Speaking Session 4

residential area

an area where people mainly live rather than work

private sector

a residential area with detached houses (better: private residential area)

yard

the area of land around a house

hideous

extremely ugly

demolish

to completely destroy a building

replace

to put something else instead of something

high-rise building

a very tall building with many floors

lack of privacy

not having enough personal space

wealthy area

a rich neighborhood

poor area

a neighborhood where people have little money

slums

very poor overcrowded parts of a city

high fence

a tall fence around a property

overcrowded

containing too many people

historic building

an old building that is historically important

restore

to repair something old and return it to its original condition

renovate

to improve or repair a building

preserve

to protect something from damage or destruction

tourist attraction

a place that many tourists visit

generate income

to produce money

rough area

a neighborhood that is dangerous or has a lot of crime

stunning

extremely beautiful or impressive

plain apartment block

a simple unattractive apartment building

concrete apartment block

an apartment building made of concrete

Khrushchyovka

a Soviet-era apartment block named after Nikita Khrushchev

trendy

popular and fashionable at the present time

lose its appeal

to become less attractive or interesting

mess up my sleep schedule

to ruin your normal sleeping routine

get into the bathroom

to enter the bathroom

badly laid out

poorly designed or arranged

awkward layout

an inconvenient arrangement of rooms

inconvenient

causing difficulty or trouble

easy access to

being able to reach something easily

earn a living

to make enough money to support yourself

increase its value

to make something worth more money

turn something into

to change something into another form