HOME
2.1. A description of my house
Two years ago, my family moved into a new, detached two-storey house in the suburbs of Cracow. We live in a quiet, residential quarter. The house is located in the green belt far from the city centre. The plot is surrounded by a wooden fence. In front of my house there is an ornamental rock garden, a small pond and several flower beds.
Downstairs we have a long hall, kitchen, bathroom and a living room. In the hall there is a clothes stand, mirror, a small shoe rack and a built-in wardrobe. The walls are oak-panelled.
The living room is our favourite place. We spend lots of time talking in it, entertaining our guests and watching TV. It is furnished in the traditional style. I think it's very cosy and warm. In the middle of the room there is a rectangular coffee table and four chairs. In the corner there is a comfortable suite consisting of a plush, beige settee and two armchairs. There is also a fire-place and a large antique wardrobe. Above the fire-place there is a beautiful painting in an opulent frame. There is a colourful carpet on the wooden floor and cream-coloured curtains on the windows.
The kitchen is opposite the living room. It is large and light. Blue and yellow are the predominant colours. Our kitchen is very well-equipped. There is a nice row of cupboards, a fridge, a freezer, a microwave oven, a dishwasher, the sink and an extractor fan above the cooker. We also have some modern household appliances like an electric kettle, a mixer, a pressure cooker, a coffee maker and a fryer. In the alcove, there is a dining area with a large table and four stools.
Next to the kitchen there is a spacious bathroom with a wash-basin, bathtub, shower cubicle, toilet and a washing-machine. The walls are covered with beautiful white and silver tiles. Above the basin there is a large oval mirror with a shelf, and in the corner on the left, there is a bathroom cabinet for the towels, cosmetics, washing powder, toothbrushes and combs. There is a soft grey mat around the pedestal.
A wide staircase leads you to the first floor where there are three bedrooms. The largest one belongs to my parents and has a balcony which looks out onto the backyard. They have a double bed and a small wardrobe. On the bedside table they have a lamp and an alarm clock. There is also a rug on the floor beside the bed.
My room is smali but it is very sunny and furnished in the modern style. I have a pine chest of drawers for knick-knacks and underwear, a bookcase and a desk with a computer and hi-fi equipment. There are some posters on the walls and a few pot plants on the .vindowsill.
There is also a loft in my house where we keep our winter clothes and all the old stuff. I like my house very much and I think it is lovely. There is no place like home!
Speaking
1. Describe your house (flat).
2. Describe your ideal house.
3. Where would you like to live in the future: in a house or a flat? Why?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a house?
VocabularyA
to move - przeprowadzić się
detached - wolno stojący
two-storey house - piętrowy dom
in the suburbs - na przedmieściach
residential quarter - dzielnica mieszkaniowa
green belt - pas zieleni
plot - działka
surrounded - otoczony
wooden fence - drewniany płot
ornamental rock garden - ozdobny ogródek skalny
pond - sadzawka ogrodowa
flower beds - klomby
downstairs - na dole
hall - przedpokój
kitchen - kuchnia
bathroom - łazienka
living room - salon
clothes stand - wieszak (stojak) na ubrania
mirror - lustro
shoe rack - półka na buty
built-in wardrobe - szafa wnękowa
wall - ściana
oak-panelled - obity dębową boazerią
favourite place - ulubione miejsce
furnished - umeblowany
cosy - przytulny
coffee table - ława
comfortable suite - wygodny zestaw wypoczynkowy
plush, beige settee - pluszowa, beżowa sofa
armchair - fotel
fire-place - kominek
antique wardrobe - antyczna szafa
painting - obraz
opulent frame - bogato zdobiona rama
colourful carpet - kolorowy dywan
wooden floor - drewniana podłoga
curtains - zasłony
predominant colours - dominujące kolory
well-equipped - dobrze wyposażony
row of cupboards - rząd szafek kuchennych
fridge - lodówka
freezer - zamrażarka
microwave oven - kuchenka mikrofalowa
dishwasher - zmywarka
sink - zlew
extractor fan - pochłaniacz, wentylator
cooker - kuchenka
household appliances - urządzenia gospodarstwa domowego
electric kettle - czajnik elektryczny
mixer - mikser (robot kuchenny)
pressure cooker - szybkowar
coffee maker - kawomat
fryer-frytkownica
alcove - wnęka
dining area - kącik jadalny
stool - taboret
spacious bathroom - przestronna łazienka
wash-basin - umywalka
bathtub - wanna
shower cubicle - kabina prysznicowa
toilet - toaleta
washing-machine – pralka
tiles - kafelki shelf - półka
bathroom cabinet - szafa łazienkowa
towel - ręcznik
washing powder - proszek do prania
toothbrush - szczoteczka do zębów
comb - grzebień
mat - dywanik
pedestal - postument
staircase - klatka schodowa
bedroom - sypialnia
balcony - balkon
backyard - podwórko
double bed - podwójne łóżko
bedside table - nocny stolik alarm
clock - budzik rug - dywanik
a pine chest of drawers - sosnowa komoda
knick-knacks - bibeloty
underwear - bielizna
bookcase - regał na książki
desk - biurko
poster - plakat
pot plants - rośliny w doniczkach
window sill - parapet okienny
loft - strych, poddasze
old stuff - stare rzeczy
lovely- uroczy
There is no place like home! -Nie ma jak w domu!
