Text: “My Favourite Room”
Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.
My favourite room is our kitchen. Perhaps the kitchen is the most important room in many houses, but it is particularly so in our house because it's not only where we cook and eat but it's also the main meeting place for family and friends. I have so many happy memories of times spent there: special occasions such as homecomings* or cooking Christmas dinner; troubled times, which lead to comforting cups of tea in the middle of the night; ordinary daily events such as making breakfast on dark, cold winter mornings for cross, sleepy children before sending them off to school, then sitting down to read the newspaper with a steaming hot mug of coffee.
Whenever we have a party, people gravitate with their drinks to the kitchen. It always ends up the fullest and noisiest room in the house.
So what does this special room look like? It's quite big, but not huge. It's big enough to have a good-sized rectangular table in the centre, which is the focal point* of the room. There is a large window above the sink, which looks out onto two apple trees in the garden. The cooker is at one end, and above it is a wooden pulley, which is old-fashioned but very useful for drying clothes in wet weather. At the other end is a wall with a large notice-board, which tells the story of our lives, past, present, and future, in words and pictures: a school photo of Megan and Kate, a postcard from Auntie Nancy in Australia, the menu from a takeaway Chinese restaurant, a wedding invitation for next Saturday. All our world is there for everyone to read!
The front door is seldom used in our house, only by strangers. All our friends use the back door, which means they come straight into the kitchen and join in whatever is happening there. The kettle goes on immediately and then we all sit round the table, drinking tea and putting the world to rights! Without doubt some of the happiest times of my life have been spent in our kitchen.
Notes: focal point – центр
Ex. 2. Speak about the room where you live. Make use of the topical vocabulary.
Ex. 3. Read and act the dialogue.
Jack: Hello, Pete!
Pete: Nice to see you. Come in, please.
Jack: Oh, this is a wonderful new flat!
Pete: Yes, it is, and so close to the centre.
Jack: How many rooms are there in your fiat?
Pete: Come and see... This is the kitchen, the bathroom is on the right.
Jack: Oh, the kitchen is so large! I like big kitchens.
Pete: And here is the dining room. We have little furniture here. We want to have some armchairs, a sofa and some more things.
Jack: Are you on the phone? (У вас есть телефон?)
Pete: It's a pity, we aren't yet... Let me introduce you to my wife.
Pete's wife: How do you dо. I hope you'll enjoy our housewarming party.
Unit 3. Arranging the house
Vocabulary Practice
Ex. 1. Match the words and phrases in column A with those in column B.
A
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B
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Ex. 2. Look at the picture. Describe this picture in detail. What would you bring in or take away to make it look cosier? How would you furnish it to your taste?
Ex. 3. Read and translate the text.
The Randolf sisters, Sadie and Esther, live just a block away from each other. Sadie constantly complains that the people in town are cold and unfriendly, while Esther finds them warm and pleasant.
Although Sadie can’t see it, the difference is in the way they approach those people. Sadie and her husband have a lovely house. It’s filled with beautiful antique furniture and glassware that is so fragile it could easily be broken by a careless guest or adventurous child. Whenever someone is visiting, Sadie and her husband are constantly straightening up. Their behaviour seems to indicate that they put more of an emphasis on the looks of their house than on the comfort of their guests. As a result, their nervous guests behave with excessive care − and they leave as soon as possible.
In contrast, Esther’s house is not fancy at all. In fact, it’s almost shabby. But she and her husband have a relaxed, friendly attitude toward visitors, who don’t have to worry about an accident occurring with an expensive piece of furniture or vase. Esther’s house is a place where people can drop in, put their feet up on the coffee table, and feel at home.