I. Listen and read the text and answer the questions
after it:
HOME
The house we live in is our home,
or in more official speech, our residence or dwelling. Some people live in
individual houses. The town building may be five- or nine-storeyed (storied).
There are multi-storeyed buildings too.
Our first floor is usually called
the ground floor in England, and the second floor corresponds to the English
first floor. Americans call the floors the same as we do: first, second, and so
on.
Let us visit one of the modern
flats of the apartment house in a big town. The flat is in a multi-storeyed
building on the sixth floor. The family has recently moved into it. It is a
three-room flat with all modern conveniences. The rooms are a living-room, a
bedroom and a study.
The living-room is large. There are
two windows in it. The windows face the park. In the evening all the family
gather in the living-room to watch a TV programme, read newspapers or magazines
or to receive guests. The room is well furnished. In the middle there stands a
large square table with six chairs round it. On the table there is a vase with
flowers. There are some arm-chairs and a sofa near the wall. Opposite the sofa
there is a colour TV-set.
You can see a piano near the
window. At the wall stands a sideboard. Crystal bowls, wine glasses, goblets,
china dishes and special tea-sets stand on its shelves.
The walls in the living-room are
papered blue and the curtains over the window match them. On the
walls there hang some pictures. A thick carpet covers the floor.
The bedroom is also a cosy room.
There is only one window with dark curtains over it. The window faces the yard.
Against the wall there are two beds. In the corner there is a dressing-table
with a mirror. Opposite it there is a dark wardrobe.
The small room is a study. Here the
children do their homework. It is a simply furnished room. In the corner near
the window there is a small writing-table with a lamp on it. A comfortable
arm-chair stands near it. On the wall you can see shelves full of books,
magazines and journals. In front of the window there stands a bookcase.
Besides
these three rooms, the flat has a kitchen, a hall, a bathroom and a lavatory.
The kitchen is not so small. The built-in furniture and all modern conveniences
make housekeeping easy.
The bathroom has a built-in
bath-tub with a shower and a washstand. There is a glass shelf over the
wash-stand. You can see some sponges, soap-dishes, tooth-glasses with
tooth-brushes, and some tubes of tooth-paste. You can take a shower or a bath
any time.
Next to the bathroom there is a
lavatory. In the hall you can see a hallstand for coats, hats and umbrellas.
Besides there is a small table for the telephone.
So you can see, the flat is
comfortable enough. Next week the family will give a housewarming.
1.
Do we call
floors of the apartment house in the same way as they call them in England and
America?
2.
Where is the
flat we visited located?
3.
Is the flat
large or small? How many rooms are there in it?
4.
What is the
largest room? What is the smallest one?
5.
The rooms are
comfortable and cosy, aren't they?
6.
What pieces of
furniture stand in the living-room? Is it well furnished?
7.
What do the
windows of the room face?
8.
What room is
simply furnished?
9.
Does the family
have many books? Where do they keep books, magazines and journals?
10.
The kitchen is
very convenient for housekeeping, isn't it?
11.
What things do
they keep on a glass shelf in the bathroom?