Episode 68

EPISODE 68
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

 

THE FLAT OF YOUR DREAMS   

 

'So, what are you going to do about your flat situation?’

’I’ve made up my mind (= I have decided) to take out a mortgage (= borrow money from a bank to buy a flat) and buy a cosy (= warm and comfortable) second-hand flat.’

'Do you know what your dream flat would look like?’

'Sure. I’d like to have a 2-storey (= with two floors) flat overlooking a forest. I would paint it pastel colors. I don’t like antique (= old and expensive) furniture, so I think I would choose something modern and practical. My flat would have a very spacious (= big) lounge (= living room) with windows from the ceiling to the floor. I dream of having an attic (= an upper floor just below the roof) and a basement (= a floor underground) for all my stuff.

'Well, it all sounds really nice, but I don’t think you will buy your dream flat any time soon.’

‘Well, you’re probably right.’

 

 

More contexts for the new words:

• I saw him in the hotel lounge reading a paper. (= a public room in a place like a hotel, university or hospital where people can sit and relax)
• I like the idea of living in a semi-detached house. You live in a house, but still you have neighbors on one side, so you are never alone.

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Add the missing vowels (a, e, I, o, u).

 

1. John’s new house has ten rooms and a huge hall – it’s really ……………………………. SPCS.
2. Our hotel had a really beautiful view – it VRLKD ……………………………. a river.
3. When you take out a MRTGG ……………………………., you usually have to pay it off for the rest of your life.
4. My grandpa has lots of NTQ ……………………………. furniture in his house.
5. She lives in a two-STRY ……………………………. house.
6. The fireplace makes the flat really nice and CSY ……………………………. .

 

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

As you can see in the text above, there are a few sentences with 'would’.

I’d like to have a 2-storey flat.
I would paint it pastel colors.
I would choose something modern and practical.
My flat would have a very spacious lounge.

Do you have your dream flat now? No, you don’t, so in all these sentences we are talking about hypothetical situations, situations which are not real at the moment.

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

 

A/ I’d like to have a two-storey house with ten rooms overlooking a sea.

B/ Yeah, keep BUILDING CASTLES IN THE AIR! And who will pay for that?

 

If you build castles in the air, you have impossible dreams or plans.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

 

1. When you LIVE ON something, you have the amount of money in order to buy the things you need.

I earn just enough to live on, so I can’t afford the flat of my dreams.
Many people in Poland have to live on very little money.

 

 

2. When you LIVE OFF something/ someone, you have the money you need by taking it from a supply of money or another person.

When Sheila was unemployed, she had to live off her savings.
Many students live off their parents.

 

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Rewrite the sentences keeping the same meaning and using the word in capitals.

 

1. I take all the money I need from my boyfriend.

 

[OFF} ……………………………………………………………………………….

2. I don’t earn much, but I have enough money to survive.

 

[ON] ……………………………………………………………………………….

3. Sam’s plans are always so unrealistic!

 

[CASTLES] ……………………………………………………………………………….

 

 

 

 

NEWS

 

DREAM HOUSE SURVEY

 

A survey was conducted last week, asking a thousand Poles what their dream house would be like. Not surprisingly, most people would love to have a house with a garden, preferably in the suburbs. But this is true mainly of middle-aged people and the elderly ones, while the younger generation prefer to live downtown, close to the hustle and bustle of the city life. And how many rooms would we like to have? Single people would be happy with three, while families opt for at least four. And how do we estimate the chances of getting that dream flat in our lifetime? Here the results are not very optimistic, for only two per cent of those asked can see their dream coming true in the foreseeable future.

 

 

GLOSSARY

– survey – when you ask the same question to a lot of people

– downtown – in the city centre (American English)

– hustle and bustle – noisy activity

– opt for – choose

 

 

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