EP 0193Daily Life
Building Your Dream Home
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson! Let’s get straight to it. You have saved up your money for years and are now ready to build your dream home. What did you have in mind?
A suburban bungalow straight out of the sixties! A perfect lawn with minimal landscaping. A brick patio in the backyard with an old-fashioned grill, quaint lawn furniture, and a swimming pool. A two-car carport, pastel siding and a gable roof. Completed with white shutters and a white picket fence !
Uh, honey?
In the living room we would have moss-green rugs and a fireplace with a stone mantle and wood paneling on the walls. In the kitchen, the cupboards would be a pale yellow and we would have a turquoise metal oven and vinyl flooring -
Umm, sweetie, but I was thinking of a more modern style house. An open concept house, all glass, wood, metal, and concrete.
But sweetums, there is always a lot of wasted space in those kinds of homes. Besides, it’s just a fad. It doesn’t have the homey feeling the old homes do.
Sweetie-pie it’s not a lot of wasted space. It is relaxing and the house would be eco-friendly with an in-floor heating system and designed to retain the heat of the sun in the winter and keep the house cool in the summer. We would have solar panels on the roof -
Do you know how much those things cost?
What about your vintage furniture, dearest? And instead of a lawn, which is also a lot of wasted space and would require environmentally harmful pesticides, we would have a fish pond in the backyard and a garden that would cover the whole yard so we could grow our own food!
But buttercup, I thought you always said that you loved visiting your grandmother’s house!
And I thought you, Mr. Scientist, were all up on saving the planet with your technological advancements!
Umm well I am just going to go get some coffee while you two keep discussing.
核心词汇
dreamcommon noun, singular
something you really want to do
homecommon noun, singular
place where a person lives
suburbanAdjective
located or residing in a suburb
bungalowcommon noun, singular
a house which is built on one level
the sixtiesphrase
the years from 1960 to1969
minimalAdjective
the smallest possible amount or size
landscpingcommon noun, singular
a view across an area of land
patiocommon noun, singular
an area of the garden with a hard surface
quaintAdjective
unusual or oldfashioned in an attractive
carportcommon noun, singular
a place where you park your car
pastelcommon noun, singular
a kind of dry colour in sticks
sidingcommon noun, singular
material attached to the outside of a building
gablecommon noun, singular
the triangular upper part of a wall
roofcommon noun, singular
the top of a building
shuttercommon noun, plural
covers unfold in front of a window
mantlecommon noun, singular
the shelf above a fireplace
panelingcommon noun, singular
sheets of wood fit into a frame to form a wall
turquoisecommon noun, nonvariable
a bluish-green, precious stone
vinylcommon noun, nonvariable
firm plastic which can be bend
sweetumscommon noun, singular
used as a term of endearment
fadcommon noun, singular
fashion
homeyAdjective
having a feeling of home;comfortable
sweentie piecommon noun, singular
used as a term of endearment
ecofriendlyAdjective
not harmful to the environment
infloorAdjective
installed in the floor
heatingcommon noun, nonvariable
a system for keeping rooms warm
retainverb
to keep or keep possession
solarAdjective
relating to the sun, using its lingt
panelcommon noun, plural
a flat section of a wall, door
vintageAdjective
representative of the best and most typical
dearestcommon noun, singular
used as terms of endearment
pesticidecommon noun, plural
a chemical substance used to kill insects
fishcommon noun, singular
a creature living in water
pondcommon noun, singular
a small body of water
buttervupcommon noun, singular
a plant with small yellow flowers
technologicalAdjective
based in scientific and industrial progress
advancementscommon noun, plural
improvement or development
picket fencecommon noun, singular
a fence consisting of pickets
open conceptAdjective
a form or style of room
all up onphrase
have all knowledge or information of something
拓展词汇
renovationcommon noun, singular
to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again
blueprintcommon noun, singular
a print of architectural or technical drawings, drawn with white lines on a blue background; the layout or floorplan of a building
general contractorcommon noun, singular
a person who contracts for and assumes responsibility for completing a construction project and hires, supervises, and pays all subcontractors
interior designercommon noun, singular
a person who specializes in designing architectural interiors and their furnishings
landscapeprinciple verb, present simple
to adorn or improve (a section of ground) by contouring and by planting flowers, shrubs, or trees