Key words on the topic: read, translate, train the pronunciation, memorize

to comprise, vegetation, coal, copper, non ferrous metal, to be set up by smth, branch, legislative, executive, judicial, to be vested in, Federal Assembly, chamber, enforce, treaty, replace, law, elect, on appointment, Supreme Court, a regional court, the Constitutional Court, effort.

2. Read the text:

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. It occupies most of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Russia stretches from the Baltic Sea in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East and from the Arctic Ocean in the North to the Black Sea and the Caucasus, the Altai, and the Sayan mountains, and the Amur and the Ussuri rivers in the South. It is bordered by Norway and Finland in the north-west, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and the Ukraine in the West, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the south-west, and Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China along the southern border. The federation comprises 21 republics.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

There are two Great Plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe’s biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian Rivers – the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena – flow, from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake (1,600 metres) is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world’s forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East. On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental. Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

The Russian Federation is set up by the constitution of 1993. Under the Constitution Russia is a presidential republic. The federal government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Each of them is checked and balanced by the President.

The legislative power is vested in the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers. The Upper Chamber is the Council of Federation; the Lower Chamber is the State Duma. Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. Legislature may be initiated in either of the two Chambers. But to become a law a bill must be approved by both Chambers and signed by the President. The President may veto the bill. The President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he makes treaties, enforces laws, and appoints ministers to be approved by the Federal Assembly. The executive power belongs to the Government which is headed by the Prime Minister. The first action of the Prime Minister on appointment is to form the Cabinet.

The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the regional courts. The members of the Federal Assembly are elected by popular vote for a four-year period.

Today the state symbol of Russia is a three-colored banner. It has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one stands for the sky, and the red one symbolizes liberty. It was the first state symbol that replaced the former symbols in 1991. Since 1993 the hymn of Russia was “The Patriotic Song” by M. Glinka. But in 2000 it was changed. Now we have the hymn, that has the melody of the former USSR hymn, but the verses to it were written a new by S. Michalkov. Anew national emblem is a two-headed eagle. It is the most ancient symbol of Russia. It originates from the heraldic emblem of the Ruricovitches. All these symbols are official. They have been approved by the Federal Assembly.

The president of the Russian Federation is Vladimir Putin. In 1996 Vladimir Putin was asked by to join President Boris Yeltsin's "inner cycle" as deputy chief administrator of the Kremlin. On New Year`s Eve in 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly stepped down as president, naming Putin as acting president. In 2000 Russians elected Putin out of a field of eleven candidates. Putin has made great efforts to improve relations with the remaining world powers. Since from 2008 to 2012 Putin was a Prime-minister of our country and in March 2012 he was elected the President of the Russian Federation again.

 

3. Answer the following questions:

1) What territory does Russia occupy?

2) What countries does it border on?

3) What plains is it located on?

4) What are the longest mountain chains?

5) What sea does Europe’s biggest river flow into?

6) What river flows into the Pacific Ocean?

7) How deep is the world’s purest Lake Baikal?

8) When was the Russian Federation set up?

9) What kind of state is it?

10) What does the federal government consist of?

 

4. Mark these statements TRUE (T) or FALSE (F):

1) The federation comprises 21 republics.

2) The largest mountain chain, the Caucasus, separates Europe from Asia.

3) In the Baltic Sea is much more water than in the Lake Baikal.

4) The Russian Federation is set up by the constitution of 1993.

5) President of the Russian Federation is checked and balanced by the federal government

6) The legislative power consists of two chambers.

7) The Speaker is commander-in-chief of the armed forces; he makes treaties, enforces laws, and appoints ministers to be approved by the Federal Assembly.

8) The judicial branch is represented by the Upper Chamber and the Lower Chamber.

9) The executive power belongs to the Government which is headed by the Prime Minister.

10) The white stripe of the Russian banner symbolizes the sky, the blue one stands for the sea, and the red one symbolizes belief.

 

 

Moscow

I. Key words: Central Federal District, urban area, population, network, railway terminal, underground metro system, world-renowned, yard, the Tretyakov Gallery, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

II. Information: Moscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia with 12.2 million residents within the city limits and 16.8 million within the urban area. It is the capital of the Central Federal District and Moscow Oblast. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, and scientific center in Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as the largest city entirely on the European continent. By broader definitions Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the 14th largest metro area, the 17th largest agglomeration, the 16th largest urban area, and the 10th largest by population within city limits worldwide. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history.

Moscow is considered the center of Russian culture, having served as the home of prestigious Russian artists, scientists and sports figures during the course of its history and because of the presence of many different museums, academic and political institutions and theaters. The city is served by an extensive transit network, which includes four international airports, nine railway

\terminals, numerous trams and one of the deepest underground metro systems in the world.

Over time, Moscow has acquired a number of epithets, most referring to its size and preeminent status within the nation: The Third Rome (Третий Рим), The Whitestone One (Белокаменная), The First Throne (Первопрестольная), The Forty Forties (Сорок Сороков), and The Hero City (город-герой).

