英國的住宅有很多種，最常見的有獨棟房、連排房、公寓等。英國人理想中的家是什么樣的？維多利亞式房屋和喬治王時代房屋分別有哪些特征？聽 “隨身英語” 節目介紹英國最常見的住宅種類。

詞匯: houses 住宅，房屋

There are many different types of houses in the UK. You may see detached, semi-detached, terraced houses or even end-of-terrace houses on a typical street. You might see mansions in more affluent parts of town, or people residing in bungalows, preferring to live a life without stairs. Quaint cottages may dot the countryside, while heading to the cities you could see any number of types of flats, including houses turned into converted flats, studios and duplexes. But one thing you will notice is that many houses come from different eras, and asking a British person about their ideal home, many of them will have a specific period property in mind.

For some, it could be Victorian houses, which are often seen with bay windows, high ceilings, stained glass doors and coloured brickwork. During the Victorian era, a huge number of houses, particularly terraced, were built in towns and cities to accommodate vast numbers of workers who were moving from more rural areas.

Georgian architecture refers to houses built during the period of 1714 and 1830 during the reigns of four British monarchs, all called George. Usually houses with this architectural style have a more symmetrical theme, both internally and externally, with a small square garden in front. For those not into older properties, new builds from the 1990s onwards offer better insulation against the cold and newer electrics. And those who prefer less maintenance could always go with the open-plan or minimalist look of the modern era.

So whether it’s high ceilings, better insulation, brickwork, bungalows or square gardens, people in Britain have a wide variety of preferences when it comes to where they live. And their ideal home may just simply be a case of what style feels like home.

詞匯表

detached 獨棟的
semi-detached 半獨棟的
terraced 連排的
end-of-terrace 連排房最邊上一幢的
mansion 大豪宅
reside 居住
bungalow 平房（區別于兩層及以上的房子）
quaint 雅致的
cottage （鄉村）小屋
flat 公寓
converted flat 改造而成的公寓
studio （兼具客廳、起居室、衛生間等的）單間公寓
duplex 躍層房屋
ideal 理想的
period property 某個歷史時期的房屋
Victorian 英國維多利亞時代的
bay window 飄窗
ceiling 天花板
stained glass 彩繪玻璃
brickwork 磚墻
Georgian 英國喬治王時代的
new build 新建的房產
insulation 隔熱材料
open-plan 開放式的，敞開式的

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What types of flats might you see in cities?

2. What are the typical features seen in Victorian houses?

3. In which years were Georgian houses built?

4. What are the typical features seen in Georgian houses?

5. Why might some people prefer new build homes?

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. My dog loves to sit in the _______ window and watch the people walking past.

bay                       may                     hay                            ray

2. It looks like a mansion on the outside, but it’s been turned into _______ flats.

covered                cover                   converse                   converted

3. You live in such a _______ little cottage. I love it!

brickwork              quaint                  ceiling                        reside

4. I live in the middle house in a row of 11 _______ houses.

terraced                studio                  converted flats           ceiling

5. I’d rather live in a modern home than a _______ property.

reside                    bay window         stained glass             period

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What types of flats might you see in cities?
You could see many types of flats including houses turned into converted flats, studios and duplexes.

2. What are the typical features seen in Victorian houses?
Victorian houses often have bay windows, high ceilings, stained glass doors and coloured brickwork.

3. In which years were Georgian houses built?
They were built during the period of 1714 and 1830.

4. What are the typical features seen in Georgian houses?
They have a symmetrical theme, both internally and externally, with a small square garden in front.

5. Why might some people prefer new build homes?
They offer better insulation against the cold and newer electrics.

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. My dog loves to sit in the bay window and watch the people walking past.

2. It looks like a mansion on the outside, but it’s been turned into converted flats.

3. You live in such a quaint little cottage. I love it!

4. I live in the middle house in a row of 11 terraced houses.

5. I’d rather live in a modern home than a period property.