Exercises

1. Translate the following words into Russian:

Virtual, disappearance, illegally-celebrated, proverbial, social, need, inhabitant, slaughter, sheep, boar, over-fish, sturgeon, population, poacher, plunder, fledgling, sheikh, boar, sturgeon, famine-stricken, steppe, count, survive, small, number, extinction, protection, multiply.

2. Give Russian equivalents of the following word combinations:

Virtual disappearance of many steppe animals, in true orgies of killing, Kazakh and Russian passion for hunting, social need, many inhabitants of Kazakhstan, wild sheep, Caspian Sea, snow leopard, alcon and eagle nests sell eggs and fledglings, famine-stricken steppe of Betpak Dala, threat of extinction, under total protection, rich bird life in the steppe, remote steppe regions, in these areas, national and international nature conservation organizations, for preservation of all Kazakhstan's wildlife.

3. Put special questions to the following sentences.

1.The Kazakh and Russian passion for hunting has always been proverbial. 2.Pelt hunters still hunt snow leopard and bear, while poachers plunder falcon and eagle nests and sell eggs and fledglings to rich sheikhs and other falcon hunt lovers. 3.Only in 2001 was the antelope species, under threat of extinction, put under total protection. 4.Tours in these areas support the efforts of national and international nature conservation organizations to open people’s eyes to the beauty of these animals and to sharpen their awareness of the need for preservation of all Kazakhstan's wildlife.

4. Retell the text

Text 14: Birds and Beasts of mountain and steppe

Kazakhstan is a country blessed with an exceptional natural heritage set amidst vast, stunning landscapes that stretch from the high skylines of the celestial Tien Shan Mountains to the far horizons of the immeasurable steppe. It has extraordinary wildlife, a rich culture and a generous and hospitable people whose traditions are founded on their coexistence with and deep respect for their land and nature.

K azakhstan harbours a richly diverse biogeography and attendant biological diversity. The northernmost region is covered with the taiga, mixed forest and forest-steppe of the Siberian lowland. Further south, the arboreal influence disappears and extensive steppe and desert ecosystems dominate. The Central Asian deserts are the richest desert complexes in Eurasia. There are more than 34,000 lakes, including the saline Caspian and Aral Seas, and large freshwater bodies such as lakes Balkhash and Tengiz, as well as associated and extensive reed beds and marshes. The majority of the rivers, the Volga and Ural, Syr Darya and Hi feed into these large lakes. Only the Irtysh, Ishim and Tobol rivers flow north across Siberia to the Arctic Ocean. The Tien Shan and Altai mountains form natural boundaries around the Kazakh Basin and contain different types of forest, alpine meadows, tundra, permanent snow belts and glaciers.

Although a land-locked country, Kazakhstan's western border is formed in part by the inland Caspian Sea-home to the smallest species of seal, the Caspian Seal. The fisheries of the Caspian are very important both in terms of biodiversity and the economy of the Caspian countries. Within its expansive waters live six species of sturgeon, including the beluga, shovelnose and starlet (90% of the global sturgeon population), as well as herring, zander (sander), sazan and the Caspian roach.

The fauna of Kazakhstan is as exciting and diverse as the landscape it inhabits, with wildlife spectacles to rival anything on Earth. Over 489 bird species have been recorded, 178 mammal species, 49 reptile species, 12 amphibians and 104 species of fish. Some of these are familiar species, but many are wonderful or rare, from the enigmatic snow leopard and bizarre-looking saiga antelope to the huge-horned argali sheep, desert dormouse, swan goose, relict gull, Siberian crane and sociable lapwing.