Geografical position of Belarus

Belarus is situated in the eastern part of Europe. It covers 207,600 sq km. Its area is more than the combined size of Greece, Belgium and Denmark. It borders on Latvia and Lithuania in the north-west, on Russia in the north and east, on the Ukraine in the south and south east and on Poland in the west. The population is over 10 million inhabitants.

There are some 3,000 rivers flowing over the territory of Belarus. The total length of all the rivers comes up to 50,000 km. All rivers of the republic belong to two sea-basins of the Black and Baltic seas. The longest rivers are the Dnieper, the Nieman, the Zapadny Bug and the Zapadnaya Dvina.

The republic has over 10,000 lakes. The largest of them are the Naroch, the Osweyskoye and the Drisvyaty. There is a great number of lakes in the north-west of the republic, in the so-called Belarusian Polesye. More than a quarter of the republic area is covered with forest and bushes. The country is famous for its national reservation – Belavezhskaya Puscha. The pride of the reservation is the aurochs – a rare animal that survived since the glacial times. With the exception of a few, kept in open-air-enclosures, these animals range freely within the reservation.

The climate of Belarus is continental with a comparatively mild winter and warm summer.

The nature of Belarus has suffered much from the nuclear catastrophe that took place in Chernobyl in 1986. The radiation has spoiled our soil and air, rivers and lakes; it has poisoned our flora and fauna. Besides it has badly affected the health of people and the climate.

1.2. Соедините слова с их определениями.

velvety, reservation, contaminate, varied, charitable, alternate, grove, swamp, range, decrease

Ø Cause to become less;

Ø Go, move, wander;

Ø Area of soft wet land;

Ø Sanctuary; area where by law it is forbidden to kill birds and animals;

Ø Make dirty, impure or diseased;

Ø Of different sorts; diverse;

Ø Come one after other, by turns;

Ø Benevolent, philanthropic;

Ø Smooth and soft like velvet; group of trees; small wood.

1.3. Переведите словосочетания на русский язык.

edged with thick forests; endless expanses of fields, meadows and swamps; varied and plentiful animal and plant kingdom; national reservations; dense forests of pines; birch and oak groves; velvety meadows; since the glacial times; a comparatively mild winter; nuclear catastrophe; to decrease the level of radiation; the numerous charitable funds and associations; the contaminated areas; the proper medical treatment; to prevent the Belarusian nation from degeneration.

1.4. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. Where is Belarus situated?

2. What countries does Belarus border on?

3. What is the Belarusian Polesye famous for?

4. What climate do we have in Belarus?

5. What catastrophe has badly affected the life of many people?

6. What are the consequences of that catastrophe?