What do you do in your free time?

Text A

I live in a block of flats. I live on the ground floor, and my brother has a flat on the third floor. Unfortunately, there is no lift, so he climbs three flights of stairs to reach his flat. But he has a balcony with a wonderful view of the park opposite the flats.

My rooms on the ground floor are quite dark because they don’t get very much sun. They are also quite noisy because they are near the roads and the traffic. The other negative thing is that the rooms are draughty. This means it is expensive to heat the rooms. Fortunately I have a very good central heating system. In other ways, it is also very nice: it’s in good condition, and the rooms are huge. I have a modern kitchen, nice and clean with a lot of cupboards. There’s a washing machine, a fridge and a cooker, but there isn’t a dishwasher.

Text B

More than half British families own their homes (houses or flats). Others live in council accommodation and some people rent from private owners. There are three main types of houses in Britain: a) detached; b) semi-detached; c) terraced. A detached house is the most expensive type of home. It stands on its own land and is not attached to another building. Such houses have privacy from neighbours, and they are ideal for keen gardners who can devote plenty of time to work in their garden. A semi-detached house is joined to the house next door by a shared wall. A house of this kind is less expensive than a detached house, but still offers a good standard of privacy and comfort. It usually has a small garden at the front and a larger garden at the back. A terraced house is usually two- or three-storeys high. It is one of a continuous row of similar houses, joined together by their side walls. A terraced house usually costs less than a semi-detached or detached house of similar size. There are miles of terraced houses in most towns. Over a quarter of British families live in them.

There are also other types of buildings in which people live: d) apartment blocks; e) bungalows; f) country cottages. Bungalows are one-storey houses which are popular with older people. Apartment blocks – are high-rise blocks of flats which provide accommodation for a lot of city dwellers. But these buildings are not very popular. About 20% of the population live in flats. There are more flats in cities than in rural areas. Most people in Britain traditionally like to live in houses.

When people buy a house or a flat in Britain, they usually borrow money from a bank or an organization called a Building Society. This money, which is called a mortgage, is often paid back over 25 years. Other people rent a house or flat. When they do this, the money they pay is called the rent, and the person who owns the house or flat is the landlord.

1) What are the main types of houses in Britain?

2) What is a detached house?

3) What is the difference between a detached house and a semi-detached house?

4) What is a terraced house?

5) Who likes to live in bungalows?

6) Why are apartment block not very popular?

7) What houses are built in Russia?

8) Do you share the opinion that many-storeyed houses are not quite convenient for living in? What do you think?

9) How would you describe your house? Would you like to change the place in which you live? If so, what are your reasons?

10) What is a mortgage?

Задание 2. Прочитайте мини-тексты и составьте описание своего дома или квартиры.

1. Hello, I’m Tracey and I live in a terraced house in Glasgow, Scotland. A terraced house is a house joined to a row of other houses. It is not very big, only two bedrooms but my husband and I live on our own, so there is enough space for us and our dog, Spot. The only problem with a terraced house is the noise if you are unlucky enough to have noisy neighbours. Fortunately, we do not have that problem.

2. Hi, my name is Erik. I’m fifteen. I live with my parents in a small town in the South-East of England. We have a semi-detached house. This means that my house is joined to another house. It has a kitchen, lounge, bathroom with a toilet and three bedrooms. Oh, yes we also have a small garden. British people like having a garden, you know. It’s quite a modern house, so we have central heating. I would really like an open fireplace but modern houses do not have them.

3. Hi there. I’m Paul from London. I live in a detached house with my wife, two kids and a cat. It is quite a large house with a nice back garden and five bedrooms. Having a detached house is more expensive than a semi-detached or terraced one. I like it because when you are sitting in the garden, nobody else can see you. I would like to buy a country cottage somewhere nice and quiet but how would I find a job there?

4. Hello, my name is Yasmin. I’m fourteen and I live in Liverpool. My family comes from Bangladesh but I was born in England. We live in a council estate in a block of flats. This means that we did not have to buy our flat. It was given to us for free by the local government. Most British people would not want to live in a block of flats because quite often they are badly built and are associated with poverty and crime.

Задание 3. Выучите диалог.

- So, where do you live, Pete? Have you got your own house?

- No, I haven’t. I’ve got a modern studio apartment in the centre of town.

- Has it got a garden?

- No, it hasn’t got a garden, but it’s got a small terrace.

- Is there a kitchen in the apartment?

- No, there isn’t but there’s a kitchen area with a fridge, a cooker and a sink. But I haven’t got a microwave.

- What about furniture?

- I’ve got a coffee table, and there are two chairs. And I’ve got a beautiful sofa – I love that sofa, I use it all the time – I eat my meals there because I haven’t got a dining table!

- Is there a TV?

- Yes, of course. And I’ve got a music system.

- Have you got a computer?

- Yes, I’ve got a laptop computer – I use the Internet a lot.

