HOUSES AND HOMES

Vocabulary

Video

Reading

Let's speak

Do you agree that a man's home is a reflection of his personality?

HOUSES AND HOMES

Read the texts and do the tasks. Texts Tasks

Let's speak about your house. This is a speaking activity with some questions to help you think about and deal with this topic. What do you like about your neighbourhood? What don’t you like about it? Is it better to live downtown or in a suburb? Why? What facilities do you have in your neighbourhood? What don’t you have? What type of house do you live in? Where do you live? Do you like it? Why? / Why not? Which is the favourite part of your home? Why do you like it? What changes would you make in your house? Are you a DIY fan? What is a good color for a house? Why? Have you ever moved home? How many places have you lived in? What would your ideal home look like? What type of technology do you use at home? Who does the housework at home? Do you do your share? Have you ever had an argument about housework? Is it a good idea to live in an apartment on the 37th floor? Why? / Why not? Do you want to move to another apartment / house? Why? / Why not? Would you like to live on a boat? Why? / Why not? How long does it take you to go home after class? Is it too far away? What kind of strange or unusual house do you know about?

Let's speak about this house. Some hints to think about: Where is it situated? Who lives in it? How would you describe this house? What rooms are there in your opinion? Would you like to live in such house? Why?

Read the text and answer these questions • What type of house is being described? • What are the key features of this type of house? • Where can you find these homes? Reading houses Look at a house from the outside, and you can guess what type of people live in it. Well, perhaps this is not always true. Some people can live in unusual houses. Some people live on boats, in tree houses or in tents. For example, imagine you are in an old part of an industrial city in the UK. Cities like London, Manchester, Liverpool or Newcastle. There is a river, or a canal, which was important for transport in the past, before the railways were built. There are a lot of enormous buildings near the water. They were built in the 19th century. They must be industrial places to store things for import or export. But…look more closely! There are expensive cars parked outside some of these buildings. And on the corner of the street there is a French restaurant, with a wine bar opposite. And just round the corner there is a shop with beautiful furniture. And here are more shops…Who buys these things? Answer: the people who now live in these old buildings. Old warehouses like these offer two things that are difficult to find in modern houses: space, and a view. Over the past 10 years, more and more architects have converted buildings like this into apartments, which have big rooms, high ceilings… and often a terrace which looks onto the water. So, the old parts of many of Britain’s industrial cities now have a new life. They are not dead anymore, with empty warehouses and disused factories. You can buy factory space and make yourself a home in it. And the people who live in them can walk or cycle to work. Or…with so much space. They work from home with a computer and a modem! Buildings don’t always tell us about lifestyles immediately. So, next time you see an old station, a deserted church or a village school in Britain, look carefully for the clues. You may get a surprise. Is this true in your town too?