Ex. 2.Answer the questions

Discussion

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

Ex. 2.Work in pairs.

Ex. 1. Answer the questions.

Discussion

1. What are the three types of housing mentioned?

2. What is the ratio of houses to flats in Britain?

3. What has happened to home ownership in Britain?

4. What sort of people in the UK are most and least likely to own their houses?

5. Explain the following: sheltered housing, a mortgage, a slum area.

1. What differences are there between housing in Britain and in your country?

2. What sort of British people are most likely to own their homes? What reasons can you think of?

Text: “Somewhere to live”

There are many different types of housing in Britain, ranging from thetraditional thatched country cottage to flats in the centre of towns. Houses are often described by the period in which they were built (for example, Georgian, Victorian, 1930s, or post-war) and whether they are terraced, semidetached or detached. As well as preferring houses to flats, for many people a garden is also an important consideration. Although Britain is relatively small the areas where people live vary considerably: there are new towns and inner cities, suburbs, commuter belts and the open countryside.

Paying for the home you live in is the biggest single item in the budget of most families and getting on the housing 'ladder' can be difficult. First time house buyers on an average salary may have to borrow 90 or even 100 per cent of the value of the property they want to buy. It is possible for people to borrow up to three times their annual income or sometimes even more. As prices vary, the cost of a six-bedroom farmhouse in a remote part of Scotland is about the same as a small flat in an expensive area of west London. People moving from the north to the south of Britain have to pay a lot more for the same type of house.

The average family moves once every seven years and the process of moving involves an estate agent (responsible for advertising houses for sale), a building society, bank or insurance company for the finance, and a solicitor to handle the legal aspects of the buying and selling. The size of a house or flat in Britain still tends to be measured by the number of bedrooms rather than the area in square metres. In keeping with a nation of home owners, gardening and DIY are popular spare time activities.

Types of houses:

Victorian terrace,

1930 semi-detached house,

1960 flats,

Modern housing estate,

Old town houses,

Country cottage,

Country house.

1. How much do some people borrow to buy a house?

2. What does the text say about the differences in the house prices in Britain?

3. How often do people move houses? What other people are involved if you want to move a house?

4. How is the size of a house still measured in Britain?

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