SPORTS IN GREAT BRITAIN
RUSSIA
I live in Russia. Russia is my native country. The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies one seventh of the Earth's surface. It is situated both in Europe and Asia. The total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic oceans. Our neighbours in the south are China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west we have borders with Norway, Finland, Belarus and the Ukraine. There is no country in the world like Russia, with the steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There is a great number of rivers in Russia. The Volga, the longest in Europe river, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers — the Ob', the Yenisey and the Lena flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific ocean. The deepest lake in the world is Baikal. The water in the lake is so clear, that you can see the stones on the bottom. Because of the vast territory there are various types of climate in the country. The climate varies greatly in different regions.
Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.
Russia is a parliamentary republic with the strong power of the President who is the head of the state. The State Duma and the Council of Federation are the legislative branch of the government.
The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is the largest political, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.
The national banner of Russia is a tricolour with white, blue and red stripes.
Words
native country — страна рождения, Родина
to occupy — занимать
surface — поверхность
highlands — возвышенности
to flow — течь
vast — обширный
copper — медь
legislative branch — законодательная ветвь (власти)
national banner — государственный флаг
stripes — полосы
Questions
1) What is the size of Russia?
2) What oceans is Russia washed by?
3) What are the neighbouring countries of Russia?
4) What are the main rivers of Russia?
5) What are the natural resources of Russia?
6) What does the national banner of Russia look like?
The British are known to be great sports-lovers, so when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of the games we play now have come from Britain.
One of the most British games is cricket. It is often played in schools, colleges, universities and by club teams all over the country. Summer isn't summer without cricket. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider anything unfair, they sometimes say «That isn't cricket».
But as almost everywhere else in the world, the game which attracts the greatest attention is football, or soccer. Every Saturday from late August till the beginning of May, large crowds of people support their favourite teams in football grounds. True fans will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. International football matches take place at Wembley.
Rugby is also very popular, but it is played mainly by amateurs. Next to football, the chief spectator sport in British life is horse-racing. A lot of people are interested in the races and risk money on the horse which they think will win. The Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world.
Britain is also famous for motor-car racing, dog-racing, boat-racing, and even races for donkeys. The famous boat-race between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge attracts large crowds of people.
A great number of people play and watch tennis. Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon are known all over the world. The innumerable tennis courts of Britain are occupied by people between the ages of 16 and 60 who show every degree of skill — from practically helpless to the extremely able.
The British also like to play golf, baseball, hockey, grass-hockey. Various forms of athletics, such as running, swimming, boxing are also popular. You can sometimes hear that there are no winter sports in England. Of course the English weather is not always cold enough to ski, skate, or toboggan, but winter is a good season for hunting and fishing.
Words
Wembley — стадион Уэмбли в Лондоне
the Derby — Дерби
Wimbledon — Уимблдон
cricket,— крикет
unfair — нечестный, несправедливый
to attract attention — привлекать внимание
crowd — толпа
to support — поддерживать, болеть
football ground — футбольное поле
fan — болельщик
amateur — любительский
rugby football — регби
next to football — на следующем месте после футбола
chief — главный, основной
spectator sport — зрелищный вид спорта
racing — бега (конские, собачьи и пр.)
boat-race— гребные гонки
tournament— турнир
innumerable— бесчисленный
degree— степень, уровень skill— умение helpless— беспомощный extremely — чрезвычайно able— умелый
totoboggan — кататься на санях, санках Questions
1. What is cricket for an Englishman?
2. What is the most popular game in the world?
3. Where do the Cup finals take place?
4. Is rugby played by professionals? .
5. What kinds of racing are popular in Britain?