In search of the perfect home

If an underground home doesn’t appeal to you, how about living in the tree tops? Dan Garner, a tree surgeon from Gloucestershire, certainly thinks that this is the way to go up in the world.

“When our family became short of space at home our solution was to build a luxury tree house in the garden. The tree house is build into a spruce tree six metres above the ground. It has one main room, a bedroom and a balcony running around two sides.” Garner is so happy with this practical extension to his home that he thinks he can convince more people of the benefits of living in the trees. He wants to set up his own enterprise making more of the deluxe tree dwellings, saying, “Tree houses are airy, secure and comfortable and the only disadvantage is that they might not be suitable for people who suffer from hay fever or a fear of heights!”

Even people who live in more ordinary settings sometimes can’t resist doing something to make them stand out from the crowd. One extreme example of this is Bill Heines’ house in Headington, Oxfordshire. Until one morning in 1986, his house looked much like all the others in his street, when suddenly overnight a 7.5 m long fibreglass shark appeared to have crashed through the roof. The shark was a sculpture by local artist John Buckley. At first some people complained that it might be dangerous or that it spoilt the look of the neighbourhood, but engineers check that the sculpture was safe and the “Headington shark” has become a well-known and popular landmark. It seems that no matter where you live, you can always do something to make sure your house says something to about who you are.

appeal – нравиться

short of -нехватка

solution -решение

a spruce tree -ель

extension -расширение

convince -убеждать

benefits – польза, выгода

enterprise -предприятие

deluxe -роскошный

airy – полный воздуха

disadvantage -недостаток

suitable -подходящий

suffer from – страдать от

hay fever – сенная лихорадка

settings – обстановка, окружение

to resist – устоять

fibreglass – стекловолокно

shark -акула

to crash -врезаться

complain -жаловаться

dangerous -опасный

to spoil -портить

to check -проверять

2. Find the English equivalents in the text:

как насчет, подняться, создать собственное предприятие, над землей, безопасный, боязнь высоты, выделиться из толпы, выглядеть как все остальные, известный, популярный, не имеет значения, убедиться.

3. Find the synonyms to the following words from the text:

ideal,to like, to examine, surroundings, famous, convenient, appearance.

4. Answer the questions:

1. What is the way to go up for Dan Garner?

2. When did he decide to build a luxury tree house in the garden?

3. What are the advantages of tree houses?

4. Are there any disadvantages?

5. What does the author of the text say about people who live in ordinary settings?

6. Do all people like unusual houses? Why?

7. Would you like to live in an unusual house?

5. Choose the most suitable answer:

1. Why did Dan build a tree house in the garden?

a) He wants to persuade people to buy such a house

b) His family wanted to live in a tree house

c) He built it to earn a living

d) His family needed more room

2. The “Headington shark”

a) was created by Bill Heines

b) crashed into the roof of Bill Heines’ house one night

c) was immediately popular with everyone in the town

d) was built without any warning

3. Unusual houses

a) say who their owners are

b) are dangerous for other people

c) spoil the look of the neighbourhood

d) are not convenient to live in.

TEXT 4