3) a landlady – is the owner of a house or a flat which is rented. Eg. Saturday was the day he had promised to pay his landlady.

4) to drop in on smb. – to visit someone informally without arranging a particular time. Eg. I think I’ll drop in on Jill on my way home.

5) a neighbour – someone who lives next to you or near you. Eg. Our next-door neighbours are so noisy that we can hardly sleep some nights.

a) – I say, do you live in a flat?

– Yes, I do, but it is my parents’ flat. I only have a room of my own.

– Is their flat large?

– Rather. We’ve got three bedrooms, a sitting-room, a kitchen, a hall and a bathroom. My room is not very large, but it is very comfortable. There isn’t much furniture in it. On the left there is a sofa and a small table near it. At the window there is a desk. On the right there is a dressing table. Next to it there is a wardrobe for my clothes.

b) – This is a nice flat, Miss Wilkins. Here is the plan…

– I see – There is a kitchen, a bedroom, and there is a toilet.

– Is there a balcony?

– No, there isn’t

– … and a telephone?

– No, there isn’t a telephone. Here is the kitchen.

– It is very small.

– Yes, it isn’t very large, but there is a cooker and a fridge. There are some cupboards under the sink.

– I see … How much is it?

– Five hundred dollars a month.

– How can I help you, Madam?

a) I’d like some information, please. b) I see.

– What a wonderful house!

a) That’s not enough, I am afraid. b) I’m glad that you like it.

– We’re invited to Joy’s house warming on Friday.

a) That sounds wonderful. b) Oh dear.

– Tom, we need to fix the roof.

a) Let’s hope for the best. b) I see.

1) – Do you …?

– No, I don’t live far from the university. And you?

– … By the way, do you have … of your own?

– Oh, yes. I’ve got a small room, but it is very light and rather warm. Will you come in and see?

2) – …?

– I live on the ground floor.

– …?

– There are three rooms in my flat.

– …?

– Of course, it is my sitting-room that I like best, because it is light and spacious and there is a TV set there.

Philip Stanley is proud of his house. It is not very large, but it is very comfortable and well-planned. Any Englishman likes to live in a two-storey detached house. So does Philip. He prefers his own house to an apartment in a block of flats, because he doesn’t wish his doing to be overlooked (to overlook – подсматривать, заглядывать) by his neighbours.

In front of the house there is a green lawn and a lot of flowers. Behind it there is an orchard with some fruit trees in it. Mrs Stanley is fond of flowers and trees. She often spends her spare time there. On the north side of the house there is a garage.

On the ground floor there is a kitchen, a pantry, a dining-room, a sitting-room and Philip’s study. On the first floor or upstairs you can find two bedrooms and a bathroom.

The furniture is modern and new. The windows are large. The family like to meet in the sitting-room in front of the fire-place. Philip has to pay a lot of money for the house before he can call it his own.

The Stanleys like their home. They enjoy its quiet pleasures, its comfort, its sweet familiar atmosphere.

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text.

Exercise 2. Look at the plan of the text. Is it correct?

I A Typical English House

II The Furniture

III Inside the House

IV Outside the House

V Sweet Home

Exercise 3. Answer the questions.

1) Is Philip Stanley’s house large?