Hannah: How is your house hunting going?
Logan: Not very well. I haven’t found anything within my price range yet.
H: How much are you looking to spend?
L: I can only afford about 300 pounds a month.
H: Looks like you’re not going to get more than a bedroom in a shared flat with that.
L: Really? That’s a lot of money to pay for one room.
H: Well, if you want to live in London, you have to pay the price!
L: Do you know of anyone who needs a roommate?
H: I can ask around at work. Do you have a preference for smokers or non-smokers?
L: I’d prefer non-smoking roommates, but I guess I’ll have to take what I can get!
H: How long do you want to sign a contract for?
L: I can sign a contract up to a year. I don’t know where I’ll be after that.
H: Do you need a furnished or unfurnished apartment?
L: I don’t have any furniture, so it’d be great if it were furnished.
H: You know that you’ll have to pay utilities on top if the rent, right?
L: No, I thought that would be included in the rent.
H: It’s not usually included, so you’ll have to factor in about 100 pounds more each month for utilities.
L: I don’t think I can afford that.
H: Don’t worry. Sometimes people will give you a discount if you promise to do the cleaning or take care of the children.
L: That’s a good idea. I’ll look into finding something like that.
L: What’s your apartment like?
H: It’s a furnished two bedroom flat in a three-story building on campus.
L: What is it like living in on-campus housing?
H: It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. The freshmen that live nearby are really loud, especially on the weekends. But, the rent is much cheaper than private housing, so it’s worth it.
L: Did you have to pay a deposit?
H: No, but we do have to pay 9 months rent in 6 months, so for the first 6 months we pay 1/2 month’s rent each month.
L: Do you have to pay utilities on top of your monthly rent?
H: No, it’s all included. Besides, students don’t have to pay council tax, so we’re saving quite a bit of money by living here.
L: How long is your contract for?
H: That’s the bad thing—the contract ends in June, so we’ll have to find a new apartment soon.
L: Have you started looking again yet?
H: Not yet. I’m hoping we’ll be able to find something cheap once all the students leave the city for the summer.
L: Good luck!
12. Living in a House
Word Storm
fence 栅栏、围栏hedge 树篱笆
villa 郊外独栋别墅courtyard house 带院子的住宅garage 车库
lawn 草坪rockery 假山chimney 烟囱
lounge 客厅
ceiling 屋顶、天花板fireplace 壁炉
yard 院子
shed 小屋
fittings 装置instalment 分期付款down payment 首付
real estate 房地产mortgage 抵押mortgage loan 按揭贷款interest 利息
decoration 装饰、装修
internet access 网络接口
satellite TV 卫星电视
fortune 财富、大量财产
fascinating 迷人的
ring road 环线
fish pond 鱼池
guest 客人
slum 贫民窟
auction off 拍卖
community 社会
location 地段
a bit rough 有点乱
Sarah: Have you moved into your new house yet, Michael?
M: We just moved in yesterday, actually.
S: So, what do you think about the place? Are you glad that you moved in?
M: It’s great! Unfortunately, we’re going to spend a fortune doing everything up. S: How old is the house then?
M: It’s about 200 years old. It has a lot of history!
S: Sounds fascinating. Where is your new house located?
M: It’s just off of the ring road.
S: Do you have a big yard?
M: It’s bigger than our last one; I’ve got flowers in the front, and fruits, vegetables and a fish pond in the back.
S: Is your house well-lit?
M: Oh, yes. Our windows let plenty of natural light in. They’ve also got wonderful views of the park behind our house.
S: How many rooms does your house have?
M: Right now, there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room, a dining room, and a living room. We’re hoping to add on a green room and a guest bedroom. In fact, when the guest room is ready, you should come and stay with us for a weekend.
S: I’d be up for that!
M: Have you thought of moving at all Sarah?
S: We’ve thought about it, but my husband and I can’t afford it right now. The only thing we could afford would be living in the slum s, which is something I don’t want to do.
M: Buying a house can be expensive, but there are ways to find cheaper houses.
S: Like what?
M: Well, sometimes the city auctions off houses to the community. You’d have to make a quick decision about the offer in a day, but you would definitely save money doing it that way.
S: That’s a good idea. Do you know anyone who has done that before?
M: Sure, my sister-in-law and her husband just bought a house that way. They’re pretty
satisfied with it.
S: Is the house pretty run-down?
M: Not at all. The woman, who owned it, took good care of it. But when she died, she had no family left and no will, so the government had to sell it for her.
S: Was it a very old house?
