Прочитайте текст. Ответьте на вопросы после текста и перескажите его по-английски.
Разделите текст на смысловые части. Озаглавьте каждую часть. Перескажите текст, следуя плану, который вы составили.
Переведите слова, выделенные в тексте, на русский язык и запомните их. Составьте 5 предложений на английском языке, используя данную лексику.
2. Верны ли следующие предложения?
1. The Russian Federation is one of the largest countries in the world.
2. It occupies the whole continent of Euro - Asia.
3. Our country is washed by the seas of the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
4. The Russian flora and fauna are rather poor.
5. There are many rivers and lakes in our land, that's why the climate is mild.
6. The population of our country is over 160 mil.
7. St.Peterburg is the capital of our state.
8. Our country has rich mineral resources.
9. Russia is one of the highly developed industrial powers in the world.
10. The Russian Federation is a constitutional state headed by the Prime Minister.
11. The President controls all the branches of the government.
12. The Russian Parliament is called the State Duma.
3. Переведите следующие вопросы на английский язык:
- Как называется наша страна?
- Где она расположена?
- Какова её территория?
- Каково её население?
- С какими государствами она граничит?
- Какими морями и океанами омывается наша страна?
- Сколько рек и озёр на территории нашей страны?
- Какие реки крупнейшие в России?
- Наша страна имеет богатейшую флору и фауну, не так ли?
- Какими природными ресурсами богата Россия?
- Кто является главой государства?
Moscow
Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by the Prince Yuri Dolgorukye. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow’s history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13 century Moscow was the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon’s attack. Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon’s occupation, but by the mid century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again.
Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is over 10 million.
Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is the Red Square. It has more historic associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country.
On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St Basil’s Cathedral was built in the mid century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There’s a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn’t want them to create another masterpiece.
There are a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow. Now Moscow is being reconstructed and we all hope that in a few years the city will become even more beautiful.
There are more than 100 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in Moscow include the All-Russia Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture and many others.
Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are also very popular.
Moscow is a city of students. There are over 100 higher educational institutions in it. The State Moscow University is the most famous among them.
Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life of the country.
Names:
Ivan the Terrible — Иван Грозный
Peter the Great — Пётр Великий (ПётрI)
St Petersburg — Санкт-Петербург
Napoleon — Наполеон
St Basil’s Cathedral — собор Василия Блаженного
the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great — Колокольня Ивана Великого
the Tzar-Cannon — Царь- пушка
the Tzar-Bell— Царь-колокол
Barma and Postnik—Барма и Постник
the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts— Музей изобрaзительных искусств имени Пушкина
Kazan — Казань
the State Tretyakov Gallery — Государственная Третьяковская галерея
the All-Russia Museum of Folk Arts — Всероссийский музей декоративного, прикладного и народного искусства
the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art — Музей древнерусского искусства имени Андрея Рублёва.
Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum — Театральный музей имени Бахрушина
Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture — Музей музыкальной культуры имени Глинки
the Bolshoi Opera House — Большой театр оперы и балета.
Vocabulary:
historian — историк
to accept — принимать, допускать
gradually — постепенно
powerful — сильный могущественный
liberation — освобождение
tartar yoke — татарское иго
united — соединённый, объединённый
to remain — оставаться
target — мишень, цель, объект
attack — нападение, атака
to destroy — разрушать
fire — пожар
occupation — оккупация
completely — полностью, целиком
to restore — реставрировать, восстанавливать
ancient — древний
masterpiece — шедевр
architecture — архитектура
architect — архитектор, зодчий
tower — башня
legend — легенда
to blind — ослепить
palace — дворец
mansion — особняк
to reconstruct — перестраивать, восстанавливать
unique — уникальный, единственный в своём роде
drama (theatre) — драматический театр
studio — студия, театр-студия
higher educational institution — высшее учебное заведение
Questions:
1. When was Moscow founded?
2. Is there a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky in Moscow? Where is it?
3. When did Moscow become the capital?
4. In 1712 the capital was moved to St Petersburg, wasn’t it? When did Moscow become the capital again?
5. Was ancient Moscow a big city? What’s the total area of modern Moscow?
6. What’s the population of Moscow?
7. What places of interest in the centre of Moscow do you know?
8. What do you know about St Basil’s Cathedral?
9. What can you see on the territory of the Kremlin?
10. What are the most famous Moscow museums? (art galleries?)
11. What theatres in Moscow do you know?
12. What is your favourite place in Moscow?
6. Прочитайте текст о Смоленске. Ответьте на вопросы после текста.
