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Unit 2 home, sweet home nb! Information for self-study

Look at the words, their definitions and examples and work out their translation:

Definition	Example	Translation
intercom an internal telephone system for communicating within a building	Nowadays almost all the blocks of flats have an intercom. They live in a flat, and visitors have to ask through/via an intercom to be let in.
(esp. UK) rubbish/(esp. US) garbage chute an inclined channel or vertical passage down which garbage may be dropped	Nowadays every modern apartment building is equipped with a garbage chute.
upholstered furniture C furniture fitted with padding, springs, webbing, and covering	The only piece/item of upholstered furniture he has in his living room is a sofa.
socket a device into which an electric plug can be inserted in order to make a connection	I really need a double socket so I can use the kettle and the radio at the same time.
gadget a small tool or device that does sth useful	She's mad about gadgets, her kitchen is just full of them.

Topic Vocabulary Exercises

Exercise 1

Explain the difference between the following words. Consult an English-English dictionary:

• cottage / mansion / semidetached house / terraced house –

• apartment building / tenement –

• storeroom / pantry –

• basement / cellar –

• carpet / rug –

• cupboard / sideboard / cabinet / chest of drawers / wardrobe –

Exercise 2

1. Name an appliance that:

• washes the dishes –

• washes your clothes –

• cleans the dust –

• bakes the pies –

• cooks the food –

• airs an apartment –

• makes an apartment warm –

• cools the food –

• cuts and slices the vegetables –

2. Name a piece of furniture that:

• holds the clothes –

• keeps cups and dishes –

• you can sit on –

• keeps different small things like medicine, shampoos, gels –

• has a reading lamp on it –

• you can put a cup on when you are drinking tea with your guests –

• holds your books and magazines –

3. Name a facility / amenity that:

• allows you to park your car without leaving it –

• protects your house from cats and dogs from outside –

• allows you to watch a lot of TV channels –

• allows you to take shower every morning –

• protects your house from burglars (people from outside) –

• wakes you up in the morning –

• allows you to get rid of garbage –

• prevents sound, heat or cold from getting into your house –

Exercise 3

Fill in the missing letters:

W . .d r . b .	C . p b . . r .	. t o. . r o .m
M . n s . o .	S k . l . . h .	. o n . . r v .t . r y
R . f r . .e r. .or	. n . . b . t . n t	T . n . m . n .
S . m . d . t . .h e .	C. . t . . n	D . . e r

Exercise 4

A. What sort of accommodation do these people have, or what might they be living in at the moment? Match the people and their possible place of living:

1. a queen

2. a Red Indian a hundred years ago

3. an eighty-year-old with no living relatives

4. Kerry Bradshaw from The Sex in the City

5. a family on summer holidays

6. a cowboy

7. office workers of a well to do company

8. a couple in love

9. a well-off couple holidaying in the South of France

10. a standart Russian family

11. a camper

12. a poor family of immigrants

13. a successful advertising manager

14. a beggar

15. a millionaire

1. an old people's home

2. a cottage

3. a palace or castle

4. a mansion

5. a wigwam

6. a penthouse (suite)

7. an apartment building

8. a ranch(-house)

9. a tenement

10. an old hut

11. row houses

12. a tent (or caravan)

13. a motel

14. a villa

15. skyscraper

B. In which room might it be a good idea to look for these people or things? Match the words:

1. an artist

2. a girl getting ready for a date

3. a student

4. a family in the evening

5. a busy mother

6. a secretary

7. a teacher

8. old, unused furniture

9. dentist’s patients

10. football players after a match

11. some workers at lunchtime

12. a secret wine taster

a. a playroom or nursery

b. a canteen

c. an office

d. a waiting room

e. a study

f. a studio

g. a changing room

h. a basement

i. a classroom

j. an attic

k. a kitchen

l. a living room

m. a bathroom

n. a conservatory or a greenhouse

13. a gardener

14. some toddlers

15. mice

o. (a wine-)cellar

Exercise 5

Translate from Russian into English using Topic Vocabulary:

