Topic 7: Our town and flat
Read and find things which are different from your experience of your living in a house or in a flat:
My flat
I live in a new nine-storied block of flats in Pushkin Street. Our house is of modern design. There is a big grocery on the ground floor and it's very convenient to do everyday shopping. In front of the house there is a children's playground and a small garden. We like to spend time there.
Our flat is on the 3rd floor. It is very comfortable. We have all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, gas, cold and hot running water and a telephone.
There are 3 rooms in our flat: a living room and two bedrooms. We also have a kitchen, a bathroom, a small entrance hall and two balconies. Our living room is the largest in the flat. It is nicely furnished.
Our bedrooms are also very nice and cosy. The parents' bedroom is larger than the children's. There are two beds, a bedside table, some chairs and wardrobe in it. There is a lovely carpet on the floor between the beds.
The children's bedroom is just across the corridor on the right. Here you can see two sofa-beds where my sister and I sleep at night and have a rest in the day-time. There is also a writing-table, two chairs and some bookshelves here. We use our bedroom as a study where we do our homework. In the corner of the room there is a small table with a tape-recorder on it. We all enjoy listening to music.
Our kitchen is rather large. There is a gas-stove, 4 stools, a refrigerator and a cupboard in which we keep cups, plates and all our dishes. The kitchen serves us as a dining-room. The bathroom is near the kitchen. Here we keep our toilet articles, have a bath and a shower. The entrance hall is small. There is a hall-stand and a mirror on the wall. A telephone is on a special table under the mirror. We are happy to have such a nice flat and try to keep it clean.
Answer the questions:
1. Where do you live?
2. Do you live in a private house or in a block of flats?
3. Is there a garden in front of your house?
4. What is the next to your house?
5. Is your house far from the bus stop?
6. What floor is your flat on?
7. What modern conveniences are there in your flat?
8. Is your flat large or small?
9. How many rooms are there in your flat? What are they?
10. How is your living-room furnished?
11. Do you often get together in your living room?
12. In what room do you receive guests?
13. Are you happy with your flat?
Read and translate the text. Think of some interesting information about Stavropol:
Stavropol
Stavropol was founded in 1777 by Alexander Suvorov. Now it is the regional center of Stavropol Territory located in the South-West of Russian Federation on the North Caucasus. Originally Stavropol was a fortress and now one of the sights of the town is its ruined wall in the center of it. Historical exhibits concerning that period you can find in Prave Museum of Local Lore near the central square. It's advisable to start doing the sights just from this place. Buildings of the local government faces the square. Lermontov Library is opposite it. Next to it there's two-storied building of a bookshop and the stadium "Dynamo" is from the other side of it. Lermontov Theatre is not far from the square. It's just from the other side of the government's building. And both of them are surrounded by trees, bushes and flower-beds.
The central and main shopping street is Karl Marx Street. It leads from the center to the Railway Station. Cinemas, Universities, Art Museum and Art Gallery, Bus Station, churches are also in the center of Stavropol. The building of circus is on the way to the Railway Station. The ground near the monument to the soldier of the Civil War provides a panoramic view of the suburbs. The districts in the South-West and in the North-West are rather new. In the South-West district there is a great number of schools, shops, places for rest and recreation. A large park joins the South -West and the North-West districts together. The North-west district is the industrial part of the town. There is a lot of factories, plants and works. Also some hospitals are there.
Stavropol is one of the greenest towns in the country. It's surrounded by forests and also there are some green islands within it.
