FLAT

Active Vocabulary

appliance basement basin to be crammed up with furniture to be short of light to be covered with dust sheets bedspread blinds bunk bed camp bed cellar chandelier coat rack coffee table communal flat cooker cooker hood country-house to be crammed up with things crystal curtain rail cushion cutlery	приспособление, устройство, прибор подвал, фундамент раковина (для умывания) быть заставленным мебелью мало света быть покрытым чехлами (о мебели) покрывало занавески, шторы, жалюзи двухъярусная кровать раскладушка подвал, погреб люстра, канделябр вешалка журнальный столик коммунальный квартира плита вытяжка загородный дом забитый вещами хрусталь гардина подушка (диванная) ножевые изделия, металлические столовые приборы
dish-drainer door-handle double bed to drive in a nail dustbin dwelling to feel at home fence fitted carpet fire place flight of stares fluorescent lamp flush-toilet freezer garden plot hair dryer hall-stand hearth hedge houseplant housewarming party hung ceiling, suspended ceiling keyhole lamp-shade lawn lawn-mower to let a flat luster mansion mat mincer mixer tap move in / to to be papered	сушилка для посуды дверная ручка двуспальная кровать забить гвоздь мусорное ведро жилище чувствовать себя как дома забор ковровое покрытие, палас камин лестничный пролет лампа дневного света унитаз морозильная камера садовый участок фен вешалка очаг изгородь комнатное растение новоселье подвесной потолок замочная скважина абажур лужайка газонокосилка сдавать квартиру люстра особняк коврик мясорубка смеситель переезжать быть оклеенным обоями
parquet pillow pillow-case pipes get clogged to repair to rent a flat to share a room with smb. sheet single bed sink sky-scraper sewing-machine sliding-door wardrobe spy hole standard lamp store room	паркет подушка наволочка трубы засоряются чинить, делать ремонт снимать квартиру проживать в одной комнате с кем-либо простыня односпальная кровать раковина небоскреб швейная машина шкаф-купе глазок торшер кладовая
tap tea set three quarter bed threshold to be tiled upholstery utensil vegetable cutter wall lamp wall units washing machine washing wall-paper to whitewash window-sill	кран чайный сервиз полутороспальная кровать порог покрытый кафельной плиткой обивка посуда, утварь овощерезка бра стенка стиральная машина моющиеся обои белить подоконник

Practice the pronunciation of the given words and word-combinations:

Flat, inhabitants, standards, divan-bed, happy, standard-lamp, large, hard, party, lawn, of course, according, four, bought, wardrobe, house-warming, nothing, having, running water, building, evening, sitting-room, dressing-table, going, exciting, something, conveniences, rubbish-chute, effort, cupboard, occasion, hosts, overlooks, well-planned.

Text. Our Flat

There is nothing like having a flat with all modern conveniences: central heating, gas, electricity, running water, rubbish-chute, and toilet. Electric and other equipment such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, a sewing machine, a vacuum-cleaner, a gas or an electric stove help do the work about the house very quickly and very well. They save our time and effort.

You are, probably, interested to know where my family lives. Well, we live in a nine-storeyed building which is both well-planned and comfortable. It overlooks the park. It is pleasant, of course, for our eyes to see evergreen trees and winter and a large lawn with flower-beds in summer. As the flat is on the sixth floor there is a lift to carry the inhabitants up and down. The flat is fine, indeed, according to modern standards.

If you want to know how many rooms there are in the flat, I may say there are four rooms there – a sitting-room, a bedroom, a study and a kitchen which is also our dining-room. In the evening we gather in the sitting-room to have a quiet rest after hard daily work.

My relatives have also moved to a new flat. Their flat is not large, but they say it gives them enough privacy. They have already bought some new furniture: a divan-bed, a bookcase, a dressing-table, a wardrobe and a cupboard. I have been invited to the house-warming party which is a happy exciting occasion not only for the hosts but for the guests as well. Of course, I am going to buy something, perhaps, a standard-lamp, as it is a tradition to give presents on this day. What do you think I should buy?

Exercise 1. Find English equivalents to the words and word-combinations. Use them in the sentences of your own.