Smolensk
The ancient Russian city of Smolensk was founded almost at the same time as Kiev and Novgorod. It spreads out on seven slopes on the high Dnieper River banks, some 338 km from Moscow. The multi-century biography of the city reflects the history of struggle of our people for the freedom and independence of the Russian land. Smolensk is a rail and road junction which was the “Key to Moscow” three times between the l6th and 20th centuries against the Polish and Swedish conquerors, in the Napoleonic invasion, and, finally, during the Nazi assault. The enemies tried to raze Smolensk to the ground, to conquer it, but the city like the legendary Phoenix has again and again risen from ashes. The city coat-of-arms depicts the legendary Phoenix on a cannon.
Russian historical sources mention Smolensk as the centre of the Krivich tribe in the year 863. The prosperity of Smolensk was due to the fact that it laid on the famous waterway “from the Varangians to the Greeks” linking the Baltic and the Black Sea. Smolensk merchants traded with the Arab East, the Volga Bulgars, Byzantium, Scandinavia and west European cities. River-going vessels for long journeys were built and tarred in the city surrounded by dense forests. And it is most likely that the city received its name from the word "smolit" (to tar).
The city has many interesting sights and monuments. Among them is the oldest architectural monument in Smolensk the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul built in 1146 in Byzantine style. One of the main sights is the Assumption Cathedral (Uspensky Sobor). It stands 229 feet high and 140 feet wide. The iconostasis of gilded limewood is 33 feet high. The cathedral is used for services. Among other places of interest one should mention the city fortress wall built by F. Kon in 1595-1602; the “monument with Eagles” erected in 1912 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Borodino; the monuments to the great Russian Field-Marshal Kutuzov and to the great composer Glinka.
There are many museums in Smolensk. They are the Museum of Natural History, the Local History Museum, the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, the Teremok Museum in Talashkino.
During the World War II the city was almost completely ruined. Only 7 per cents of its buildings were not destroyed. After the war Smolensk was restored. At present Smolensk is the industrial, administrative and cultural centre of the Smolensk Region. Among the Smolensk plants and factories known throughout the country are a Linen Factory, a Knitted-goods Factory, the Aircraft Factory, the Plant producing automatic devices, radio parts, measuring instruments, electric bulbs, small-size computers, refrigerators. Some enterprises maintain business contacts with foreign firms and export their products to other countries of the world. Among them are the Smolensk Diamond Producing Factory and the Hosiery Factory.
Smolensk is the educational centre of the Smolensk Region. Many students study in the city’s secondary and higher educational establishments. The institutions of higher education include a Medical Academy, the Smolensk State University, the Academy of Physical Culture and Tourism; the Smolensk Branch of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, the Military Academy. A few institutions of higher learning have appeared recently, among them, are the Smolensk Humanitarian University, the Institute of Business and Enterprise, the Smolensk Institute of Economics (a branch of the St. Petersburg Academy of Management and Economics) and others.
The Smolensk Region was the birthplace of many outstanding people, among them are Przhevalsky, the explorer of Central Asia; Glinka, the founder оf Russian classical music; Dokuchaev, the Russian scientist, Konenkov, the great sculptor; Tvardovsky and Isakovsky, well-known poets, Belyaev, the fantasy writer; and last but not least Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in the world.
The people of Smolensk are proud of their fellow-country men and their city.
Vocabulary:
spread out — простираться; лежать
slope — склон, холм
junction — железнодорожный узел
invasion — нашествие
assault — нападение
to raze to the ground — стереть с лица земли
to conquer — завоёвывать, покорять
coat-оf-arms — герб
cannon — пушка
Krivich tribe — племя кривичей
prosperity — процветание
was due to the fact — было вызвано тем обстоятельством
merchant — купец
the Volga Bulgars — волжская Болгария
Byzantium — Византия
river-going vessels — речные суда
to tar — смолить
most likely — весьма вероятно
limewood — липа
a knitted-goods factory — трикотажная фабрика
to maintain business contacts — поддерживать деловые контакты
hosiery factory — чулочная фабрика
fantasy writer — писатель-фантаст
last but not least — хотя и последний, но не менее важный.
Questions:
1. Where is Smolensk situated?
2. What do you know about the history of Smolensk?
3. Name the sights and the monuments.
4. Prove that Smolensk is the industrial, administrative and cultural centre.
5. What outstanding people from Smolensk region do you know? Speak about one of them.
7. Расскажите о своём родном городе и о его достопримечательностях.
Содержание
English In the World of Work....................................................................................................................3