Otázka: Housing and Living
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Daenerys
Basically, you either live in a house or an apartment. An apartment is a home in a large building with many other homes. We call these apartment buildings. Houses come in all shapes, sizes and colors and they can have a garden. If you have enough money, there are plenty of different houses to choose from.
Cottages
The smallest traditional house in Britain is the cottage. The cottage idyll is picturesque and romantic; the garden will be full of roses and herbs and it will have a beautiful lawn. Many will have a thatched, tile or slate roof depending on where they are. The bedrooms (one or two) will be upstairs; the living room and kitchen downstairs.
Terraced houses
Long lines of terraced houses were built in industrial cities during the 19th century for the factory workers. They were typically quite basic with two bedrooms upstairs, a living room that you entered straight from the street and a kitchen at the back. The toilet was outside. These days, these terraces have been renovated and are nice places to live. They have room extensions built out into the yard for bathrooms and toilets.
Detached and semi-detached houses
In the suburbs of towns, houses are mainly of two types: detached and semi-detached. The detached ones stand alone surrounded by gardens. They have an entrance hall with stairs up to the first floor. On the ground floor there will often be a large kitchen and dining area, a toilet, cloakroom, utility room, a couple of reception rooms and a living room. Upstairs there are four, maybe five, bedrooms, some with bathrooms en suite, and a separate family bathroom and toilet. The attic may have been converted into a study, a studio or is used just for storage.
Semi-detached
houses are simply two houses joined side by side as a mirror image. These have fewer rooms and typically smaller gardens than detached houses. Some of them can be very grand while others are more modest.
Bungalows
Another classic British house is the bungalow, which is a cheaper version of the detached house. They only have a ground floor, possibly with a conservatory at the back. They are seen as ideal retirement dwellings as there are no stairs for the elderly to climb.
Flats
In Britain we also have flats in houses or in blocks of flats and their character is much the same as in the Czech Republic. Many beautiful Victorian and Georgian town houses in cities have been converted into flats but these are not cheap either to rent or buy.
Cities vs. Countryside
You can live either in city or on country side in villages.
In big cities,there are a lot possibilities of how to spend free time. There are a lot of theatres, concerts and other ways of entertainment. There is always a lot to do and visit! There are a lot of possibilities of shopping. In various shopping centres and galleries you can buy whatever you want. What is more, there are a lot of working places in a city. Many big international companies have their locations in the cities, so it is much easier to find a job in a big city. Moreover, the public transport is developed quite well, so the commuting to work isn’t a problem. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of living in a big city. Cities are very crowded. Everywhere there are crowds: on the pavements and in the buses. What is more, the traffic is heavy and city’s car parks are always very full. Sometimes it is very difficult to get from a given place to another. It may take hours! Moreover, the other disadvantage is the safety in a city, but actually the lack of safety. There is a big crime rates in cities. So you have to be very careful at nights when you leave your home.
I think that in the countryside the problem of crime isn’t so big. There aren’t so many people and they usually know each other well. The possibility of robbery or other crime is relatively lower. Life in the countryside is more peaceful and the life is also slower. What is more, it is less stressful. There isn’t any time pressure and the traffic conditions are better. A lot of places you may reach on foot. In the countryside there are a lot of breathtaking sceneries, space and other amazing places such as forests, lakes or mountains. Moreover, people in the countryside are quite different than people living in the city: they are relaxed, friendly and family-oriented, they enjoy live and take pleasure in their daily activities. As a disadvantage of living in the countryside we may consider the commuting problems. People who stay in the countryside often have to work in the nearest cities, so it may take a lot of time to get to it. However, the living costs in the country are much lower, the variety of products in shops is smaller.
My situation
I live in a family-house here in Bystrice 5 minutes away from school. I have my own bedroom, I don`t have to share it with anyone even though I have two siblings. My brother doesn`t live with us anymore and my little sister has her own room to.
Overall we have three bedroom in our house and since it`s duplex house we have two kitchens, two living rooms, two bathrooms and even two garages. Also we have pretty big garden with swimming pool, bower and outside/fireplace.
Sometime it sucks to have big house, because I have to do the gardening, the cleaning, tidying a lot of space and so on.
Another responsibilities I have to do are for example walking the dog, doing the dishes, sometimes cooking, some ironing…
Problems
If you have your own place the worst thing that can happen to you is that something break or go wrong-for example pipes can burst, roofs can
leak, cracks can form in the walls, windows can smash, pipes can become blocked, electricity can short circuit, bulbs can blow or the washing machine can overflow.
If there is an emergency like that I call a plumber, turn off the water mains, put a bucket under the
leak, call the emergency line or call my parents.
