Test 4.

1. This is the oldest building … the village.

A of B by C in D to

2. The best rooms in that hotel … the bay.

A view B regard C overlook D examine

3. We are moving out soon because our house is going to be knocked … .

A off B out C down D away

4. The house is … at the corner of a busy street.

A situated B placed C stood D put

5. You can’t miss my house: it’s … the fire station.

A against B opposite C across D aside

6. When there are small children around, it is better to put breakable ornaments out of … .

A reach B hand C hold D place

7. I intend to … my house in London while I’m away.

A hire B lend C let D rent

8. I’m glad I chose this part of town to live in. It’s such a pleasant … .

A environment B neighbourhood C proximity D surroundings

9. She was keen to … the house to its original condition.

A rebuild B renew C renovate D restore

10. The Plaza Hotel has excellent … for conferences.

A amenities B facilities C features D provisions

11. The carpet was … by hand.

A sown B threaded C upholstered D woven

12. This photo of the house is rather … . It makes it look much bigger than it really is.

A deceitful B deceptive C devious D dishonest

13. These flats are clearly … for people to live in – they should be pulled down immediately.

A unfit B inappropriate C inconvenient D unsuited

14. The windows don’t fit very well and it makes the room awfully … .

A airy B draughty C breezy D ventilated

15. She … wanted a house overlooking the sea.

A particularly B strongly C essentially D extremely

16. Old houses have a … to be draughty.

A tendency B habit C problem D characteristic

17. She bought the mansion … that she would make a fortune out of her new novel.

A speculating B considering C assuming D estimating

Expanding the Topic. Critical Thinking

Read the following descriptions of two typical English royal buildings. Which do you like more and would choose to live in? Imagine a house of your dream and write about it using the vocabulary from the texts below.

1. The house is situated at the bottom of the Chess valley next to the river Chess. It’s about 20 miles from London and just outside the village of Chorleywood. It’s a really splendid period property. The oldest parts are Elizabethan, but there were some additions in the 1820s.

It seems typically English to me. There are long corridors and huge oak-panelled rooms, and you can imagine all sorts of scenes from history taking place here.

As you come in through the front door, you find yourself in a large hall with an open fireplace, which is unusual. One of the doors on the right of the hall leads into the living room. This room faces south, so it’s very sunny, and it has a lovely view of the whole valley. The furniture has been chosen to match the style of the house, so there’s a lot of leather and dark, heavy wood. Next to this room there is the dining room which has French windows leading onto a small patio.

Also on the ground floor there is a study, kitchen and utility room. A wide staircase takes you to the first floor, where there are five bedrooms. The largest is about 25x 20 , a really vast room which looks out onto the garden.

The house is in 2.5 acres of land, and there is a green house, a shed, a swimming-pool and a tennis court. It’s a beautiful place to be at any time of the year. In winter it’s warm and cosy and in summer there is so much to do outside.

(from Headway by John and Liz Soars, 1995)

2. Hampton Court which was built for Henry VIII’s chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, in 1514, stands on the banks of the Thames. Wolsey was proud enough to construct a palace more magnificent than the king’s, which aroused Henry’s envy and suspicion. Fearing to lose the king’s support, which he needed to sustain his ambition to become Pope, Wolsey eventually gave Hampton Court to him, which proved an expensive but unsuccessful gesture.

Henry extended the palace, where he spent much of his time, and there are many reminders of him there, such as the kitchens, which are large enough to feed an army, and the ghosts of two of his wives, Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard, which are said to haunt Hampton Court.

Towards the end of the 17^th century, Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral, was commissioned to build the south and east fronts, one of which was recently damaged by fire.

Perhaps the most attractive feature of Hampton Court for young people, however, is the famous maze, which consists of rows of high bushes, separated by paths, many of which are dead ends. The object is to find your way to the centre, where there is a little hut, and then to find your way out again without getting lost. There is a hilarious account of a party getting lost in the maze in Jerome K Jerome’s book, Three Men in a Boat, which describes a trip up the Thames in the 19^th century. (from Synthesis by W.S. Fowler, Nelson, 1991)