M: It was about 75 years old. There were a few repairs that needed doing, but it didn’t take a lot of money or time.
S: Is it in a good location?
M: The area can be a bit rough in the evenings, but the neighbours watch out for each other, so it’s ok.
13. My Dream Home
Word Storm
outdoor deck 天台
cable TV 有限电视
ocean view 海景
park view 园林景观
remote control 遥控器
self-catering 自带食物的
barbecue 烧烤
hi-fi 高保真音响mantelpiece 壁炉架ornament 小装饰
vase 花瓶
blind= curtains 窗帘tableware 餐具
king-size 加大型
bunk-bed 有梯子的双层床loo= toilet 厕所、洗手间au pair 住家佣人decorate 装饰
clutter 混乱、杂乱closet 壁橱
theatre 剧场
hook up 以钩钩住
hire 雇佣
cottage 村社、小别墅character 特点、特色original state 初始状态
Madeline: Have you ever thought about your ideal home?
Caden: I have, actually; I’ve always wanted to build my dream home myself.
M: What would it be like?
C: Well, it would spacious and located next to a park, because a nice view is important to me.
M: How many rooms would it have?
C: I’d want it to have three bedrooms on a second floor with balconies on each, and one main bedroom on the main floor with an attached en suite. I’d also want a large living room and kitchen connect ed to each other so that there would be one large open space for people to spend time with each other.
M: How many bathrooms would your dream home have?
C: I’d have one guest bathroom in the basement; one attached to the main bedroom, and one upstairs, so a total of three.
M: How would you decorate your house?
C: I don’t like a lot of clutter, so I wouldn’t have lots of things out. I would have a few vase s on the mantel piece and some pictures of my family on the walks, but other than that, most things would be kept in closet s.
M: How many TVs would your dream home have?
C: I think TV is a great waste of time, so I would only have one small TV in the kitchen to watch the news in the morning.
C: Have you ever seen Bill Gate’s home on the Internet?
M: No. What’s it like?
C: It’s got its own library, theatre, swimming pool, and a guest house. The house itself has about ten different rooms that are all hooked up to computers so you can get things done in each room through a remote control. It’s also located near the sea, so he can park his boats next to his house. It’s absolutely amazing!
M: Would you want to live there?
C: I think his house is fantastic, but I wouldn’t want to live there. You would have to hire one or two people to clean all the rooms in the house, plus a few people to take care of the gardens, and probably an au pair or two to take care of the children. I t’s just too big of a place to take care of on your own.
M: What’s your dream home like then?
C: My dream home is actually just a small cottage in a quiet village in England.
M: Would you want to buy an old cottage or build a new one yourself?
C: Old homes are great because they’ve got character. I think that’s important.
M: Is that why you wear second-hand clothes as well? Because they’ve got character?
C: No, that’s just because I don’t have enough money to buy new clothes all the time!
M: I see. If you lived in an old house, would it be decorated in a modern way?
C: No, I’d definitely try to restore it to its original state. I love to imagine what it’d be like to live in another time in history and living in a house decorated like it would have been 200 years ago would be a great way to feed my imagination even more!
14. Household Appliances家用电器
Word Storm
carpet 地毯armchair 扶手椅Liquid Crystal Display(LCD) screen 液晶电视book case 书架cushion 椅垫
lounge 休闲室closed enclosure 封闭式扬声器coaster 杯垫
fork 叉子
plate 碟子
napkin 餐巾
soup spoon 汤勺dessert spoon 甜品勺toaster 烤面包机over glove 烤箱手套cupboard 橱柜
freezer 冰柜
fridge 电冰箱microwave 微波炉
plug 插头
sink 洗涤槽
tap 水龙头teapot 茶壶saucepan 炖锅kettle 电水壶whisk 打蛋器scales 磅秤
tin opener 开罐器casserole dish 有盖炖菜锅vacuum cleaner 吸尘器vegetable peeler 削皮机bucket 桶
mop 拖把screwdriver 螺丝刀spanner 扳手
torch 手电筒pliers 老虎钳ironing board 烫衣板scissors 剪刀steep 浸泡ancient 古旧的dusty 满是灰尘的chore 家务杂事
lasagna 烤宽面条
garlic 大蒜
recipe 处方
ingredient 成分
casserole dish 砂锅炖荤素什锦
Lily: It’s so great to be here! I’m so excited to help you and my daughter with your new home!
Dylan: We’re glad that you’re here. Would you like a tour of the house?
