The Reading / Listening - London Property - Level 5

House values are rising around the world. The price of one property in London is raising eyebrows. It is just 2 metres wide and is on the market for $1.3 million. This could buy you a spacious seven-bedroom mansion with huge gardens elsewhere in the UK. The "skinny" house is just 2 metres wide, but it has five floors. The two-bedroom house is in west London. The real estate agent Winkworth said: "It started life as a hat shop and was converted by a fashion photographer - the ultimate designer house....It's quirky and charming and great for entertaining."

The property is just 1.6 metres at its narrowest point and is 8 metres long. There is a kitchen and dining room on the first floor, a living room on the second floor, with a spiral staircase that leads up to the third floor. The main bedroom is on the fifth floor. Despite its cramped space, it is a one-of-a-kind home. The interior design is like a luxury yacht. The agent said it "makes the most of small spaces". It is ideal for a young couple or single person who sees its beauty, "and will snap it up". The agent said: "It is a unique part of London history. It's a bit of London magic."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    London Property - Level 4 or  London Property - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/london-thinnest-house-sale-scli-intl-gbr/index.html
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13989405/londons-narrowest-house-950000/
  • https://www.winkworth.co.uk/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. House values
  2. raising
  3. a spacious seven-bedroom
  4. elsewhere
  5. It started life
  6. converted by a
  7. the ultimate designer
  8. It's quirky
  1. mansion
  2. and charming
  3. as a hat shop
  4. eyebrows
  5. house
  6. are rising
  7. in the UK
  8. fashion photographer

Paragraph 2

  1. 1.6 metres at its narrowest
  2. a spiral
  3. leads up
  4. Despite its cramped
  5. interior
  6. snap it
  7. It is a unique part of
  8. It's a bit
  1. London history
  2. space
  3. design
  4. of London magic
  5. point
  6. staircase
  7. up
  8. to the third floor

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

House (1) ___________________ around the world. The price of one property in London (2) ___________________. It is just 2 metres wide and is on the market for $1.3 million. This could buy you a spacious seven-bedroom (3) ___________________ gardens elsewhere in the UK. The (4) ___________________ just 2 metres wide, but it has five floors. The two-bedroom house is in west London. The (5) ___________________ Winkworth said: "It started life as a hat shop and was converted by a fashion photographer - the ultimate designer house....It's (6) ___________________ and great for entertaining."

The property is just 1.6 metres at (7) ___________________ and is 8 metres long. There is a kitchen and dining room on the first floor, a living room on the second floor, with (8) ___________________ that leads up to the third floor. The main bedroom is on the fifth floor. Despite (9) ___________________, it is a one-of-a-kind home. The interior (10) ___________________ a luxury yacht. The agent said it "makes the most of small spaces". It is ideal for a young couple or single person who sees its beauty, "(11) ___________________ it up". The agent said: "It is a unique part of London history. It's (12) ___________________ London magic."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Housevaluesarerisingaroundtheworld.ThepriceofonepropertyinLon
donisraisingeyebrows.Itisjust2metreswideandisonthemarketfor$1.
3million.Thiscouldbuyyouaspaciousseven-bedroommansionwithhu
gegardenselsewhereintheUK.The"skinny"houseisjust2metreswide,
butithasfivefloors.Thetwo-bedroomhouseisinwestLondon.Thereale
stateagentWinkworthsaid:"Itstartedlifeasahatshopandwasconverte
dbyafashionphotographer-theultimatedesignerhouse....It'squirky
andcharmingandgreatforentertaining."Thepropertyisjust1.6metres
atitsnarrowestpointandis8metreslong.Thereisakitchenanddiningro
omonthefirstfloor,alivingroomonthesecondfloor,withaspiralstaircas
ethatleadsuptothethirdfloor.Themainbedroomisonthefifthfloor.Des
piteitscrampedspace,itisaone-of-a-kindhome.Theinteriordesignisl
ikealuxuryyacht.Theagentsaidit"makesthemostofsmallspaces".Itisi
dealforayoungcoupleorsinglepersonwhoseesitsbeauty,"andwillsnap
itup".Theagentsaid:"ItisauniquepartofLondonhistory.It'sabitofLond
onmagic."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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