VOCABULARY B
semi-detached house - bliźniak
terraced house - szeregowiec
cottage - domek wiejski
bungalow - dom parterowy
błock of flats - blok
tower błock - wieżowiec
lift - winda
flat - mieszkanie
porch - ganek
pantry - spiżarnia
attic - poddasze
stairs - schody
ceiling - sufit
basement - suterena
cellar - piwnica
garage - garaż
verandah - weranda
hedge - żywopłot
lawn - trawnik
pergola - pergola
terrace - taras
gate - furtka
entry phone - domofon
entrance - wejście
shutters - okiennice
study - gabinet do pracy
corhdor - korytarz
nursery - pokój dziecięcy
guest room - pokój gościnny
storage place - pawlacz
air-conditioning - klimatyzacja
central heating - centralne ogrzewanie
radiator - kaloryfer
chimney – komin
My home
I have a romantic nature and this is reflected in the style of my room. I designed the interior myself. The room is spacious but homely. The walls are all painted pink, which creates a warm and cosy atmosphere. Here I have some pictures in ornamental frames on the walls. They depict beautiful country landscapes and still life. The wooden floor is covered with a soft flowery carpet. In the centre of the room there is a round coffee table. It is usually cluttered up with my books, CDs and magazines. In a big antique wardrobe in the corner I keep all my clothes, underwear and shoes. Although it's a very old piece of furniture, it is very functional. I also have two comfortable armchairs and a red leather sofa upholstered with a few colourful cushions. Above the sofa there is a wooden shelf where I keep some porcelain figurines and other knick-knacks. By the window there is a big rectangular desk at which I study every day. Here I have my laptop and stereo equipment. Next to the desk there is a pretty hand-crafted rustic bookcase made of pine. It has four big shelves and a 'bits-and-bobs' drawer. It is very useful. The window looks out onto a forest. It is decorated with light, lilac curtains hung on a wooden rail. On the window sill there are a few pot plants and three brightly coloured glass bottles. My room is very pleasant and I am proud of it.
1. Describe your room.
2. Where would you like to live if you had a lot of money?
VOCABULARY A
romantic nature - romantyczna natura
to reflect - odzwierciedlać
to design - projektować
interior - wnętrze
spacious - przestrzenny
homely - przytulny
wali - ściana
to paint pink - pomalować na różowo
cosy-przytulny
picture - obrazek
ornamental frame - ozdobna rama
country landscape - wiejski krajobraz
still life - martwa natura
flowery carpet - kwiecisty dywan
cluttered up - zagracony
antigue wardrobe - antyczna szafa
in the corner - w rogu
clothes - ubrania
old piece of furniture - stary mebel
functional - funkcjonalny
comfortable armchair - wygodny fotel
leather sofa - skórzana sofa
upholstered - obity (tapicerką)
cushion - poduszka
wooden shelf - drewniana półka
porcelain figurines - porcelanowe figurki
window - okno
rectangular desk - prostokątne biurko
furniture - meble
couch - kanapa
setee - kozetka
bed - łóżko
sofa bed - wersalka
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