My home place

I live in N.N. It's my native city. I was born here. And I've been living here all my life.

N.N. was founded in 1221. It's an old Russian city with a lot of historical sights. The two Great Russian Rivers: the Oka and the Volga join in N.N. It's a big river port on the Volga. It's linked with all parts of the country by roads and railways. N.N. is divided into two parts: Zarechnaya and Nagornaya by the Oka. Nagornaya part is known as a historical and cultural centre. Zarechnaya part is an industrial area.

The city is known for its trade traditions because of the world famous "Yarmarka". In fact, N.N.'s one of the biggest manufacturing centers. The city is famous for the car factory. Cars and lorries which are very popular throughout the country are produced there.

There are lots of cultural and educational institutions in N.N. A number of universities and institutes can be found here. The students can use a lot of libraries and museums. There are fives theatres, some modern cinemas, clubs of different kind in the city.

N.N. has some really nice parks. There are different places where you can do sport in the city. The tourists find a lot of interesting sights, monuments, churches and museums in N.N.

Questions:

1. Where is N.N. situated?

2. When was the city founded?

3. What is it famous for?

4. What makes cultural (sport) life of the city?

5. Do you like your city? Why?

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The UK is made up of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland together form Great Britain. Northern Ireland is considered to be a separate country in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the UK covers 244 000 square kilometers. The population is over 56,5 million. London is the capital. The rivers are not long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the busiest and the most important river in England. The climate of the country is mild because it’s affected by the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream. It's not very hot in summer and very cold in winter. There are a lot of mountains in the north of England and Scotland but they are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis. There are lots of lakes in Scotland. GB is a highly developed industrial country. One of its main industries is shipbuilding. Great Britain has a lot of old customs and traditions. The most famous universities are Oxford and Cambridge. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the government. Currently, Gordon Brown is the Prime Minister. The British Parliament is made up of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. .

Questions:

1. What parts does the UK consist of?

2. What is the territory of the UK?

3. What is the population of the UK?

4. What is the capital of the UK?

5. What are the longest and the most important rivers in Great Britain?

6. What do you know about the climate of GB? What influences the climate? What are summers and winters?

7. Where can the mountains be found? Are they high?

8. What is the main industry of the UK?

9. Does Great Britain keep its traditions?