1. В этом районе сдается много квартир по приемлемым ценам. Недавно мы выбрали двухкомнатную квартиру в многоэтажном жилом доме. Квартира светлая и уютная, с видом на море, к тому же в доме есть все удобства – центральное отопление и горячее водоснабжение, канализация и мусоропровод, лифт и домофон. 2. Современный человек не представляет жизни без всевозможных бытовых приборов – пылесоса, холодильника, кухонной плиты, микроволновой печи, обогревателя, стиральной машины, фена. 3. Зимними вечерами я люблю сидеть дома в большом мягком кресле перед камином и пить чай. 4. Многие хотят купить себе многоэтажный особняк с бассейном. Я же мечтаю жить в небольшом загородном домике с красивым крылечком и деревянным резным забором, а также с фруктовым садом и оранжереей для цветов. 5. На днях я купила шторы и ковер, которые сочетаются по цвету, и теперь моя спальня выглядит намного уютнее. 6. Электроприборы стали очень дорогими. Мы не можем позволить себе кондиционер, у нас нет стиральной машины, а наш старый холодильник оставляет желать лучшего. 7. В английском доме редко увидишь что-нибудь, кроме гостиной. И уж вовсе не надо ждать, что гостям станут демонстрировать какую-нибудь круглую ванну с золочеными кранами, которая была бы предметом гордости хозяев на другом берегу Атлантики. Скорее всего, они похвастаются перед гостями своей теплицей, продемонстрируют горшки с рассадой и покажут, как хорошо разрослась на кирпичной стене вьющаяся роза. 8. К началу 70-х годов лишь 15 процентов жилищ в Британии имели центральное отопление – в два-три раза меньше, чем в европейских странах такого же климатического пояса. Отапливать спальни, например, у англичан до сих пор считается чуть ли не аморальным. Да и ванны по-настоящему вошли в быт лишь перед войной. 9. Английский горожанин обычно называет домом то, что, в сущности, представляет собой вертикально расположенную квартиру: внизу жилая комната, выше спальня, а над ней, под самой крышей, помещают детей или сдают такую мансарду холостякам. 10. Лондон до сих пор остался в основном трехэтажным именно из-за предубежденного отношения англичан к многоквартирным и особенно высотным домам. Ряды трехэтажных квартир, тянущиеся иногда во всю длину улицы, называются здесь террасы. 11. Каждый год в лондонском зале «Олимпия» проходит выставка «Идеальный дом». Фирмы, выпускающие отделочные материалы, мебель, ковры, бытовую электротехнику, посуду, демонстрируют свои новинки, соревнуются в поисках все новых способов сделать жилище удобнее, уютнее, красивее.

Exercise 6

1. Read the extract. What can you infer from it about the owner of the place (gender, occupation, tastes, personality)?

2. Translate the extract. Pay attention to words from Topic Vocabulary:

The living room was immaculate, and attractively decorated in warm rose tones. A handsome cherry cabinet in a corner contained a small television and a compact disc player. Nearby a stand held sheet music and a violin. Beneath a curtained window overlooking the front lawn was a sectional sofa and on the glass coffee table in front of it were half a dozen magazines neatly stacked. Among them were Scientific American and the New England Journal of Medicine. Across a Chinese dragon rug with a rose medallion against a field of cream stood a walnut bookcase. Tomes straight from a medical syllabus lined two shelves.

An open doorway led into a corridor running the length of the house. To my right appeared a series of rooms, to the left was the kitchen, where Marino and a young officer were talking to a man who I assumed was the husband.

I was vaguely aware of clean countertops, linoleum and appliances in the off-white that manufacturers call “almond”, and the pale yellow of the wallpapers and curtains.

(an extract from “Postmortem” by Patricia Cornwell)

C. Choose a picture of any room from a magazine and write a similar description of it. Enclose the picture to your paper.

Text Exercises

Exercise 7

Find the English equivalents in the text ‘Mobile Home’. Give the situations in which they were used in this text:

Объехать страну вдоль и поперек, вызывать гнев, наполнять(ся) гордостью, наблюдения, размышления (умозаключения), продавать, торговать, готовые сорваться в любую минуту, устанавливать, быть оснащенным (оборудованным) чем-то, включить в сеть (вставить вилку в розетку), разбить сад, быть готовым показать дом, просторный дом, пропорциональные комнаты, венецианские (панорамные) окна, глава семьи, кинотеатр под открытым небом, (быть в состоянии) позволить себе, стремиться и желать постоянства, уединение, неиспользуемый, бесполезный, одиночка, удобно расположиться под деревьями, окаймлять озеро или реку, право проезда, безупречно чистая кухня, стоять вплотную к стене, вклад во что-то, обвести комнату рукой, дом без лифта.

Exercise 8

Are these statements True or False?

