• living in the city or in the country
• living conditions (own property, rented accommodation, lodgings, hostel)
• flat or house
• neighbourhood
• living conditions (own property, rented accommodation, lodgings, hostel)
• flat or house
• neighbourhood
I prefer the countryside because I like peace, quiet and nature. I agree that living in a city has advantages but I can’t imagine living in a dirty and noisy city with crowds of people around me.
In a city it’s easier to find a job and there are more possibilities for spending your free time. Specialised health services are more easily accessible and there are big hypermarkets and plazas eith a wide variety of goods. In cities there are more banks, post offices and all kinds of services. On the other hand, the air is polluted, the streets are dirty and noisy, there is more crime, and life is too hectic. In a village life is more peaceful, the air is clean, there are flowers and trees everywhere and people know each other. People are friendlier, they always have the time for a chat, and they are willing to help each other. The disadvantages are that the infrastructure is not so developed, the number of services is generally smaller, and you may have to commute to make your living. If you need to contact the authorities because of some administrative matters, you have to travel to the nearest city, and it can take all day.
In villages most people live in a family house, though there may be some blocks in the centre. In town centres there are blocks of flats and apartment houses, and on the outskirts there are big housing estates with prefabricated buildings. In the green belt you can find detached, semi-detached and terraced houses.
The English prefer living in houses and hate high-rise buildings. In most English towns you can find terraced houses built from red brick.
Living in a high-rise block of flats has problems. Families feel isolated and lonely. There is not much contact with the neighbours. The children have nowhere to play. The old people have to depend on the lift (elevator) to reach the outside world. When the lift is not operating, the old people are cut off from human contact. On the other hand it may be problem with the neighbours because of noises. In these building the sealant is bad and the walls are thin.
I think houses have only one problem: the scoop of snow.
In my opinion owning a flat is better because it’s a good investment and more secure than living in a rented flat. If you rent a flat, the owners can ask you to leave any time while if you live in your flat, you can stay there for all your life. It’s also true that you are more willing to finance repair jobs and redecorating if you are the owner.
We can get flat or house in many ways; we can buy it in a lump, but it rare because a flat or a house is very expensive. If we don’t have enough money we’ll get on credit. In this case we pay the amount and interests monthly for a long time. If we don’t have capital we can rent a flat or a house or we can live in a room or a boarding school if we’re students.