VI. Read and translate the text. The russian federation

The Russian Federation is one of the largest countries in the world. The vast territory of Russia lies in the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia.

Russia is washed by twelve seas: the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and the others.

Russia borders on many countries such as Mongolia and China in the south-east, Finland and Norway in the north-west and so on.

The land of Russia varies very much from forests to deserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. Russia is located on two plains. They are: the Great Russian Plain and the Western Siberian Plain. The main mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes on its territory. The longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Ob, the Enisei and the Lena in Asia. The largest lake is Ladoga. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on the earth.

The climate in Russia varies from arctic in the north to continental in the central part of the country and subtropical in the south. The coldest areas are in the extreme North and in the northern part of Siberia.

The Russian Federation is rich in natural and mineral resources. Its vast mineral deposits include oil and natural gas, coal, iron, tin, lead, nickel, gold and many other riches.

The current population of Russia is more than 150 million people. Russia is a multinational state, over 100 nationalities live in it, each with its own language, culture and traditions. The European part of the country is densely populated, and most population lives in cities and towns and their outskirts.

The history of Russia is rich and dramatic. The Russian people and the Russian land had seen terrible times of wars, famine and disasters and glorious times of great victories, prosperity. The most terrible war that the Russian people had gone through was the Second World War or the Great Patriotic War. That war had been going on for four long years. All the world should be thankful to Russian soldiers for their victory in that hard, long and devastating war, for they had rescued the world from the horrors of fascism and slavery.

Russia is a presidential republic, with the President at the head of the state. It became an independent state in 1991. Formerly it had been part of the USSR which included 15 Union republics. Now it is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS for short).

Today the state symbol of Russia is a three-colored banner. It has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue stands for the sky and the red one symbolizes liberty.

Russia has always played an important role in the world, it is one of the leading powers. Russia is a unique country, it has a lot to be proud of, it has the great past and the promising future.

VII. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the geographical position of the Russian Federation?

2. What seas is Russia washed by?

3. What countries does Russia border on?

4. What landscapes can be seen in Russia?

5. What kinds of climate are there in Russia?

6. What natural resources is Russia rich in?

7. What can you say about the population in Russia?

8. What kind of history has Russia?

9. Why should the world be thankful to Russian soldiers?

10. What kind of state is Russia?

11. What is the state symbol of Russia?

12. Why can we say that Russia is one of the leading powers in the world?

VIII.Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Россия расположена в восточной части Европы и северной части Азии. 2. Обширная территория России омывается Северным Ледовитым, Атлантическим и Тихим океанами (the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean). 3. Самая густонаселенная часть России – это европейская часть. 4. Россия располагает большим количеством полезных ископаемых. 5. Российская земля видела страшные годы войны и голода и прекрасные годы великих побед. 6. Великая Oтечественная Война была самой долгой и разрушительной. 7. Победа русских солдат спасла мир от ужасов фашизма. 8. Россия – президентская республика, где главой государства является президент. 9. Триколор является государственным символом России. 10. У России великое прошлое и многообещающее будущее.

IX. Put the verbs in brackets into the proper Tense and Voice. Read and translate the text into Russian.

MOSCOW

Moscow (be) the capital of Russia, its administrative, economic, political and cultural centre. It (be) one of the Russia’s major cities with the population of about 9 million people.

In the early 19th century the prominent Russian historian Nikolay Karamzin (say) to foreigners: ”If you (want) to know Russia go to Moscow.” At the beginning of the 21st century we (have) every reason to repeat these words.

Moscow (found) in 1147 by the Prince of Suzdal, Yury Dolgoruky. Although there (be) settlements on the site of the modern city long before 1147, this (be) the year when Moscow first (mention) in the written records. Its wise founder (build) it in the middle of a densely populated country. It (protect) by rivers and a fortress. In the opinion of many scientists the city never (lose) its significance and the leading role in the development of the country.

In the 13th century Moscow (be) the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the Tatar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible it (become) the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great (transfer) the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712, Moscow (remain) the heart of Russia. That is why it (be) the main target of Napoleon’s attack. Three-quarters of the city (destroy) by the fire during Napoleon’s occupation but by the end of the 19th century Moscow (restore).

Moscow (be) a major industrial city, its leading industries (be) engineering, chemistry, building.

There (be) more than 80 museums in Moscow. The largest museums (be) the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. At the Tretyakov Gallery one can see a lot of remarkable paintings by the outstanding Russian artists: Repin, Kramskoy, Ivanov, Serov, Perov and others.

In spirit Moscow (remain) as it (be), open, hospitable and consequently has the right (call) the heart of Russia.

X. Answer the following questions.

1. When was Moscow founded?

2. Who was Moscow’s founder?

3. Why was Moscow the target of Napoleon’s attack?

4. Why do we call Moscow a cultural centre?

5. What is the population of Moscow?

6. Why was Moscow chosen to be the capital?

7. What are the largest museums in Moscow?

8. What is Moscow like?