2020-04-20
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1. Russia occupies about one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area.
2. 12 seas of 3 oceans wash the country.
3. The Urals separate Europe from Asia.
4. Yury Dolgoruky founded Moscow in 1147.
5. The Russians deeply feel the memory of World War II.
6. They publish a lot of books on history of Russia.
7. The Government is now introducing a new policy in the sphere of healthcare.
TEXT 4. POPULATION and LANGUAGE
Russia is the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. Ethnic Russians comprise 79.8% of the country’s population. However, the Russian Federation is also home to 160 other nationalities and ethnic groups.
Though Russia’s population is comparatively large, its density is low because of the country’s enormous size. The most densely populated territories are European Russia, areas near the Ural Mountains, and southwest Siberia. 73% of the population live in urban areas while 27% in rural ones.
Russia’s birth rate is higher than that of most European countries while the death rate is substantially higher. In 2009 Russia saw the highest birth rate since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The largest cities in Russia are Moscow and St. Petersburg. They are federal cities. That means that they function as separate regions.
Russia’s 160 ethnic groups speak 100 languages. Russian is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the individual republics the right to make their native language co-official next to Russian.
1. Read the text and find out what the following numbers refer to:
a) 160 b) 2009 c) 143 million d) 79.8% e) 73% f) 27% g) 100
Say whether these statements are True or False.
1. Russia is the first most populous nation in the world. T/F
2. The Russian Federation is a home to more than 100 other nationalities and ethnic groups. T/F
3. The density of population in Russia is very high. T/F
4. Most of Russia’s population live in rural areas. T/F
5. Moscow and St. Petersburg are federal cities, which function as separate regions. T/F
6. Russian and English are official languages of the Russian Federation. T/F
7. Russia’s death rate is lower than that of most European countries. T/F
3. Put questions to the underlined words:
1. The population of Russia is 143 million people.
2. The population density of Russia is low because of the country’s enormous size.
3. In 2009 Russia saw the highest birth rate since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
4. The largest cities in Russia are Moscow and St. Petersburg.
5. Russian is the official state language in the Russian Federation.
Grammar Revision. Degrees of Comparison.
Give the comparative and superlative of:
Pretty red thirsty warm
Cold large hot rude
Terrible young tall long
Give the simple forms of these comparative and superlative adjectives:
Funnier oldest cheaper deepest
Highest thinner later worse
Nicest better more noisiest
Make sentences.
| The highest mountain The smallest continent The largest ocean The largest sea The farthest spot from land The longest river The highest lake The largest active volcano | in the world is | Titicaca, in Peru. the South China Sea. in the South Pacific. K2, not Everest. the Nile or the Amazon. Australia. Mauna Loa, in Hawaii. the Pacific. |
TEXT 5. ECONOMY
Russia has a market economy with enormous natural resources, particularly oil and gas. It has the 10th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the 6th largest by purchasing power parity.
In recent years, Russia has frequently been described in the media as an energy superpower. The country has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, the 8th largest oil reserves, and the second largest coal reserves.
In 1998, when an economic crisis hit the East Asian Tigers, oil prices began to fall around the world. For Russia, it resulted in a very difficult economic situation. But in 1999 world oil prices began to rise again. Mostly with money earned from energy exports, Russia began to pay off its foreign debts. Inflation fell and the value of the ruble stabilized. The economy was recovering. GDP grew steadily year after year, and foreign investors began to show confidence in investing in the country.
Oil, natural gas, metals and timber account for more than 80% of Russian exports abroad. Since 2003, the exports of natural resources have started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market has strengthened considerably. Russia is considered well ahead of most other resource-rich countries in its development, with a long tradition of education, science and industry. The country has more higher education graduates than Eurasia.
In 1999-2010, Russia’s agriculture demonstrated steady growth, and the country turned from a grain importer to the third largest grain exporter after EU and USA. The restoration of agriculture was supported by credit policy of the government, helping both individual farmers and large privatized corporate farms.
The economic development of the country has been uneven geographically with the Moscow region contributing a very large share of the country’s GDP. Another problem is modernization of infrastructure.
1. Answer the following questions:
1. What type of economy does Russia have?
2. What place does it take in the world by nominal GDP?
3. How has Russia been described in the media in recent years?
4. What country has the largest natural gas reserves in the world?
5. What happened to Russia’s economy in 1998?
6. What lead to its recovery?
7. Why have the exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance considerably since 2003?
8. What was the restoration of agriculture in Russia supported by?
9. What are the main problems of economic development in Russia nowadays?
2. Find English equivalents to the following Russian words:
Номинальный валовый внутренний продукт, неравномерное, паритет покупательной способности, иностранные долги, восстановление, составлять, природные ресурсы, выплачивать, поддерживать, укрепляться, уменьшаться, уверенность, ценность, возрождаться.
