There are so many different types of accommodation. In cities most people live in flats. If they are very rich, they can afford a big house in the city. But they are usually very expensive. In towns people live in houses or houses for two families or sometimes in a row of terraced houses. People built them in Victorian times for workers, but they are very popular now. And, of course, in the cities there are high-rise flats. These can be anything from ten to twenty storeys high. These are usually for families who can’t afford to buy a house or a flat. In England they are not usually very nice. They are old buildings. Some of them are rather dirty. It’s very difficult for families with young children to live there. They live on the twentieth or thirtieth floor and very often the lifts don’t work. There are a lot of problems with these types of houses. Students usually share flats. And then, when they get a job and get married, they want to buy a house or a flat. Usually they are twenty-five or thirty years old by the time they think about buying either a house or flat. Most people don’t have enough money to buy one immediately, so they have to borrow money from a bank. A young couple will buy a small flat or maybe a very small house. We call them ‘starter homes’. After a few years maybe they decide to have children. Then they can sell the small house or flat and buy something a little bit bigger. A small starter flat will probably have a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and just one bedroom. Houses usually have at least two bedrooms, and downstairs there will probably be a living room and a dining room, or a big kitchen, whilst upstairs there will be a bathroom and one, or two bedrooms.
1. What kind of accommodation do most people live in?
2. What can you afford if you are rich?
3. Are houses cheaper or more expensive in small towns?
4. Where do people live in towns?
5. Who were terraced houses built in Victorian times for?
6. Are there only a few high-rise flats in big cities?
7. Are they usually from thirty to forty storeys high?
8. High-rise flats are very nice in England, aren’t they?
9. Why is it difficult for young families with children to live there?
10. Do students usually share flats or houses?
11. When do young people want to buy a house or a flat?
12. Why do they want to borrow money from a bank?
13. Do a young couple usually buy a big flat?
14. What is a ‘starter home’?
15. How many rooms does a starter flat have?
16. Are there at least two bedrooms in a starter flat?
17. What do a young couple buy?
18. How many bedrooms do small houses usually have?
19. What is there downstairs in the house?
20. What is there upstairs in the house?
Training 1
In cities a lot of people live in high-rise flats. These can be anything from ten to twenty storeys high. These are usually for families who can’t afford to buy a house or a substantial flat. In England they are not usually very nice. They are old buildings. Some of them are rather dirty. It’s very difficult for families with young children to live there. There are a lot of problems with these types of houses.
Training 2
Young couples buy small flats or very small houses. They are called ‘starter homes’ in England. Most people don’t have enough money to buy one immediately, so they have to borrow money from a bank. A small starter flat will probably have a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and just one bedroom. Houses usually have at least two bedrooms.