Ex. 1. Read and translate the texts

Ex. 3.Work in pairs.

What type of house would you prefer to live in? Give your reasons.

Text: “New homes”

The need for housing in the south of England has produced new developments in both rural and urban areas. One example of new large-scale building is in the East End of London where fifty years ago London's docklands were the heart of a busy international port. Today most of the ships have gone but the developers, planners, architects and builders have moved in. A new London is being built at high speed. New roads, an airport and a docklands railway have all been built there; houses, flats and offices are being created from the old docks.

While London's skyline changes there are a number of arguments about the direction in which housing should develop. Much of the new Docklands development was designed for people to have easy access to jobs in financial institutions in the City of London, although some local residents have also benefited from the new housing and transport improvements. The speed of the building has meant that environmental planning has not always been possible. Although some of the new buildings have won architectural awards, there has also been criticism of the new architectural styles. The demand for new homes puts pressure on both city areas and the countryside. Some of the 'Green Belt' of protected land which used to surround London and other towns and cities in southern England is now being used for housing, particularly in areas which have become more affluent.

Text: “Homelessness”

The number of homeless people in Britain has doubled since 1979. Reasons for this rise include the decline in the availability of rented accommodation (nearly 1 million fewer homes than in 1980), lack of council housing due to government cuts in grants to local authorities, who are responsible for public housing, and the increases in house prices during the 1980s. Unemployment, changes in the social security benefit regulations and the numbers of young people leaving home also contribute to the problem. Many local authorities have been forced to put homeless people in hotels and bed-and-breakfast accommodation because of a lack of suitable flats and houses. While real earnings have risen faster than inflation and helped to push up house prices, debt has also increased, helping to leave some of those at the bottom of the scale without a home. One in five families in London are said to live in unsatisfactory conditions and there are an estimated 10,000 people in the capital who have to sleep rough because they have no accommodation at all.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-08