HOUSING AND HOME

1. Môj domov
2. Bývanie v meste a na vidieku - výhody a nevýhody
3. Ideálne bývanie
4. Domov a jeho význam v živote človeka - kultúra bývania u nás a v iných krajinách
5. Problém bývania mladých rodín, kúpa a prenájom bytu, deti na sídliskách

2.Every one of us has a dream home in a dream country which would satisfy all our needs and desires. Living in towns
and cities has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, there are many job opportunities, better schooling
possibilities, sports facilities and opportunities to have a rich social life. Many cultural events are held there such as
concerts, operas and theatre performances. People can go out to cafés, pubs and night clubs. There are many shopping
malls. There are usually a few local hospitals which provide a high standard of health care. On the other hand, city
inhabitants live in a polluted, noisy, crowded and hectic place. The air in towns and cities is often polluted by fumes
from factory chimneys and cars. There is often a lot of mess and dirt in the streets. The most serious problem of towns
and cities is the high level of crime caused by pickpockets, shoplifters, burglars, murderers and drug dealers.
Nowadays, more and more people are moving back to the country, where the most important advantages are: peace,
quiet and healthy way of living. Also houses in villages are cheaper than the ones in towns. Disadvantages of villages
might be lack of job opportunities, less schooling opportunities and not so many shopping malls.

My dream house – I would like to have a house in a hot country  near the sea or ocean /blízko mora alebo oceánu/ –
for example in Florida or Jamaica or at least /aspoň/ France or Italy because I love hot weather and summer sports so
I could go swimming and I could sunbathe at the beach. I would like to have a big house with a garage. It should be
comfortable and it should have a big garden with a sportsground /ihrisko/ or a tennis court. I would also like to have a
swimming pool. There should be a modern kitchen and a bathroom with a shower /sprcha/ and Jaccuzi /perličkový
kúpeľ/. The house would be painted /vymaľovaný/ in bright colours – green, yellow, white. I would like to have a
cleaner /upratovačku/ because I don’t like cleaning and also a gardener /záhradníka/ who would look after the garden.
The house should have a large living room where we would watch television, play games, listen to music…. I would
paint it orange because I like that colour and I would have a big TV on the wall /na stene/. I would buy modern
furniture and a comfortable sofa and many plants /rastliny/. I would also build a fireplace /krb/. We would sit by the
fireplace and relax there if the weather became colder. 

4. We all are very influenced by the place where we grow up. Houses look different in different countries. In cold
countries, there is often a fireplace in the living room or a woodstove in the kitchen. In southern countries people
prefer cool stone floors and no carpets. In many developed countries , people move more often, especially after their
children have grown up and moved out on their own. In less developed countries, people do not usually move away
from the homes they built when they were younger. Older people prefer to rent the upper floor of their house and live
on the ground floor rather than move into something smaller. British people would rather live in houses than flats.
There are several types of houses in Britain: terraced houses, back-to-back houses, semi-detached houses, detached
houses and bungalows. A typical British house is set in a small garden and has two storeys.
In the centre of big American cities, many people live in apartments situated in large apartment buildings whose
owners live there too. they are called condominiums. Many Americans live in detached houses with a front yard and a
back yard.
Many Slovaks live in flats. Slovak houses are usually quite big and the older ones are sometimes shared by two
families - grandparents, their children and grandchildren.
The furniture in British and Slovak rooms is not very different nowadays. A typical sitting room has a settee and
armchairs, a wall unit, a TV set and a DVD player, a bookcase and a coffee table. Kitchen furniture includes
cupboards, a sink and also table with chairs or stools. The bedroom has a double bed, built-in wardrobes, a dressing
table. Houses include household appliances such as a cooker, a grill, an oven, a microwave oven, a kettle, a fridge-
freezer, a food processor, a dishwasher, a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner amongst others.

5. Both in Slovakia and Great Britain, it is not easy to buy ones own flat or a house. It is impossible for a young family
to buy a flat without their parents´ help or a mortgage. They have to pay it off in regular monthly instalments.
Living in rented flats and houses is becoming quite normal especially for younger families. These days a lot of
housing estates are being reconstructed and new ones are being built. Housing estate is not an ideal place to raise
children.