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1.24. A) List all the household chores people do. Which do you like/ hate?

b) Answer the following questions.

o, in order to stay in their houses, many aristocrats live lives which are less physically comfortable than those of most people (they may not, for example, have central heating). Many have also turned their houses into tourist attractions. These are popular not only with foreign tourists. British visitors are also happy to be able to walk around in rural surroundings as they inspect a part of their country’s history.

1. What is the most hated chore? Why? How often do you do it? Who usually does it?

2. Who does most of the chores in your house?

3. How do you typically avoid doing chores? What are your regular excuses: studying? Going out? It is not your turn?

4. Do you recycle your rubbish? What do you do if the container is full?

5. Who does the odd jobs around your house – electrical, hammering, painting?

6. Who does the shopping?

7. Who cuts the grass (if you live in a house)? Who waters the houseplants?

8. Who washes the dishes?

9. Who cooks?

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1.25. A) Many people today in Britain and Russia have got their own gardens

and kitchen gardens which demand much work. Do you think working in

the garden is really worthwhile? Why? Why not?

b) Read the passage below and comment on the role of gardening in the British lifestyle.

c) Compare gardening in Britain and Russia.

0. Who makes sure the bills are paid?

11. Who is usually first to answer the door/the phone?

Britain's temperate climate, with rainfall throughout the year, makes it possible to grow a great variety of plants and shrubs, and for many people gardening is a creative and satisfying pastime. Even for those living in towns and cities it is an opportunity to create a small piece of countryside beside their homes.

Most British houses, even in towns, have a garden. Often there is a small flower garden at the front of the house and a larger garden at the rear, where flowers or vegetables are grown. Both front and back gardens often have a lawn.

Not all gardens are purely decorative: some are cultivated to provide home­grown vegetables and fruit, especially in summer. For families with young children or pets, a garden is considered almost a necessity. Many houses have a patio at the rear, a paved area between house and garden where people can sit and have meals in the summer. The edge of a garden is usually marked by a fence, hedge or wall, and neighbours often chat to each other “over the garden fence”. Flowers grown in the garden are often used to decorate the house.

Many homeowners spend a large part of their spare time gardening. Most gardens are laid out fairly formally, with flowerbeds arranged around a lawn, or vegetable beds running at right angles from a central path. Apple, plum and other fruit trees are frequently found in back gardens and there may also be decorative trees such as firs, birches or willows. Owners of large gardens sometimes have a tennis court or swimming pool in their gardens. Orna­mental features may include a fish pond or a bird bath. Brightly coloured models of gnomes are sometimes used as a rather eccentric way of dec­orating front gardens.

People often specialize in growing particular types of plants or vegetables. Many enter these in competitions at local shows, where prizes are awarded for the finest flowers and the largest vegetables. The worldwide known gardening show takes place every year at Chelsea and is visited by the members of the Royal family. Keen gardeners usually have a greenhouse for their plants. Town-dwellers who only have a small garden may grow vegetables in an allotment, one of the small plots of land let to individuals by local authorities. Most towns have a garden centre, selling both plants and gardening equipment and furniture.