Ex 12. Read, translate and retell the text

Home Sweet Home

It does not matter what your home is like — a country mansion,a more modest detachedor semi-detached house,a flatin a block of flatsor even a roomin a communal flat.Anyway, it is the place where you once move inand start to furnishand decorateit to your own taste. It becomes your second "ego".

Your second "ego" is very big and disquieting if you have a house. There is enough spacefor everything: a hall,a kitchenwith an adjacent dining-room,a living-roomor a lounge,a couple of bed-roomsand closets (storerooms),a toiletand a bathroom.You can walk slowly around the housethinking what else you can do to renovate it. In the hall you cast a glance at the coatrackand a chest of drawers for shoes.Probably, nothing needs to be changed here.

You come to the kitchen: kitchen furniture,kitchen utensils,a refridgerator (fridge)with a freezer,a dishdrainer,an electricor gas cookerwith an oven.Maybe, it needs a cooker hood?

The dining-room is lovely. A big dining tablewith chairsin the centre, a cupboardwith teasets and dinner sets.There is enough place to keep all cutlery and crockery in.You knowpretty well where things go.

The spaciousliving-room is the heart of the house. It is the place where you can have a chance to see the rest of your family. They come in the evening to sit around the coffee tablein soft armchairsand on the sofa.You look at the wall units,stuffed with china, crystaland books. Some place is left for a stereo systemand a TV set. A fireplaceand houseplantsmake the living-room really cosy.

Your bedroom is your private area though most bedrooms are alike: a singleor a double bed,a wardrobe,one or two bedside tablesand a dressing-table.

You look inside the bathroom: a sink, hotand cold tapsand a bath.There is nothing to see in the toilet except a flush-toilet.

You are quite satisfied with what you have seen, but still doubt disturbs you: 'Is there anything to change?' Yes! The walls of the rooms should be papered,and in the bathroom and toilet — tiled!Instead of linoleumthere should be parquet floors.Instead of patterned curtainsit is better to put darker plainones, so that they might not show the dirt.You do it all, but doubt does not leave you. Then you start movingthe furniture aroundin the bedroom, because the dressing-table blocks out the light.You are ready to give a sigh of relief, but... suddenly find out that the lounge is too crammed up with furniture.

Those who live in one-roomor two-room flatsmay feel pity for those who live in houses. They do not have such problems. At the same time they have a lot of privileges: central heating, running water,a refuse-chuteand... nice neighbourswho like to play music at midnight. Ownersof small flats are happy to have small problems and they love their homesno less than those who live in three-storeyed palaces.Home, sweet home. (Merkulova Y.M. English for University Students, St. Petersburg, 2002.)

Ex.13. Complete the following sentences choosing the appropriate word or phrase from the list. Change the form of the words if necessary. Translate the sentences into Russian.

to be lined to be full of to be covered

to be pinned up to lie in heaps to be concealed

to be lost beneath to stand open to be pasted

to lead to be arranged to be tiled

to be separated to to be painted to be papered

1. If the floor...... …….one can easily hear footsteps on it.

2. Other walls..... …………..with white bookshelves from which books overflow to the floor.

3. The door between the office and a small dark room at the back always …………..

4. The floors downstairs……………………. with Indian carpets.

5. The walls...... ……………………….with pictures of aircrafts.

6. A staircase ................... from the ground floor to the first floor.

7. The notice ........ ………………….. and became the centre of attention.