Let’s talk about accommodation.

Let’s talk about accommodation. What places do people prefer to live in?

Do we have the same types of houses as they do in Britain?

England like Belarus has many types of houses: detached, semi-detached, terraced houses and flats. In the large cities, people often live in apartments, which are called flats. In most towns, there are streets of houses joined together in long rows. They are several houses joined together and called terraced houses. A lot of people prefer to live in a detached house ,which is a house that is not joined to any other. It could be a mansion which is a very large expensive house, a bungalow[‘bʌŋgələu]( a house which has only one floor), a cottage (a house in the country usually with a garden) . The most popular type of home in England is semi-detached (more than 27% of all homes), closely followed by detached then terraced. Semi-detached house is a pair of houses which share a common wall.
3.       Your friend is going to move into a new house/flat. What questions will you ask him/her about his/her new home?

- What type of house is it?

- How many rooms are there in your house?

- Is it specious enough?

- Have you got a garden near your house?

- What modern conveniences are there in your house?

- Is your school far from your house?

- Where is your new house located?

Your friend wants to rent a flat. Give him/her some advice on how to do it.

He should use the Internet because there is a lot of information there. There are also announcements in newspapers and magazines. He can also go to the letting agency and they’ll help. Of course my friend should decide how much he can reasonably afford to pay in rent each month. He should take into account his general costs of living and the fact that he will be paying some other bills for electricity or gas, telephone or the Internet. If he likes the flat but it’s too expensive he can find a roommate. Location is important too. He should take into consideration such moments as the commute distance to work, accessibility to shops, access to public transport, closeness to friends or relatives, crime rates and neighbours. And my friend shouldn’t be afraid of asking questions to find out all the details.

I think all people want to have a cosy home. What makes a house a home?

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams. It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home. A home has a special atmosphere where people love, respect, trust each other. I should also notice it’s a reflection of person’s personality. So you should decorate it according to your taste. If everything is all right in your household then it becomes the place you want to stay at as long as possible and where you always want to return to.

Let’s talk about education.

Let’s talk about education. Tell me about the system of education in Belarus.

Does higher education help people succeed in life?

I think higher education is necessary and important for those people who want to be professionals. Learning is the key to everything that we want to improve. So, higher education helps us widen our understanding and increase our intellectual ability. Higher education will provide people with not only knowledge prepared for their careers, but also the fulfillment (осуществление) of their life goals. Knowledge is power. When achieving a degree at a university, we can get a better understanding of the society; find a decent job in an easy way.

Ask me about the school I went to when I was young.

- Did you like your school?

- What problems did you have at school?

- Were you hardworking or lazy?

- What were your favourite subjects?

- Did you get bad marks? How did you feel?

- Were your teachers kind or strict?

- What school traditions did you have?

Let’s talk about environment.

Let’s talk about Belarus.

Adults think that the Internet influences negatively the development of teenagers’ thinking skills. Children, on the contrary, believe that it’s impossible to imagine our modern world without the Internet. What do you think about it?

On the one hand, I agree that it’s impossible to imagine our modern world without the Internet. The Internet is a great source of information and entertainment for many people. It has made possible new forms of social interaction and has become a major source of leisure. Personally, I can’t imagine my life without Internet. Thanks to it I have got an opportunity to access news, documents, images, sounds, video and games, to make friends, to book tickets and to purchase different things online. There are a lot of different sites for students, gardeners, businessmen, engineers, for people who are fond of music, cinema, theatre, sports and even for disabled people. What is more, the Internet has revolutionized the way people communicate. Sending electronic text messages is much faster and easier than writing letters. People use e-mail to stay in touch with friends worldwide.

On the other hand, I can understand our parents. Internet-addiction is a topical problem nowadays. Spending much time in front of the screen becomes a kind of obsession for many people. The symptoms of internet-addiction include sleep deprivation, decreased physical activity and social interaction with others. And it influences children’s thinking skills. A lot of students, for example, copy materials from the Internet when they write their homework or write their coursework. So they no longer have to read books in libraries, take notes and plan their own essays. They just copy.

To sum up, the Internet becomes dangerous when it is misused. But if it is used wisely and moderately, it helps you work, study or entertain and it saves plenty of time.

Let’s talk about art.

Let’s talk about accommodation.