Vocabulary:
sofa-bed диван-кровать
sideboard сервант
chair стул
armchair кресло
stool табурет
building здание
house дом
private house частный дом
block of flats многоквартирный дом
entrance подъезд
balcony балкон
floor пол, этаж
convenience удобства
central heating центральное отопление
electricity электричество
running water водопровод
flat квартира
bedroom спальня
living room гостиная
study кабинет
kitchen кухня
entrance hall прихожая
lavatory туалет
furniture мебель
TV set телевизор
table стол
desk парта
move to переезжать
live жить
keep the house clean содержать дом в чистоте
bookcase книжный шкаф
bookshelf книжная полка
piano пианино
tape-recorder магнитофон
carpet ковер
curtain занавеска
picture картина
bedside table тумбочка
wardrobe комод, платяной шкаф
cupboard посудный шкаф
fridge холодильник
stove газовая плита
toilet articles туалетные принадлежности
mirror зеркало
hall-stand вешалка
cosy уютный
of modern design современный
to be founded быть основанным
the North Caucasus Северный Кавказ
originally первоначально
fortress крепость
ruined wall разрушенная стена
square площадь
to face выходить фасадом на
library библиотека
bookshop книжный магазин
to surround окружать
tree дерево
bush куст
flower-bed клумба
main основной, главный
shopping street торговая улица
railway station ж-д вокзал
cinema кинотеатр
art museum художественный музей
art gallery художественная галерея
bus station автовокзал
church церковь
circus цирк
monument памятник
to provide a panoramic view открывать вид
suburbs окрестности
district район
place for rest and recreation место для отдыха и развлечения
industrial part промышленная часть
factory фабрика
plant завод
hospital больница
it's still a good way еще далековато
it's a good way from here это довольно далеко
I have lost my way Я заблудился
I'm trying to go to... Я пытаюсь дойти до
How can I get there? Как я могу добраться туда?
Is it far away? Это далеко отсюда?
Could you tell me the way to... Не можете ли вы сказать, как пройти к …
Act out the following bits of conversation:
1.
- Can I help you?
- Yes, of course.
- Where is the bank?
- There is a bank in Valley Road.
- How do I get there?
- Go along Prince Street, turn left up George Street. Turn left into Valley Road and the bank is opposite the cinema.
- Thank you.
2.
- Excuse me, where's the baker's?
- There is a baker's next to the cinema.
- How do I get there?
- Go up East Street and turn right into Valley Road. The baker's is on your left, opposite the florist.
- Thank you.
3.
- Can I help you?
- Er, yes. Where can I buy some aspirin?
- There is a chemist in Prince Street.
- Oh, how do I get to Prince Street?
- Go down George Street and turn right into Prince Street. The chemist is opposite the restaurant.
- Thank you.
4.
- Excuse me, where can I buy a newspaper?
- There is a newsagent in east Street.
- How do I get to East Street?
- Go along Prince Street. Turn right into East Street the newsagent is on your left.
- Thank you.
5.
- So Geoff, this is your home!
- That's right. Do you like it?
- I like it very much. It's a very nice boat. It's so quiet here on the river.
- It's noisy in the summer with the tourist boats, but in winter it's perfect.
- How big is it?
- Well, it's a special type of boat for the canals, which are very narrow in Britain. It's called a narrow boat and it's ten meters long and about two meters wide.
- Ten meters! Is it difficult to drive it along the canals?
- At first it's difficult, but after a while, with practice, it's quite easy.
- But I suppose with ten meters, you have a lot of space.
- Yes, well, we're in the living room, and there's a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms through there.
- How many people live in the boat with you?
- My wife and our baby daughter, three people in all...
- Three of you, I see. And what sort of furniture do you have?
- Well, there's a fridge and a cooker, several armchairs, a television and a shower, but there isn't room for a bath and a dishwasher. But it's quite comfortable.
- And what's the most important item for you?
- I suppose it's my computer. Yes, it's my computer.
Translate into English:
1. Наш дом находится на улице Горького. Мы переехали туда 2 года тому назад.
2. У него 2-комнатнаяквартира на 2 этаже.
3. На 2м этаже все квартиры без балконов.
4. Все комнаты: гостиная, спальня и кабинет небольшие, но они уютно обставлены.
5. В гостиной находится сервант, угловой диван, цветной телевизор, два кресла и журнальный столик.
6. На столе стоит ваза с цветами.
7. Наша кухня - довольно большая. Там есть плита, холодильник, посудный шкаф, стол и несколько стульев.
8. В ванной хранятся различные предметы туалета.
9. На стене в коридоре находится вешалка и зеркало.
10. Мы поддерживаем порядок в квартире.