Vasilyeva S.L., assistant professor.
2nd course, 3rd term
Topic “The Problems of Modern Cities”
taken and adapted from
Living Downtown
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
utilities will work for you heart of downtown tolerance suburbia cramped
suits your tastes cumbersome hassle studio
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Do you prefer the heart of the city to the fenced lawns of suburbia? Would you be happy in a cramped downtown apartment, or do you need something more spacious and quiet? How much can you afford? Do you have pets? A car?
Finding an apartment that suits your tastes and meets your budget can be a hassle. Listen in as Dave talks with a building manager about an available apartment.
English, baby! English lesson audio.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Apartment Manager: Morrison Park, Roslyn.
Dave:Hi, Roslyn. I wanted to get some information about apartments.
Apartment Manager: Sure. You’re interested in a studio just for yourself alone?
Dave:Yes.
Apartment Manager: When were you wanting to move?
Dave:Um, maybe July.
Apartment Manager: Okay. I have one apartment coming available for that time period.
Dave:What does the apartment rent for?
Apartment Manager: $450 a month.
Dave:And, what size is it?
Apartment Manager: It’s about 300 square feet.
Dave:Okay. Um, and does that include utilities?
Apartment Manager: It includes, um, gas, hot water, um. It includes hot and cold water, garbage and sewer. You pay electric – your heat, your cooking and your lights are electric.
Dave:Okay.
Apartment Manager: Pretty minimal. But let me ask you a few questions more to make sure that this building will work for you. We’re a totally non-smoking building.
Dave:Okay.
Apartment Manager: No smoking allowed anywhere. That work?
Dave:That’s fine.
Apartment Manager: And no pets allowed.
Dave:Okay.
Apartment Manager: Do you have a car?
Dave:No.
Apartment Manager: Good, because we don’t have parking.
Dave:Okay.
Apartment Manager: Well, um, we’re right in the heart of downtown. It’s a great location, it’s a wonderful building.
Dave:Okay. Now, the neighborhood. Does that get pretty loud at night?
Apartment Manager: It depends on your tolerance level. I don’t think it’s bad for downtown at all.
Dave:Okay.
Apartment Manager: But you do have the garbage trucks and the recycling trucks.
Dave:Okay.
Apartment Manager: And they do come, like, you know, I think five, six in the morning. Something like that.
Dave:Sure. And I expect a little noise downtown.
1. Comprehension Quiz - Take the comprehension quiz to see if you understood the lesson.
Начало формы
- Dave is looking for a ___ apartment.
- How much is rent for the apartment per month?
- Which of the following utilities IS NOT included in the rent?
a)Sewer; b) hot/cold water;c) electric;d)garbage
Конецформы
Discussion - Join the discussion to learn more and make friends.
One of the first things you have to do when moving to a new city is find a place to live, which can be cumbersome if you are not familiar with the rental process.
Most apartment buildings in the U.S. require you to pay first and last month’s rent and a security deposit on the day you move in. The security deposit is fully refundable when you move out, so long as you have not damaged the apartment in any way.
Also, in the U.S. you cannot be denied an apartment because of race, gender, nationality, religion or any other personal characteristic.
Skyscrapers
A skyscraper is a very tall building where people are able to live or work. To be considered a skyscraper, a building generally has to be at least 25 stories tall. The first skyscrapers were built in the United States at the end of the 19th Century, and these buildings were much shorter than 25 stories. While it's true that tall structures were built in Europe and other parts of the world, these buildings were not habitable. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is very tall, but noone lives or works there.
The first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, which was built in 1885. It was only ten stories tall. It was torn down in 1931, which is the same year the 102-story Empire State Building was completed in New York City. The Empire State Building remained the tallest building in New York until the construction of the World Trade Center towers in 1972.
Not everyone likes skyscrapers. Many cities around the world have passed laws to limit the height of buildings. In fact, both London and Chicago passed laws prohibiting really tall buildings at the end of the 19th Century. Of course, this has changed and both cities have constructed supertalls. The Sears Tower in Chicago, is the tallest building in the United States, and London's tallest building, the 306-meter Shard London Bridge will be completed in 2011.
Skyscrapers have become very common in Europe. Cities such as Frankfort, Madrid, Valencia, Malmo and Paris all have very tall buildings under construction. However, the center of the world for skyscrapers is neither Europe nor North America. The tallest buildings in the world are being built in Asia and the Middle East. At more than 500 meters tall, the tallest building in the world is Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan. However, when completed in 2008, the Burj Dubai in The United Arab Emirates will rise 162 stories and more than 800 meters. Another building in Dubai is proposed to be 1200 meters tall. That's four times taller than the Empire State Building.
Skyscrapers are part of our future for many reasons. For one, they require less land to build and are generally better at conserving electricity and other resources. Plus, people who live in cities with high rises are less likely to own a car. In New York and London, for example, the majority of residents do not drive. Still, a lot of people think that really tall buildings ruin the look of a city. What do you think?
Skyscraper: A habitable building that's more than 25-stories tall.
Stories: Floors of a building.
Habitable: Able to be lived in.
Torn Down: Destroyed.
Towers: Very tall buildings.
Supertalls: Very tall skyscrapers.
Under Construction: Being built.
Conserving: Saving resources.
High Rise: Skyscraper.