INTRODUCTORY READING AND TALK. Home, sweet home. It does not matter what your home is like — acountry mansion, a more modestdetachedorsemi-detached house,aflatina block of flats or even

Home, sweet home. It does not matter what your home is like — acountry mansion, a more modestdetachedorsemi-detached house,aflatina block of flats or even aroomin acommunal flat. Anyway, it is the place where you oncemove in and start tofurnish anddeco­rate it to your own taste. It becomes your second "ego".

Your second "ego" is very big and disquieting if you have a house. There isenough space for everything: ahall,akitchen with an adjacent dining-room,a living-roomora lounge, a couple ofbed­rooms andclosets (storerooms), a toilet and abathroom. You can walk slowlyaround the house thinking what else you can do toreno­vate it. In the hall you cast a glance at thecoatrack and achest of drawers for shoes. Probably, nothing needs to be changed here.

You come to the kitchen: kitchen furniture, kitchenutensils,arefridgerator (fridge) with afreezer,adishdrainer,anelectricorgas cooker with anoven. Maybe, it needs acooker hood?

The dining-room is lovely. A bigdining table withchairs in the centre, acupboard withtea sets anddinner sets. There is enough place tokeep all cutlery and crockery in. Youknow pretty wellwhere things go.

The spacious living-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 table in soft armchairs and on the sofa. You look at the wall units, stuffed with china, crys­tal and books. Some place is left for a stereo system and a TV set. A fireplace and houseplants make the living-room really cosy.

Your bedroom is your private area though most bedrooms are alike: asingleor adouble bed, awardrobe, one or twobedside tablesand adressing-table.

You look inside the bathroom: asink, hot andcold taps and a bath. There is nothing to see in the toilet except aflush-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 bepapered, and in the bathroom and toilet —tiled!Instead oflinoleum there should beparquet floors. Instead ofpat­terned curtains it is better to put darkerplain ones, so that they might notshow the dirt. You do it all, but doubt does not leave you. Then you startmoving the furniturearound in the bedroom, because the dressing-tableblocks out the light. You are ready to give a sigh of relief, but... suddenly find out that the lounge is toocrammed up with furniture.

Those who live inone-room or two-room flats may 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-chute and... niceneighbours who like to play music at midnight.Owners of small flats are happy to have small problems and they love theirhomes no less than those who live inthree-storeyed palaces. Home, sweet home.

1. What category of owners does your family belong to?

2. Say what else one can see In a hall, a kitchen, a dining room, a lounge, a bedroom.

3. Look at the plan of a flat and decide how you would arrange it. Discuss with the classmates what you would buy to furnish it. Make use of the phrases below:

Let's ... in the middle

What about putting ... in the far end of the room

What do you think of... in the right corner by ...

I think we should ... in the left comer at...

Shall we ... on the right

Perhaps the best thing would be to ... on the left

Everybody puts ... beside

Well, couldn't we ... near

Why don't we ... (just) opposite

4. Do you have a room of your own? Is there anything special about it?

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