Houses in Britain

Marriage in the United States

Many single people in the United States have trouble finding a marriage partner. In the past, sometimes friends would help by becoming matchmak­ers. They would introduce a man and woman, and sometimes the man and woman would fall in love and get married.

But today, many people pay companies called dating services to help them find partners. And even if the dating service does not always find them someone to marry, it at least finds them someone to date.

Getting manned has changed in some ways. In the past, the man pro­posed to the woman. But now sometimes the woman asks the man to marry her. After the couple decides to marry, the man gives the woman a ring. She wears it on her left hand to show that they are engaged. Some­times the man and woman elope. When they run away and get married privately, their parents are often disappointed because they wanted their children to have a big wedding.

When they are married, both newlyweds often work because they need two paychecks to pay their bills. But sometimes they still have money problems. And sometimes the parents find that they just aren’t compatible. So, for many people, marriage ends in divorce. Yet, some people stay together long enough to celebrate their fiftieth or se­venty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Vocabulary:

are largely concentrated – в основном сосредоточены

capital city – столица
block of flats – многоквартирный дом
modern apartments – современные квартиры
conservative – консервативный
value – ценить

in the countryside – в сельской местности

expensive – дорогой

pay – платить
marvelous view – чудесный вид

fresh air – свежий воздух

possibility – возможность

spend – проводить

attic – чердак, мансарда

ground floor – первый этаж

fire-place – камин

several – несколько

guests – гости

study – кабинет

stone – камень

brick – кирпич
row – ряд

terraced houses – типовые дома, стоящие в ряд

semi-detached houses – дома на двух хозяев

detached houses – особняки, частные дома на одного хозяина

joined together – соединены вместе

tend to – быть тенденцией

prices – цены
property – собственность
jointly – вместе
mortgage – ипотечный заем
call upon – призывать к помощи
wages – заработная плата

About 51 million people live in England and most of them (84%) are largely concentrated in London. Like in any other capital city there are a lot of blocks of flats with modern flats and a lot of people prefer living there. But people who are more conservative and value the traditions of their country live in the countryside.

The houses in the countryside are usually more expensive than the flats in big cities. I think it is normal because when you live in the country, you pay not just for the house but for the marvelous views, fresh air and a possibility to spend your free time in a garden (gardening is one of the most favourite hobbies among the British).

English houses often have two floors and an attic. There is a kitchen, a dining-room and a living on the ground floor. Almost in every house there is a fire-place in the living-room, which is the most favourite place for all the family in the evenings or on holidays. There are bedrooms and several bathrooms on the first floor. There is always a room for guests.

There is usually a study on the attic. Usually houses in England are built from stones or bricks. And sometimes it seems that Britain is a country of multi-coloured houses. In England there are many types of houses. People can live in a flat.

In most towns all over England there are streets of houses joined together in long rows. Such houses are called terraced houses. Two houses joined together are called semi-detached houses. If the houses are not joined to any other buildings they are called detached houses. The most popular types of houses among British people are semi-detached and detached houses.

Though more and more people tend to buy a house in the countryside, it has become a great problem for the English to buy a house because the prices on the property are increasing much faster than the wages. But it is always possible to take a mortgage in a bank, call upon rich relatives or buy a house jointly with friends.

Дата добавления: 2017-01-13