Moscow's architecture is world-renowned. Moscow is also well known as the site of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, with its elegant onion domes, as well as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Seven Sisters. The first Kremlin was built in the middle of the 12th century.

There are 96 parks and 18 gardens in Moscow, including 4 botanical gardens. For example, Gorky Park, Izmaylovsky Park, Sokolniki Park, Losiny Ostrov National Park. Moscow is a very green city, if compared to other cities of comparable size in Western Europe and North America; this is partly due to a history of having green "yards" with trees and grass, between residential buildings. Moscow has always been a popular destination for tourists. Some of the more famous attractions include the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site, Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, which was built between the 14th and 17th centuries. The heart of Moscow is Red Square.

One of the most notable art museums in Moscow is the Tretyakov Gallery, which was founded by Pavel Tretyakov, a wealthy patron of the arts who donated a large private collection to the city. The Tretyakov Gallery is split into two buildings. The Old Tretyakov gallery, the original gallery in the Tretyakovskaya area on the south bank of the Moskva River, houses works in the classic Russian tradition. The works of famous pre-Revolutionary painters, such as Ilya Repin, as well as the works of early Russian icon painters can be found here. The New Tretyakov gallery, created in Soviet times, mainly contains the works of Soviet artists, as well as of a few contemporary paintings, but there is some overlap with the Old Tretyakov Gallery for early 20th-century art.

III. Answer the questions:

1. What is the city of major political, economic, cultural, and scientific center in Russia and Eastern Europe?

2. What is the population of Moscow?

3. Who was the founder of Moscow more than 800 years?

4. Which of the Moscow's architecture is world-renowned?

5. How many parks and gardens in Moscow?

6. What is the most notable art museums in Moscow?

IV. Read the text and decide if the statements are true or false:

1. Moscow has acquired a number of epithets, for example, the Great Rome. (F)

2. Moscow is a major political, economic center in Russia and Eurasia. (F)

3. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. (T)

4. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. (T)

5. Ilya Repin was one of the famous pre-Revolutionary painters. (T)

 

London

London is the capital of the United Kingdom, its economic, political and cultural center. It is one of the world's most important ports and one of the largest cities in the world. London with its suburbs has a population of about 11 million people.

London has been a capital for nearly a thousand years. Many of its ancient buildings still stand. The most famous of them are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. Most visitors also want to see the Houses of Parliament and the many magnificent museums.

Once London was a small Roman town of the north bank of the Thames. Slowly it grew into one of the world's major cities. Different areas of London seem like different cities. The West End is a rich man's world of shops, offices and theatres. The City of London is the district where most offices and banks are concentrated; the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England are here, too. The East End is a district where mostly working people live. The old port area is now called "Docklands". There are now new office buildings in Docklands, and thousands of new flats and houses.

There are always black ravens in the Tower of London. People keep them in the Tower of London and look after them very well as they believe that London will be rich while ravens live there. One of the greatest English churches, St Paul's Cathedral, is not far from the Tower of London. The famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren built it in the 17th century after the Great Fire. It took Sir Christopher Wren 35 years. It is a beautiful building with many columns and towers. In one of its towers there is one of the largest bells in the world.

Trafalgar Square is in the centre of London. Some people say it is the most beautiful place in London. In the middle of the square stands a tall column. It is a monument to Admiral Nelson. Four bronze lions look at the square from the monument. There are two beautiful fountains in the square. They are in front of the National Gallery which is one of the best picture galleries in the world. Every day a lot of tourists visit this fine building with its tall columns.

By the day the whole of London is busy. At night, offices are quiet and empty, but the West End stays alive, because this is where Londoners come to enjoy themselves. There are two opera houses here, several concert halls and many theatres, as well as cinemas. In nearby Soho the pubs and restaurants and nightclubs are busy half the night.

 

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of G.B. and Northern Irelands is situated on the British Isles/ The British Isles consists of two large islands, G.B. and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometers.

The UK is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. GB consists of England, Scotland and Wales and doesn't include Northern Ireland. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of GB is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands.

There are a lot of rivers in GB, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters if Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. The weather in GB is very changeable. A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening and the wrong side out. The English people say: "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather." The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or twhen it rains all day long.

The weather is the favorite conversational topic in GB. After they greet each other they start talking the weather.

The best time of the year in GB is spring (of course, it rains in spring too). The two worst months in Britain are January and February. They are cold, damp and unpleasant. The best place in the world then is at home by the big fire. Summer months are rather cold and there can be a lot of rainy days. So most people who look forward to summer holidays, plan to go abroad for the summer.

The most unpleasant aspect of English weather is fog and smog. This is extremely bad in big cities especially in London. The fog spreads everywhere so cars move along slowly and people can't see each other. They try not to be run over by a car but still accidents are frequent in the fog.