READING COMPREHENSION: CONWY, THE JEWEL OF NORTH WALES

Here you have a text to read and answer some questions.
The key is below the text.
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CONWY, THE JEWEL OF NORTH WALES

Before you read 

1 How many rooms does a normal house or flat have? What are they? 

2 How big is the room you’re in now, in metres? 

Read Conwy, the jewel of North Wales and answer the questions. 

Conwy is famous for its castle, built in 1283, and its well-preserved old houses. One of these houses is the biggest tourist attraction in the town – and it’s the smallest house in Britain. The house is only 1.8 metres wide, 3 metres high, and 3 metres from front to back – most adults can’t stand up inside! Over the years, thousands of people from all over the world have visited the house, and many visitors can’t believe that someone really lived here. The interior is very, very small, and is a perfect example of how to live with a minimum of space. The house has two floors. Downstairs there is only one room – this room is the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen combined. There are none of the comforts you would expect to find in a modern house – no cooker or fridge, no washing machine or dishwasher, no television, and no pictures on the walls. But there is a tiny fireplace where food can be cooked. There’s also a small, round table, a sofa big enough for two people, a low stool, and a water tap. There’s one window, which is quite small, and the room is dark. Up the narrow staircase is one bedroom, with a long single bed and a chair, but no wardrobe. The toilet isn’t inside, it’s in a separate building outside the back of the house. Nobody has lived here since 1900 – the last occupant was a fisherman who was 1.92 m tall! 

If you want to visit the house, here are the details: The Smallest House The Quay, Conwy. Tel: (01492) 593484 Open daily 1 April to 31 October.

1 What can you remember? Cover the text and complete the chart with the things in the house.

Upstairs: a bedroom,     

Downstairs: a sofa, 

2 Comprehension check: True or False. 

1 The house only has one room. __ 

2 The house is big enough for two people to live there. __ 

3 There are seats for three people downstairs. __ 

4 There’s a lot of space for clothes. __ 

5 The house was built in 1900. __ 

6 There’s no place for cooking. __ 

7 It’s dark downstairs. __ 

8 There’s a toilet in the house. __ 

9 Nobody lives in the house now. __ 

10 The house is open for six months a year. __ 

3 Look at these words in context. First guess what they mean, and then match them to the definitions. 

 dishwasher      tiny      stool      tap      narrow 

1 _________ the thing you turn on to get water 

2 _________ with a short distance from side to side 

3 _________ very, very small 

4 _________ a chair without a back 

5 _________ a machine for washing cups, plates, etc. 

After you read 

1 Can you think of any advantages to living in a very small house? 

2 Write down five things in your house or flat that you can’t live without. Compare your ideas. Do you agree? 

KEY 

1 

Upstairs: a bedroom, a bed, a chair; 

Downstairs: a sofa, a fireplace, a table, a stool, a water tap, a window 

2 Comprehension check: 1F; 2F; 3T; 4F; 5F; 6F; 7T; 8F; 9T; 10F 

3 Definitions : 1 tap ; 2 narrow ; 3 tiny ; 4 stool ; 5 dishwasher