L: That’d be great, but could I have a cup of tea first?
D: Sure, I’ll just go put the kettle on. Why don’t you have a seat on the sofa and I’ll go take care of things in the kitchen.
L: That would be lovely, thanks.
D: Do you take milk or sugar with your tea?
L: I’ll take a little milk, but no sugar, please. Make sure you let the tea steep a few minutes before you take the tea bag out of the cup.
D: OK. What do you think about our living room?
L: Well, I do like the mantelpiece and the coffee table, but I don’t really care for curtain s. Did you get them at a yard sale? They look ancient.
D: My parents gave then to us as a house warming gift.
L: Oh dear. Well, I suppose they will do for now. Do you ever dust in here? It seems a bit dusty in here.
D: Your daughter usually does the dusting, and I do the vacuuming.
L: I see. Well, I can help with the chores while I’m here. You two could probably use my help. D: That’s very nice of you to offer. Here’s your tea. Be careful, it’s still quite hot.
D: Your daughter will be back soon. I’m going to start making dinner. You can just watch some TV in TV room if you like. We just bought a new TV with LCD screen. The remote control is on the coffee table next to the armchair.
L: Would you mind if I helped out in the kitchen instead? I do enjoy cooking.
D: This is supposed to be your vacation; we’d like you to just relax.
L: Cooking makes me feel relaxed. So, what are we cooking?
D: OK, well, we’re going to make a pan of lasagna, a salad, and some garlic bread. Here’s the recipe. Do you want to get the ingredient s we need out of the cupboard?
L: Sure. We should probably pre-heat the oven right away, too.
D: That’s a good idea. Can you set the oven to 200 degree Celsius?
L: That’s a bit high for lasagna. I’ll just set it at 180 degree and we can take it from there. D: Fine. I’ll just get out the casserole dish, the saucepan, the salad bowl, and the baking sheet.
L: You know, I could do this myself. Why don’t you go get the screwdriver and the pliers and go fix the vacuum cleaner so it works better?
D: I don’t think it’s broken.
L: Well, if it’s not broken, then you need to learn how to vacuum better, because it doesn’t look like you’ve vacuumed for ages!
D: Fine. I’ll go vacuum. Let me know if you need any other help.
15. Around a House: Community社区环境
Word Storm
suburb 郊区
rough 治安差的
posh 时髦、豪华的
prostitution 卖淫
residential area 居民区
housing estate 住宅区
community worker 社区工作人员
fire department 消防队
block 街区
crime 犯罪
dime 一角钱
Ella: Are you still coming to my place for dinner tomorrow night?
Tyler: Of course. Is the dinner still on?
E: Yes, I was just wondering how you and your roommate were planning on coming to my place.
T: We were planning on walking both ways since the weather is still nice.
E: That’s what I thought you would do. Listen, I live in a bit of a rough neighbourhood. It’s just down the street from all the bars. You probably don’t want to be walking around after dark.
T: It can’t be that bad.
E: I wish it wasn’t, but there is actually a lot of crime and prostitution around here.
T: Really? I never would have guessed. The criminal s must only come out in the evening, because I’ve never noticed anything strange when I’ve been at your house in the daytime. E: Do me a favour, and take a taxi. It’d make me feel a lot better.
T: OK, we will. How do you get around in the evenings?
E: When I first moved in, I walked everywhere. But within a week, I had my purse stolen-just a block away from the police station! Now, I always take public transportation.
T: Has anything else happened to you?
E: Nothing else has happened to me, but I have seen quite a few fights on the streets after the bars close.
T: Well, we’ll be careful. Thanks for letting me know.
T: Have you heard about Michael’s new home? It’s in one of the poshest areas in this area. E: Is he living in the new housing estate in Kidlington?
T: No, he’s living in an old house in Warston.
E: Do you mean the one near the health centre on Old Slate Road?
T: That’s the one.
E: His house must be worth millions! That is one of the most beautiful areas in Oxford. The
surrounding area is really peaceful, and getting into the city centre from there is very convenient. How can he afford that place?
T: He didn’t buy it. His grandfather died recently and left him loads of money.
E: Did he know that his grandfather was so wealthy?
T: No one in the family expected to get a dime from him. It was quite a surprise.
E: What a lucky man.
T: He still has a complaint though.
E: What’s that?
T: He wanted to live right on a bus line, but he doesn’t. So, if he wants to take a bus anywhere, he has to walk 1/4 mile to get to a bus stop.
E: The poor thing. It must be difficult being him.
T: You can say that again!