2. Read the questions and decide which of them concern the house you read about.

Which house (the English one or the American one) has got:

1) other houses attached to it?

2) more than three bedrooms?

3) small bedrooms?

4) a room just for games?

5) a feeling of warmth inside?

6) lots of colours inside?

7) a pretty garden?

8) a lot of electronic systems?

3. Match the people with their opinions of the house they stayed in:

1. George Miller	a. It was strange not having separate rooms for using the computer and playing games.
2. Sandy Miller	b. I loved playing and eating outdoors!
3. Helen Miller	c. The house was so big it looked like it belonged to a famous person.
4. Daniel Miller	d. I was really impressed by the garden.
5. Tim Keane	e. Two of the bedrooms were too small.
6. Katy Keane	f. The house was warm and colourful.
7. Bethany Keane	g. I didn’t like the garden or the décor much.

4. Turn to your partner who read the other text to find the details about the other house. Ask questions.

Ex.: The Keanes’ house has only three bedrooms. So I guess the Millers’ house has more than three. How many bedrooms are there in the typical American house?

5. Together with your partner sum up pluses and minuses of each house. Which house sounds nicer to you?

Text 3

1. Look through the extract from the book ‘British Life’ by Anne Collins and say what aspects of British life it covers.

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2. Now read the extract and make a mind map for it. Consult the strategy (p. 12-13) if necessary. The aspects you outlined in the previous task should serve as information blocks in your mind map.

British Life

The British Character

Foreigners have ideas about what is ‘British’. But some of these things are not part of most ordinary people’s everyday life. The great British breakfast and afternoon tea, for example, are mostly found in hotels and ‘bed and breakfast’ places for tourists. And the British do not only drink tea these days. Coffee is popular too. They drink, on average, 3.39 cups of tea each day and 1.65 cups of coffee.

It takes time to know a British person well. British people are generally quite shy, and they do not make friends easily with strangers. Perhaps this is because they live on an island! And they are not good at learning foreign languages.

British people spend less money on clothes than the people of other European countries. Most of them are not very interested in clothes. Many British people wear suits to the office during the week, but at weekends they prefer to wear jeans.

Family

On average, 2.4 people in Britain live as a family in one home, which they usually own. This number is smaller than in most other European countries. About 65% of people over the age of 65 live alone. When children grow up, they usually leave their parents’ home for university or work. After they buy their own home, their parents do not usually come and live with them.

In the past, people got married and stayed married. Divorce was very difficult and took a long time. The only reason for a short marriage was usually the death of the husband or wife. But today people’s views on marriage are changing. Many couples, mostly in their twenties or thirties, live together without getting married. By the year 2020 there will be fewer married people than single people.

People get married at a later age now and many women do not want to have children immediately. They prefer to do well at their jobs first. So they often decide not to have a baby until they are in their late thirties, or even forties.

Faces of Business

Britain still produces many things in its factories. But today British people have more money to spend. They want to enjoy themselves. So the fastest growing businesses in the UK are service industries – hotels, restaurants, travel, shopping, and computer and financial services. About 75% of British jobs are in service industries; they employ over twenty million people.

The usual working day in Britain starts at 9 a.m. and finishes at 5 p.m. Most people work a five-day week. The British working week is, on average, the longest of any country in Europe. In 1998 a new law was made. Workers do not have to work more than an average of 48 hours a week if they don’t want to. But about 22% of British workers do work more than a 48-hour week. Men work longer hours than women. British employers must give their workers four weeks paid holiday every year.

About 45% of British workers are women, but many of them are in part-time jobs. About 44% of women work part-time. Many women do not want a full-time job because they want to spend time with their family. But only 9% of men work part time, usually because they cannot find a full-time job. About 16% of men and 7% of women are self-employed. They do not work for a company, but for themselves.

The British and Food

Visitors to Britain generally agree about one thing – British cooking. ‘It’s terrible!’ they say. ‘You can cook vegetables in so many interesting ways. But the British cook vegetables for too long, so they lose their taste.’ These visitors eat in the wrong places. The best British cooking is in good restaurants and hotels, or at home.

British tastes have changed a lot over the past twenty years. People prefer chicken and fresh fish. And more people are interested in healthy eating these days. The British have a ‘sweet tooth’. They love cakes, chocolates and sweets. Today many people want food to be quick and easy. When both parents are working, they cannot cook large meals in the evenings. ‘Ready-made’ meals from supermarkets and Marks and Spencer and ‘take-away’ meals from fast food restaurants are very popular. If you are feeling tired or lazy, you can even phone a local restaurant. They will bring the food to your house.

Twenty years ago, British people usually ate at home. They only went out for a meal at special times, like for somebody’s birthday. But today, many people eat out at least once a week. Pubs are very popular.

Weekend Activities

Many people in Britain are very proud of their houses and gardens. They want their homes and gardens to look nice. Every British town has one or more DIY¹ centres, like B&Q, and garden centres. They are like supermarkets for the home and garden. These places are very popular with British home-owners at weekends. DiY centres sell things like wood for making shelves. Garden centres sell plants for the garden and things for the home too. People enjoy doing work on their home and garden. It is cheaper than employing a builder or gardener. But money is not the only reason why DIY and garden centres are so popular. You can get very good ideas there too. And DIY and gardening are fun!

(Adapted from www.projectbritain.com)