1. Mobile homes are trailers which are pulled by another car.________

2. Mobile homes have all the facilities except that the toilet is outside. ________

3. According to statistics, every fourth housing unit in the whole country is a mobile home. ________

4. Mobile owners don’t have to pay any fees. ________

5. As the windows in mobile homes are small, people living there often have a feeling of being closed in. ________

6. Since the rooms in mobile homes are well-proportioned, there is enough space for all the thousand appliances we live by. ________

7. People don’t buy mobile homes for long-term living. ________

8. Mobile homes can be placed not only in trailer parks, but in some other places. ________

9. They cook on electric stoves in mobile homes. ________

10. Mobile people don’t consider roots to be important in bringing-up children. ________

Word Power Exercises

Exercise 9

Find the definition of the word ‘convenient’ and fill in the following grid:

Convenient –

	bed	time	job	life	place	sofa	position	store	bus service	chair
comfortable
convenient

Exercise 10

Rearrange the words in order of importance. Start with the one meaning «самый дешевый»:

$

quite expensive _____________________6.

reasonable _____________________5.

incredibly expensive _____________________4.

free of charge _____________________3.

very expensive _____________________2.

cheap 0 _____________________1.

Exercise 11

Answer the questions using words from the Word Power. Explain your point of view:

1. What is home for you?

2. How much time do you spend at home?

3. Do you feel at home in your group?

4. If to compare university and school, where did/do you feel more at home?

5. Can you give synonyms to the following saying: East or West home is best?

6. What kind of clothes is most comfy for you to wear? Why?

7. What kind of room would you call comfortable? Describe it.

8. How would you call rooms in your university? Which room is the most comfortable here? What should be done to make University rooms more comfortable?

9. What places of interest do you know in Vladivostok? Which one is your favorite?

10. Do you often invite your friends to come over to your place or do you prefer to go to theirs?

11. When you meet a guy for the first time what do you pay attention to? And if it’s a girl?

12. What do you pay attention to when you come to somebody’s place for the first time?

13. What jobs are well-paid in Vladivostok?

14. What sort of salary would you call decent?

15. Who is in charge of your family?

16. How much would you charge for a Russian-English translation of one A4 page?

17. Where can you buy clothes at reasonable price in Vladivostok?

Exercise 12

Translate the sentences into Russian. Define the meaning of the words from the Word Power:

1. I didn’t tell her that at first I felt as if I’d suddenly come home. 2. Here I am, I thought, close to thirty years old and all but homeless, doing my own daughter more harm then good. 3. As Langdon sat alone, absently gazing into the darkness, the silence of his home was shattered again, this time by the ring of his fax machine. 4. “I prefer to have my house to myself,” she says, and of course you can’t blame her. 5. New York felt like a home from home for Jim. 6. Suddenly, a wave of homesickness washed over her. 7. Back home, the weather is much better. 8. Vittoria felt his spear hit home. 9. There was nothing she could say to comfort her. 10. Lots of people don’t feel comfortable about public speaking. 11. Is everyone comfortable with the arrangement? 12. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be back in a minute. 13. The living room was comfortably furnished with an oversized sofa, roomy armchairs, an Oriental rug in tones of blue and brown, a wall bookcase and an oak table. 14. When I get back to Baltimore, I want to come to your place. 15. Great changes had taken place in the northern islands of Britain during the last two centuries. 16. They were shown into the drawing-room; it was filled with massive, ugly furniture, and the chairs of the suite were placed round the walls. 17. Langdon’s colleagues often joked that his place looked more like an anthropology museum than a home. 18. Keep your credit cards in a safe place. 19. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and gradually add water. 20. Customers were placing more importance on quality than simply on cost. 21. Would you mind saving my place while I go and get an ice cream? 22. You will have to pay a small admission charge. 23. When Philip entered, the people in the studio looked at him curiously, and the model gave him an indifferent glance, but now they ceased to pay attention to him. 24. She always worried a lot about the young children in her charge. 25. The nurse in charge explained what the treatment would be like. 26. In their room at night they played Mermaids, using the makeup Caitlin bought on Lamb’s charge at Leslie’s Pharmacy to paint their lips dark black. 27. On his hotel bill, Jonathan had noticed, he’d been charged for half the lunch he’d eaten with Egil. 28. People should have access to cheap, fresh food. 29. It was an expensive decision – it cost me my job.

Exercise 13

Paraphrase the sentences using the words from Word Power:

1. They did everything they could to make me feel relaxed.

2. She’ll give money back to us when she gets her wages.

3. Philip’s responsible for our marketing department.

4. Silver is not expensive in Mexico.

5. There is a shortage of buildings for rent.

6. He had to put his mother in a nursing home.

7. Did all that really happen?

8. The organization provides a range of services that you don’t have to pay for.

9. They’ve bought a lovely little house in the countryside.

10. We are here to discuss when the next conference will be held.

11. Did the criminal have any special features? – Oh, I didn’t notice it.

12. Hurray! My boss has promised to raise my salary!

13. MP3s will soon replace CDs.

14. What sights do you suggest for visiting in our town?

15. Could you help me with that report on psychology? – Sure. – Great, thanks; let’s meet at my house.

16. I like my new job: it’s well-paid and I feel comfortable with my colleagues.

Exercise 14