ТЕМА 3. DAILY ROUTINE

Text A

I get up at 6 o’clock, and at quarter past six I have breakfast. At half past six I have a shower, and then I leave home at 7 o’clock. I walk to the bus stop, and at ten past seven I take the bus to work. I get to my office at quarter to eight and I start work at eight o’clock. At 10 o’clock, I have a break, and I start work again at half past ten. At quarter past twelve I have lunch. After lunch at quarter past one, I meet my boss, and then at half past two I finish work and leave the office. I get home at quarter past three, and at 4 o’clock I play tennis with my friends. At quarter past six I watch the news on television, and at quarter to seven I eat dinner. After dinner I have a rest. I go to bed at about 11 o’clock.

1) When do you get up?

2) When do you leave home?

3) How do you get to university?

4) When do your classes start?

5) When do you have lunch?

6) When are your classes over?

7) What do you do after classes?

8) When do you go to bed?

Text B

Luke’s typical day

On a typical day I get up at 7 o’clock. I leave home about half an hour later and then I drive to work. The journey takes about 45 minutes, and to fill the time I listen to the news on the radio. I stop in a bar near the office before I get to work and I always have a large black coffee, but I don’t have anything to eat. I don’t like to eat in the morning. I always go to the same bar so the waiter knows me well and we talk about football or the weather. I start work about half past eight and in the mornings I look at my e-mail, make phone calls and try to help my team with the problems. I have lunch in a restaurant near the office, and then in the afternoon I meet clients and talk to them about our products. I usually finish at about 6 o’clock, but if I have a lot of work, I don’t leave until later – sometimes much later. What do I do in the evenings? Well, every Monday I play football with some friends. On Wednesdays I have a three-hour Italian class. It’s very difficult because I’m a beginner in Italian. The other days I always go running. It helps me relax. I don’t watch TV; I think the programmes are horrible. Most days I read – I like history books, and biographies of famous people. I go to bed about midnight.

1) What time does Luke leave home? 2) What does he drink in the morning? 3) What does he talk about with the waiter? 4) When does he look at his e-mails? 5) Who does he meet in the afternoon? 6) What does he do on Monday evening? 7) What language does he study? 8) Why does he go running? 9) What books does he read? 10) When does he go to bed?

ТЕМА 4. Free time

Задание 1. Прочитайте тексты и обсудите, как лучше проводить свободное время.

What do you do in your free time?

Text A

I don’t have a lot of energy when I get home after work. Usually I just stay in and watch TV or surf the net. I like watching soap operas and I never miss an episode of my favorite programmes. If there’s nothing on TV then I might call some of my friends for a chat. I don’t go out very much and I’d much rather spend time at home.

I like cooking and trying out new recipes. Sometimes I’ll have friends over for a dinner party, but I’m quite happy just relaxing in the house with a good book.

Text B

I like to go out and have a good time. After dinner, I usually go to a bar and hang out with my friends till 3 or 4 in the morning.

I also love going to the movies. If I’m in town at the weekend, I might go to a café with the Sunday papers, then see an exhibition or go to a concert in the park.

Text C

I like to keep in shape, I usually go to the gym three or four times a week. On Saturdays I often meet up with some friends for a game of football in the park.

When I’m on holiday, I like going skiing in the winter, or windsurfing in the summer. I hate being stuck at home all day – I’d rather be outdoors.

ТЕМА 5. Education

Задание 1. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

The Faculty of Physics

Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) is the oldest University in Russia. It was founded in 1755 and originally consisted of three faculties: law, medicine and philosophy. The tradition of physics research at Moscow University goes back to the very foundation of the university when a physics laboratory was established at the Philosophy Faculty. Since 1757 lectures on experimental physics have been delivered and experiments have been demonstrated. In 1859 the Physics and Mathematics Faculty was founded. It was not until 1933 that the Physics Department became an independent Faculty.

Today the Faculty of Physics is the major centre for Physics teaching and research in Russia. There are six divisions dealing with experimental and theoretical physics, solid state physics, radiophysics and electronics, nuclear physics, geophysics, astronomy, and one division providing complementary educational programs. As of September 2012, the Faculty has 41 departments carrying out research and covering educational courses in practically all fields of fundamental and applied modern physics.

The Faculty of Physics has a unique way of training specialists. Teaching at all levels is undertaken by staff with a real command of their subject. The faculty offers programs leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Science (BSc), Master of Science (MSc), Specialist, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Science (DSc). Degrees gained by our graduates are highly regarded by employers and are valued the world over. You might embark on a career as a professional physicist, but can also enter many other professions as a person who has been trained to understand complex data, think logically and critically and communicate ideas effectively.

1) When was Moscow State University founded?

2) When did the Faculty of Physics get its present status?

3) What divisions are there?

4) How many departments does the faculty have?

5) Why did you enter the Faculty of Physics?

Задание 2. Прочитайте тексты и сравните образование в Великобритании и США.