Neighbours

Today we will

  • ask and answer questions
  • talk about neighbours

Read the magazine article.

Who would you like as a neighbour?

A recent opinion poll asked 1,000 people in Britain this question. The winner of the poll was the TV celebrity, model and pop singer, Cheryl Cole, with 31% of the vote.

Many people in Britain know very little about their neighbours, but they often know a lot about the lives of TV celebrities, especially those on reality TV shows.

The British public obviously think they know a lot about Cheryl Cole, who has been a judge on the reality TV show, The X Factor. But Cheryl Cole does not, perhaps, want to live close to her fans. Her last home was a huge mansion in the country with no neighbours. Now, she travels many times a year between homes in London and the United States, and she tries to keep her address a seacret.

The top man in the poll was the TV chef, Jamie Oliver. Oliver lives in the fashionable district of Primrose Hill, in north London, with his wife and children.

It is a quiet and beautiful residential area, five minutes from one of London's best parks. His neighbours include film stars like Jude Law and Ewan McGregor, the supermodel Kate Moss, as well as politicians and bankers. Neighbours describe Oliver as a friendly, helpful neighbour ... but no one asks him to help with the cooking!

The British like attractive TV personalities and cooking, but, it seems, they do not want to live next door to politicians. There was not a single politician in the top twenty names.

Put the information in the correct order.

  • People do not want to live next door to politicians.
  • Cheryl Cole was the most popular person in the poll.
  • Jamie Oliver lives in a fashionable part of London.
  • Many British people know a lot about the lives of TV celebrities.
  • Cheryl Cole did not have any neighbours in her last house.
  • Jamie Oliver lives with his family.

Read the article again and answer the questions.

  • How many people voted for Cheryl Cole?
  • What kind of house did Cheryl Cole live in?
  • How often does she travel between Britain and the US?
  • What part of London does Jamie Oliver live in?
  • How near is his house to a park?
  • What sort of neighbours does he have?

Which famous person in the article would you like as your neighbour?

how & what questions

Complete the questions for the answers below.

  • How - ?
  • I usually drive quite fast, especially on the motorway.
  • What - ?
  • My father's hair is grey.
  • How - ?
  • I know my teacher very well.
  • What - ?
  • I usually have dinner at about eight o'clock.
  • How - ?
  • I have six cousins.
  • What - ?
  • I don't like pop music very much, but I like everything else.

    • Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions in exercise

    You have new neighbours and you want to know more about them. Write four questions that you would like to ask. Use the prompts below to help you.

    • What time ...
    • What kind of ... ?
    • How much ...
    • How many ... ?
    • How often ...
    • How old ...

    Work in pairs and compare your questions. Which is the most interesting question?

    Speaking

    Work in pairs. Ask and answer these questions about your neighbours.

    • What are their names?
    • What do they do?
    • Where do they come from?
    • Are they good neighbours?
    • Why or why not?

    Make a list of five famous people from your country (film stars, musicians, politicians, sports stars, "N personalities, artists, business people). Now put the people in your list in order (1 = best neighbour 5 = worst neighbour).

    Work in small groups. Talk about the people in your list and explain why you think they would be good or bad neighbours.

    Writing

    Write the questions that you hear

    Dictation 2

    Now I can

    • Can you talk about friendship and your best friend?
    • Can you ask and answer Wh- questions?