Population and Cities

Theme: The Geography of Russia.

Scanning (reading for details)

I. Topic presentation.

Video

 

II. Warm-up.  

DID YOU KNOW?

• Russia is on two continents – Europe and Asia. But only 20% of Russia is in Europe.

• Russia has a population of 147 million people. 75% of the population live in the European part.

• Almost four times as many people live in cities as in villages. The 12 biggest cities have a population of over 1 million people each.

• Russian people are not always a Slavic type. They do not all have blue eyes and fair hair. Russian people may look like Spaniards, Greeks, Jews, Turks, Koreans or Mongolians.

• Russian people are part of a big community of more than 100 nations and ethnic groups. There are Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Chuvash, Bashkir, Belarusians and Mordovins etc.

• Everyone in Russia speaks Russian as the official language. Local languages are very important too. Children study them at school.

• There are five main religions in Russia. Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists live side by side all over the country.

• Russian people are all different, but together they are building a strong country – the Russian Federation.

 

III.  Vocabulary presentation

 

to be situated — располагаться border — граница total area — общая площадь to astonish — изумлять size — размер population — население to vary — меняться, изменяться mountain chain — горная цепь to flow — впадать

variety — разнообразие wildlife — дикие животные mild — мягкий wet — влажный windy — ветреный snowy — снежный dry — сухой fuel — топливо to include — включать oil — нефть natural gas — природный газ coal — уголь diamond — алмаз craft — ремесло

wooden tableware — деревянная посуда log house — деревянный дом, изба wood carving — резьба по дереву village — деревня stripe — полоса nobleness — благородство honesty — честность courage — мужество doubleheaded eagle — двуглавый орел to introduce — вводить mug — кружка

 

IV. Reading.   

a) pre-reading activities. Look at the questions below the text and try to find the answers.

Questions

1. What is the official name of your country?

2. What is special about the geographical position of Russia?

3. What mountains divide Russia into two parts?

4. What is the total area of the country?

5. What countries does Russia border?

 6. What seas and oceans wash Russia?

7. Russia is a very rich country. What is it rich in?

8. What river is the longest in Europe?

9. What do you know about Lake Baikal?

10. What is the climate like in Russia?

11. What Russian symbols do you know?

12. What national emblems and colours does Russia have?

 

b) while-reading activities.

Read the text and write down the answers from the text.

Russia

Russia is my native country. It is the largest country in the world.

Russia is situated on two continents: Europe and Asia. The Urals form a natural border between the continents. The country is washed by 12 seas of three oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometres. No traveller crosses the country from east to west without being astonished by its size. The population of Russia is more than 145 million. There are a lot of nationalities in Russia and people speak different languages. Russian is the official language.

The land of Russia varies greatly. We have thick forests and vast plains, high mountains and deep valleys. The main mountain chains are the Caucasus, the Urals and the Altai. Russia is rich in rivers and lakes. The longest river on the European territory of Russia is the Volga, which flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. The world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal, is also situated in Russia. The water in this lake is very clear. There is also a wide variety of wildlife in Russia.

Russia is a country without a climate because it has every possible climate from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the west, for example, the climate is usually mild and wet. The southern parts of the country have warm temperatures all year round, but the northern parts have very cold winters. In the middle of the country the climate is usually continental. Winters are cold, windy and snowy, and summers are hot and dry.

Russia is rich in mineral resources. Three quarters (3/4) of the country’s minerals and fuels, including oil, natural gas, coal, diamonds and gold, are concentrated in Siberia and the Far East.

Russia is a country of great traditions. There are many villages in Russia famous for their specific crafts. Painted boxes from Palekh and wooden tableware from Khokhloma are well­known all over the world. Log houses decorated with wood carving are typical of Russian villages.

There are a lot of Russian symbols. One of them is the Russian national flag. This flag is made up of three stripes: white, blue and red. These colours have always been symbolic in Russia. They symbolize nobleness, honesty, courage and love.

Another Russian symbol is a double headed eagle. It was introduced in Russia in 1497 by Tsar Ivan III. Besides, there are other Russian symbols well-known all over the world, for example, Red Square and the Spasskaya Tower.

Tourists usually buy such traditional Russian souvenirs as Matryoshka dolls, beautifully painted mugs, plates and spoons from Khokhloma village and Palekh boxes.

We, people living in Russia, love our country and are proud of it. And we would like other nations to understand and love our homeland.

 

c) post-reading activities. What can you tell about our country?

 

V. Speaking. Tell about the geography of our country, using the map the questions as a plan.

VI. Grammar.   Passive Voice. Find the example of the Passive Voice in the text.

Homework:  Reading, translating and retelling the text

Домашнее задание:  и переводить текст

Climate

In Russia winter is mostly cold and snowy and summer is usually hot and dry. The polar climate prevails over northern areas. Beyond the Polar Circle people don’t see daylight in winter. But in summer the long polar night gives place to the midnight sun.

Natural Resources

Russia can boast of the richest mineral and energy reserves. The country is often called an «energy superpower» as Russia’s depths rich in oil, natural gas and coal.

Population and Cities

The density of population in Russia is uneven. Up to 78% of citizens live in comparatively small European part while vast Asian areas remain low populated. About 8% of Russian people reside in Moscow. In the list of the largest Russian cities the capital is followed by Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg.

Culture

Russia is a homeland of classical ballet school and Stanislavski’s system of acting. Russian literature is very popular throughout the world. All educated people know Aleхander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov.

Five Russian writers and poets won the Nobel prize in literature: Ivan Bunin, Boris Pasternak, Mikhail Sholokhov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Joseph Brodsky.