I. Read some information about the National Flag of the Republic of Belarus and describe it.

Warm- up

What do you know about the country?

· What are the national symbols?

· What is represented on the national emblem?

· Do you know the words of the national anthem?

· Describe the national costume.

· What and when are the national holidays?

The National Flag of the Republic of Belarus, which is a symbol of state sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus, is a rectangular1 cloth² consisting of two longitudinal³ stripes⁴: red upper stripe and green lower stripe that are two-thirds and one-third of the flag width⁵ respectively⁶. A vertical red-on-white Belarusian decorative pattern, which occupies one-ninth of the flag's length, is placed against the flagstaff⁷. The flag’s ratio⁸ of width to length is 1:2. The flag is fixed on a flagstaff painted golden (ochre⁹).

During ceremonies and other solemn¹⁰ events, the National Flag of the Republic of Belarus is used with a diamond-shaped¹¹ top edge¹² containing a five-point star. The star is analogous to the one depicted on the national Emblem of the Republic of Belarus. The top edges are made of yellow metal.

¹ rectangular [rek′tæŋgjυlə] - прямоугольный

² cloth [klÉθ] - ткань

³ longitudinal [‚lÉndZı′tju:dınl] - продольный

⁴ stripe [straıp] - полоса

⁵ width [wıdθ] - ширина

⁶ respectively [rıs′pektıvlı] - соответственно

⁷ flagstaff [′flægsta:f] - флагшток

⁸ ratio [′reı∫ıəυ] - пропорция, соотношение

⁹ ochre [′əυkə] - охра, бледный коричневато-желтый цвет

¹⁰ solemn [′sÉləm] - торжественный

¹¹ diamond-shaped [′daıəmənd ′∫eıpt] - ромбовидный

¹² edge [edZ] – край, остриё