Say whether these statements are True or False

1. The Russian Federation is a presidential republic.                                      T/F

2. The Prime Minister of the country is the head of the state.                          T/F

3. The Russian Federation comprises 83 federal subjects.                               T/F

4. The President is elected by popular vote for a four-year term.                     T/F

5. The legislative branch is represented by the State Duma and the Federation Council.                                                                                                             T/F

6. The leading political party in Russia is the Liberal Democratic Party.        T/F

7. The judiciary power belongs to the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court. T/F

8. The Russian Federation is fundamentally structured as a multi-party representative democracy.                                                                                T/F

 

2. In the text find English equivalents to the following Russian words:

Двухпалатное Федеральное собрание, президентско-парламентская республика, Государственная Дума, субъект федерации, всенародное голосование, законодательная власть, Совет Федерации, законопроект, исполнительная власть, судебная власть, многопартийная представительная демократия, исключительное право на внесение финансовых законопроектов, право отстранения президента от должности, исполнять.

3. Answer the following questions:

1. Who is the Head of the country now?

2. Who is the Head of the Council of Ministers?

3. What is the official name of the Russian Parliament?

4. Who is the Head of the Federal Council?

5. Who is the Head of the State Duma?

 

Grammar Revision. Tenses.

 Put the verbs in the correct tenses.

1. The Russian Federation (to be) founded following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. 2. Some parts of Western Russia (to be) badly influenced by radiation from Chernobyl in 1986. 3. More and more people (to begin) to realize that clean environment is extremely important. 4. Nowadays, the Russian Federation (to comprise) 83 federal subjects. 5. The reforms of Peter the Great (to bring) considerable Western European cultural influences to Russia. 6. I (to work) here for a couple of months because I’m going to Russia in the summer. 7. Usually tourists (to buy) traditional Russian souvenirs such as Matryoshka dolls, beautifully painted mugs, plates and spoons from the village of Khokhloma and Palekh boxes. 8. The Russian Orthodox Church (to survive) the hard times and now people speak about the rebirth of religion in the country. 9. By the 18^th century, the nation (to become) the Russian Empire, which (to be) the third largest empire in history.

                        

TEXT 3. GEOGRAPHY and CLIMATE

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south, Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorus, and Ukraine. It also has seaborders with the USA and Japan.

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: 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. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal. Russia has one-sixth of the world’s forests. Russia is very rich in oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

      The enormous size of Russia and the remoteness of many areas from the sea result in the dominance of the humid continental climate. Most of Northern European Russia and Siberia has a subarctic climate, with extremely severe winters in the inner regions of Northeast Siberia and more moderate elsewhere. The coastal part of Krasnodar Krai on the Black Sea possesses a humid subtropical climate with mild and wet winters.

 

1. Answer the following questions:

1. Where is the Russian Federation situated?

2. What is the total area of Russia?

3. How many seas and oceans wash the country?

4. What countries does Russia border on?

5. What is the largest mountain chain in Russia?

6. How many rivers are there in the country? What is the biggest Europe’s river?

7. What do you know about Lake Baikal?

8. What mineral resources is Russia rich in?

9. What influences the climate of the Russian Federation?

10. What types of climate can we find in Russia?

 

 

2. Complete these sentences using the words from the box:

mineral resources   mountain chains   covers    humid continental climate             borders on                                            a variety of scenery

 

1. Russia __________the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia.

2. In the west the Russian Federation ___________Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belarus, and Ukraine.

3. There is hardly a country in the world where such __________ and vegetation can be found.

4. There are several ____________ in Russia: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others.

5. Russia is very rich in oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other _________.

6. The enormous size of Russia and the remoteness of many areas from the sea result in the dominance of the ______________.

 

Grammar Revision. Passive Voice.