Episode 66

EPISODE 66
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

INSIDE MY HOUSE

My friend has a house on the outskirts of the city (= very far from the centre), in a residential area (= there are only houses there, but no offices etc). She thinks it is the most fantastic house in the world and I have to agree it looks nice.
There are two floors (= two levels) in her house. On the ground floor (= the lowest floor) there is a lounge (= a living room), a big kitchen and a toilet. And, of course, there is a hall (= the first room you are in when you enter a house). There is also a spare room (= a room which you usually don’t use) where guests can sleep. On the first floor, there is a bedroom with a closet (= a special room without windows where you keep your clothes), a study (= a room where you work) and a bathroom.

 

More contexts for the new words:

• I live in the suburbs .
  (= I live in a quiet area with houses, far from the city centre.)
• I study at the university.
  (= I am a student at the university.)

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Match the words and expressions to their definitions.

 

 

1. the ground floor                          a) very far from the centre
2. a lounge                                        b) a room where you work
3. a spare room                                c) a room for guests
4. a study                                          d) an area with only houses
5. a residential area                        e) a living room
6. on the outskirts                           f) the lowest floor

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Complete each gap with one word. The first letter is given to help you. Then answer the questions.

 

1. Would you prefer to live in the city centre or on the o………………………… of a city? Why?
2. What is more important for you: a big c……………………. for your clothes, or a s……………………. to work in? Why?
3. In a block of flats, would you prefer to live on the g…………………… floor, or on a higher f………………..? Why?

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

Today I would like us to analyze this sentence:

… I have to agree it looks nice …

We can use the verb ‘to look’ to talk about appearance (She looks nice today) and to describe an action which our body does (She is looking at her father now).

When we use this verb in the first situation, we always use it in a present simple form:

She looks sad./ not: she is looking sad.
He looks angry./ not: he is looking angry.

When we use it in the second context, we can use either present simple or present continuous depending on the situation.

She is looking at his photo now. She looks at photos every day.
She looks at this building each time she comes back from work./She is looking at this building now.

There are more verbs which are like this; for example:

to think
I think she is beautiful. (my general opinion)
I’m thinking of buying a new car. (I haven’t decided yet)

to have
I have two cars. (possessions)
I’m having dinner now. (I’m eating dinner now)

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ Did you really have to wait an hour for a table at that restaurant?

B/ Yes. But then they gave us some drinks ON THE HOUSE.

 

If you get something on the house, you don’t pay for it, but the restaurant (or business owner) gives it to you for free.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. When you MOVE IN, you start living in a new house or flat.

A new family has moved in to the flat next door.

We’re moving in next week.

 

2. The opposite is to MOVE OUT. This is when you stop living in a particular house or flat.

Jane moved out of her college room last Monday.

We’ve sold the house, and we’re moving out.

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Complete the story putting one word into each gap.

 

When Susan started her studies, she had to move (1) …………………….. of her family house and travel to a different city. She moved (2) …………………….. to a student flat, and during their first weekend together they all went out to the local pub. ‘Are you new in the area?’ asked the bar tender. ‘Yes,’ answered the girls. ‘Then the drinks are (3) ……………………. the house!’

 

 

NEWS

 

INTERIOR DESIGN

 

More and more people are reluctant to let chance decorate their homes, and they hire interior designers to plan the inside of their new homes in a professional way. The advantages are obvious: you diminish the risk of acquiring a haphazard collection of objects for your apartment, everything has a consistent style, and the furniture should fit perfectly between the walls. At least that’s the theory. In practice, it all depends on the interior designer you choose, as some of them prove to be rather sloppy in their work. For instance, it might turn out that the shelves they have planned for your books aren’t sturdy enough to support your book collection. Or – after buying all the furniture – you might realize that there is half a centimeter too little space for all that! Whichever designer you choose, be sure to have a lot of money, for their services are quite pricey!

 

GLOSSARY

– reluctant – unwilling

– diminish – decrease

– haphazard – accidental

– sloppy – not hard-working

– sturdy – strong

 

 

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