A.In spring on our way back to Moscow we happened to
pass (by) a small town. It was more like a big village than a town,
all its houses were smothered in roses and it seemed to us so
lovely that we couldn’t help stopping there (couldn’t keep from
stopping there/couldn’t help but stop there). I should never
have thought that a walk round (about/around) a small provincial
town could be such a pleasure. We walked around the town
for 3 hours or so, and the more we looked at that fairy-like nook,
the more we admired it. But there wasn’t much time left/there
was very little time left, and we had to hurry to Moscow.
B.Last year my wife and I had to take a holiday in winter. We
decided that it was a splendid opportunity to redecorate/renovate
our flat. After two days’ work it looked more like a warehouse
full of broken furniture than a flat. “That won’t do (That
will never do)”, my wife said. “We’d better hire house painters
and have it repainted (have it redecorated).”