What else?
Megan: Bedrooms. One for me, one for my best friend, one for my boyfriend, and one for visitors.
Anna: That sounds wonderful, but it probably is impossible.
Training 3
Anna and Megan are talking about an ideal flat. Anna is very curious about what Megan’s ideal flat would look like. Megan’s ideal flat seems impossible. It would be big with high walls. It would have a round living room and it would be almost all windows. It would have a round balcony outside. The kitchen would be very big with a table, a sofa and comfortable chairs in it. Megan has a lot of friends and she likes to cook very much. With the chairs in the kitchen her friends could hang out there while she was cooking. In the bathroom there would be both a shower and a bathtub which would be deep enough to stand in up to your neck. There would be four bedrooms in the flat. One for her, one for her best friend, one for her boyfriend and one for visitors.
1. What are Anne and Megan talking about? 2. What would Megan’s living room look like? 3. What would Megan’s balcony look like? 4. What would there be in Megan’s huge kitchen? 5. What could her friends and guests do while she was cooking? 6. What is so special about Megan’s ideal bathroom? 7. How many bedrooms would there be in the flat? 8. Who would she like so many bedrooms for?
Training 4
Anna: “I asked Megan what her idea of a perfect flat was. And she said absolutely crazy things! For example, she wanted her living room to be round with high walls. She also said that it had to be almost all windows, but still nobody could look into her flat. I thought it was impossible, but she explained to me that it was only a dream. The house she imagined was very big with many rooms: a living room, a balcony, a huge kitchen, a bathroom and four bedrooms. She said she wanted to have her friends around all the time, so she planned a sofa and chairs in the kitchen. I always knew Megan had a wild imagination, but she can still surprise me with stories like that.”
1. What did you ask Megan about? 2. What do you think of Megan’s ideas? 3.Why did you think that it was impossible to have a flat like this? 4. Is Megan really going to have a flat like this? 5. How many rooms are there in Megan’s imaginary flat? 6. Why did Megan put a sofa and chairs into the kitchen? 7. What do you think of Megan’s imagination?
4. AREA WHERE YOU LIVE
1.
Bert: Hello, Amy! I haven’t seen you in weeks.
Amy: Hi, Bert. I’ve been visiting my grandmother in the country.
Bert: Wow! You are so lucky. I wish that I could leave this city for a while. How long did you visit your grandmother for?
Amy: I visited for three weeks, but it seemed like longer.
Bert: What did you do?
Amy: We rode horses and climbed trees and walked around her farm.
Bert: Is that all?
Amy: No, we went swimming and riding in my uncle’s truck. But the best part was something very special.
Bert: What was it? Tell me.
Amy: Well, my grandmother told me that if I picked all the apples in the orchard, she would make me an apple pie!
Bert: What?
Amy: You heard me.
Bert: I know what you said. It sounds like a lot of hard work.
Amy: It was. But believe me, it was worth it! It was worth it picking up apples! When I finished, I had ten baskets.
Bert: That’s amazing!
Amy: No, that’s not amazing. What was amazing was what my grandmother did with those apples.
Bert: She made you an apple pie?
Amy: She made me six apple pies, an apple strudel, applesauce, apple preserves.
Bert: Stop! Stop! You are making me hungry!
Amy: Am I? Well, come on. I have some pie and strudel at home. Grandma sent a lot home with me last week.
Training 1
Amy: “I have been visiting my grandmother in the country for three weeks, and it was a fantastic experience. I really love to be there, because she has a big house in the middle of a huge farm. She grows all kinds of vegetables and fruits. She also has many animals – cows, horses, dogs, hens. My favourites are the horses, the two dogs and the three cats. We usually go swimming, walk around the farm or climb trees. My cousins can ride a horse better than me, but I still love to go riding with them around the farm. The best part was something very special. My grandmother told me that if I picked all the apples in the orchard, she would make me an apple pie. So I picked up all the apples. It was a lot of hard work. When I finished, I had ten baskets. I thought she would make me an apple pie, as she had promised. But instead she made me six apple pies, an apple strudel, applesauce and apple preserves. This was the best holiday I’ve ever had!”
1. How long have you been visiting your grandmother? 2. Where does your grandmother live? 3. What kind of animals does she have? 4. What do you usually do there? 5. Do you like riding a horse? 6. What did she ask you to do? 7. Was it hard to do? 8. What did you get for your work?
Training 2
Bert: “Amy told me about her holiday at her grandmother’s house in the country. I would really like to leave the city for a while, too, but I am always busy working. Amy said something very special had happened to her this holiday. She enjoyed everything: the swimming, the horse riding and riding in her uncle’s truck, but the best part was, she told me, when her grandmother asked her to pick up all the apples promising to make a nice apple pie for her. I didn’t believe my ears when I heard that! It sounded like a nightmare! But as a reward she did not only get a nice apple pie from her grandmother, but six ones! When I heard that I felt very hungry, so Amy invited me for a cup of tea with some pie. Her grandmother sent a lot home with her!”
1. Where did Amy spend her last holiday? 2. What would you like to do? 3. Why can’t you leave the city? 4. What did Amy enjoy during her stay in the country? 5. What was the best thing that happened to her there? 6. What was special about this hard work? 7. What did Amy invite you for? 8. Where did she get the pies from?
AREA WHERE YOU LIVE
2.
Fred: Jack, I hear that you are moving.
Jack: You’re right.
Fred: But when are you going to move?
Jack: Next weekend, I hope. We are buying a house in the suburbs. I’m tired of living in the city, and the kids need more space to play.
Fred: But why didn’t you tell me? I’m your best friend, I thought.
Jack: I’m sorry, Fred. Moving in is very busy work, and I do not have time to do anything these days. I meant to call you last weekend. Ask my wife. I said that I wished I’d called you.
Fred: What did you want to talk about?
Jack: I’m happy you asked. I want to invite you to my new house.
Fred: That’s very nice! When?
Jack: I hope you can come next weekend.
Fred: Isn’t that when you are planning to move?
Jack: Er, yes. I thought you could drive your truck when you came to visit.
Fred: Ha, ha! Jack, if you want me to help you move, all you have to do is ask. I’d be happy to help.
Training 3
Fred: “I heard that Jack was moving. I was quite shocked, when I heard the news, because I am his best friend. But he had never told me that he was planning to move! So I went up to him and asked why he hadn’t told me about it. He said that moving was very busy work and he didn’t have time to do anything. He told me that he had meant to call me. To be honest, I don’t really believe him. But it doesn’t matter much, though. Moving in is very tiring work indeed. He invited me to his new