Клумба, новая мебель, новоселье, на десятом этаже, собираться, помогать делать, дарить подарки в этот день, хозяева, электрическое и другое оборудование, уединение, хорошо спланированный, обитатели (жильцы), усилие, гости, вечнозеленые деревья, шифоньер, лужайка, торшер, швейная машина, выходить окнами на…, событие, оборудование, этаж, сервант, мусоропровод, электроплита, современные стандарты, следует, удобный, приглашать, экономить, диван-кровать.

Exercise 2. Answer the given questions.

1. When did you move to the flat you are living in?

2. What was your first impression of it? What did it look like? Did it need much repairing / renovation?

3. Where does your flat overlook?

4. What is your favourite room in the flat? Why?

5. Are the walls of your kitchen tiled?

6. Are the walls of your room wallpapered?

7. Are the ceilings in your flat whitewashed?

8. What kind of electric equipment is there in your flat?

9. What modern conveniences do you have in your house?

10. Is there a fluorescent lamp / chandelier (luster) / standard lamp / wall lamp in your flat? What colour is its lamp-shade?

11. Is your flat crammed up with furniture?

12. Is your room short of light?

13. What is the floor of your flat covered with? (Is it tiled? / Is it covered with fitted carpet / parquet / linoleum / painted?

Exercise 3. Complete these sentences with a suitable word or phrase.

1. There is too much furniture in my room, I think … .

2. – I need a … . – Which one do you prefer – a gas or an electric one?

3. The … is broken. I can’t open (pull) the door.

4. I have to climb three … to reach my flat, as there is no lift in our house.

5. A … and a … have something in common, but differ in function. A … is used to decorate a divan-bed, a … is used to put one’s head on while sleeping.

6. I have no flat of my own that’s why I … it.

7. The … gives a very warm colour to the room when the light is switched on.

8. I share the room with my sister. It is not very convenient because I don’t have enough … .

9. All the … of our house are very kind and well-bred. We are on friendly terms with them.

10. While … the fence Tom Sawyer got many “useful” things from his friends and companions.

11. Our flat is very light. It … the south.

12. He cuts and rolls his lawn with a … .

13. Thanks to all … … our life is more comfortable and easier.

14. He is crazy about parachute jumping. He is eager to jump with a parachute from one of the … in New York.

Exercise 4. Write a word (a word-combination) synonym for each of these words / phrases.

1. to change one’s house or flat = ….

2. a removable cover for a pillow = ….

3. soft covering on a chair or sofa = …

4. a tree or shrub having leaves round the year = …

5. a special event = …

6. a person that entertains guests especially in his own home = …

7. a machine for cutting or grinding meat into very small pieces = …

8. an opening for inserting a key into the lock = …

9. floor covering made of wooden blocks arranged in a geometric pattern = …

10. a valve to control the flow of liquid from a pipe or cask = …

11. a tool or container for practical use = …

12. a piece of cloth hung at a window = …

Exercise 5. Open the brackets using the necessary form of the verb

1. Our house (to be) a five-storied building and it (to be situated) in a new residential area, in Varshavskaya street.

2. Two parks (to be situated) just at a stone's throw from our house.

3. Our yard (to be) very clean and green in summer and when I (to be) a child I used to play there all day long.

4. The house itself (to be located) within easy reach of shops and an underground station.

5. It (to take) us no longer than twenty minutes (to get) to the centre of the city.

6. This room (to be) very cool and shady in summer be­cause the only window (to overlook) thick bushes.

7. My mother (to like) flowers and houseplants very much and (to take) good care of them.

8. Dad (to spend) hours sitting in this chair and reading.

9. Opposite the door there (to be) a new set of furniture, which (to consist) of two wardrobes, two bookcases, a cupboard and a chest of drawers, on which there (to be) a TV set and a video tape-recorder.

10. The room where I (to live) is a bit smaller, I (to share) it with my brothers. Its windows (to overlook) the street.

11. My father’s study (to be) the smallest room in the flat and there (to be) little furniture there.

12. A huge writing desk with a lot of drawers and a computer on it (to stand) by the window.

13. A big map of the world (to hang) on one of the walls.

14. The walls (to be covered with) cloth instead of wallpaper, which (to make) the room cosy and a bit old-fashioned.

15. On the whole, our flat (to be) very comfortable and we (to have) all modern conveniences, such as cold and hot water, gas, central heating and electricity.