Read the text and be ready to discuss the difference between an English house and a Belarusian one.

Many families in London live in flats, but most people live in their own houses in the suburbs. Most of London’s suburban houses consist of two floors, the ground floor and the first floor. All in all there are six or seven rooms in the house.

On the ground floor there’s a dining-room, a sitting-room, a kitchen and a hall. In the hall you can see a stand for hats, coats and umbrellas. A staircase leads from the hall to the landing on the first floor. On this floor there are four bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory. On the top of the roof there are three chimneys.

In front of the house they have a small garden, in which they grow flowers: roses, tulips and so on. At the back of the house there’s a much larger garden, a lawn and some fruit trees. There’s also a vegetable garden where they grow all kinds of vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, onions and tomatoes.

At the side of the house there is a garage, where they can keep their car. The garden is enclosed by a fence, with a gate in it.

Chapter 2. Meals. Shopping

Text 1. meals

Read the text and do the exercises that follow it.

Study the following vocabulary before reading the text:

a table d’hote – комплексный обед

a dish a la carte – порционное блюдо

sauerkraut – кислая капуста

roast (boiled) meat – жареное (варёное) мясо

rumpsteak – рамштекс

pancakes – блины

to wait on – обслуживать

an appetizer (entree) – закуска

to have a bite – перекусить

a second helping – добавка

particular – разборчивый

to do without – обходиться без чего-либо

substantional – существенный

a course – блюдо

a chop – отбивная котлета

cereals – каша‚ крупа

buckwheat – гречка

Oleg’s daily meals

Oleg isn’t particular about his meal. He usually has a quick breakfast in the morning. It’s usually a couple of boiled or fried eggs and a cup of strong sweet tea or white coffee without sugar. After that he runs off to the University. He can do for weeks without lunch. But if he has enough time he goes to the buffet and buys a cup of tea or juice with a bun.

For dinner he has something substantial. It usually consists of 3 courses. For the first course he has some soup (cabbage, noodle or rice one), borsch or milk soup. Second course includes fried fish, cutlets, beefsteaks or chops with potatoes or cereals. He prefers boiled buckwheat or rice and some meat and salad. For dessert he drinks compote or tea with a bun.

As for supper he has something light: some salad, a slice of sausage or cheese and bread and sour milk. It is bad to eat much before bedtime.

At the University dining room

Oleg often has dinner at the University dining-room. It is a self-service dining-room. It means there is no waiter or waitress to wait on students, and they get the dishes themselves. Oleg has to pick up a tray and push it along a counter. The food is displaced on the counter and there is a menu from which he can choose whatever he likes. At the dining-room he can have dinner table d’hote. Its cost is usually cheaper than a la carte (when he orders each dish separately from the menu card). It includes three courses for one price: soup‚ main course and dessert.

Of all possible soups he prefers cabbage soup with meat or sour cream. Sometimes he takes noodle soup, or rice soup with meat or potatoes.

There is a great choice of second courses at the dining-room: fried fish‚ chicken‚ roast meat, cutlets, beefsteaks, rumpsteaks, chops, pancakes with mashed potatoes‚ buckwheat porridge‚ rice‚ sour cream, and what not. Oleg always has mashed potatoes with whatever dish he orders. Then he gets some appetizers (entrees). For appetizers he takes salad, sauerkraut, sometimes herring or caviar.

For dessert he usually takes cranberry jelly, juice‚ compote or tea with lemon, ice-cream or fruit: apples, tangerines, etc.

Sometimes when Oleg stays at the University quite late he goes down to the dining-room or to the refreshment room to have a bite (to have a snack). It is usually a sandwich or a bun with tea‚ coffee or cocoa.

The dining-room is quite neat and clean; the tables are covered with white table-cloths. On the tables there are knives, forks, spoons (table-spoons and tea-spoons), glasses, salt cellars, pepper and mustard pots.

Exercises

1. Ask your group-mates questions to find out:

1) where students have their breakfast, dinner, supper;

2) at what time they have breakfast, dinner, supper;

3) what they take for appetizers, for the first, second course;

4) what kind of soup Oleg prefers;

5) if he likes potatoes or rice;

6) if students use forks and knives while eating a second course;

7) what a self service dining-room is.

2. Use the text to find the Russian equivalents for the following words:

что-то существенное, на второе, булочка, обходиться неделями без ланча, состоять из трёх блюд, гречневая и рисовая каша, что-то лёгкое, отбивная котлета, что касается ужина, простокваша, быть разборчивым.

3. Use the text to add some more sentences to the following statements:

a) Oleg’s breakfast in the morning is quick.

b) Oleg has a substantial dinner.

c) His supper is light.

4. Use the text to ask your group-mates:

– if Oleg is particular about his meal;

– if his breakfast is quick or substantial;

– what he has for breakfast;

– if Oleg’s dinner consists of 3 courses;

– what he has for the first course;

– if he prefers cereals and salad;

– what he drinks for dessert;