite dirty.

I do the washing-up every evening after dinner, and I normally do the washing and ironing at the weekend when I have a bit more free time. I also hoover the carpets and polish the dining room table once a week.

 

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

Exercise 1. Using a dictionary if necessary, explain the difference between the following items:

a standard lamp, a lamp and a chandelier

a pillow and a cushion

a stool, a chair and an armchair

a desk, a dining table, a bedside table and a coffee table

a sink and a washbasin

a washing machine and a dishwasher

a bedspread, a sheet, a blanket and a quilt

a sideboard, a wardrobe and a cupboard

an alarm-clock, a clock and a watch