Vocabulary

Exercise № 26. Study these words and decide what other names you can add to the list of animals which can be found in Alaska.

Seal, Penguin, Polar bear, Beaver, marten, fox, whale

Writing Skills

Process indicators in English.

The following words & phrases join sentences & paragraphs to show the steps in a process. Study how these process indicators work in paragraphs.

• The first step in making scrambled eggs is to put a tablespoon of margarine into a pan.

• Then heat the pan over a medium flame.

• Next, break an egg into a bowl.

• Afterward, scramble the egg with a fork.

• After this step, add some salt and pepper to the eggs.

• Finally, fry the egg, turning it frequently.

Write a process essay in which you tell someone how to do something or explain the process.

• How to take a good photograph;

• How to live on a budget;

• How to apply for a passport;

• How to apply for a college grant;

• How to shop economically;

Russians are coming…

Many overseas explorers contributed a great deal of time and efforts into prosperity of Russia. One of them was a worldwide famous explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering. He was an outstanding Danish-born, but Russian explorer. In 1725 he was selected by the Russian king Peter I to explore far North-East Siberia. And this man paid every day of his life to expansion and prosperity of Russia.

Having finally moved men and supplies across Siberia, Vitus Bering in 1728 sailed to the North through the Bering Strait, but sighted no land and did not recognize the importance of the strait. Later in 1728, setting out from Kamchatka, he was driven from his course and discovered the southern route around Kamchatka. He returned to St. Petersburg, arriving in 1730. With government support, Bering then oversaw the exploration and mapping of the far reaches of Siberia.

Vitus Bering contributed a lot into mapping and exploring Alaska. The first Russian traders and missionaries reached Alaska from Siberia in 1741, when two Russian ships under the command of Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov reached the coast of the North American continent. The first permanent Russian settlement in America was founded without the official governmental approval on Kodiak Island in 1784 by Gregory Shelikhov who was a fur trader. This enterprise later developed into the Russian-American Company, which received a charter from the Russian government in 1799.

Eight missionaries from the Valaam Monastery⁸ arrived in Alaska in 1794, and began construction of churches and schools. They also studied the indigenous languages and then were able to convert the Aleuts and Indians to Orthodox Christianity, and interceded on their behalf before the Russian administration in cases of unjust treatment. Russian men of all ranks married local women, and a community arose with an economic base of farming and fur trade. Shipbuilding began in 1807, and Sitka became Alaska’s Russian capital in 1808.

The Russian possessions in Alaska were sold to the United States in 1867 for $7,200,000. Russia considered Alaska to be unprofitable because of the declining animal population. The majority of the Russians who had settled in Alaska went back to Russia, but many resettled in southern Alaska, California and parts of Oregon.

Sailing West past the Aleutian Islands, the ship was wrecked on the shore of Bering Island, which they mistook for the coast of Kamchatka. There on December 8 Vitus Bering died. Nowadays anyone can see this famous name on maps in different languages.

Brainstorming and Comprehension check

1. What other famous Russian explorers do you know?

2. What exactly are they famous for?

3. What is your opinion on specific features of an explorer should be possessed?

4. What territories were acquired by the Russian Empire as a result of Vitus Bering’s activity and exploration?

5. What were the reasons of Russian people to set up Russian settlements in Alaska without the Royal approval?

6. What was the main business of Russian people in Alaska?

7. What difficulties were faced by Russia by exploring new territories in Alaska?

GRAMMAR

ARTICLES, GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES.

1. Always use ‘the’ with the names of rivers, canals and mountain ranges:

Example: the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the Erie Canal

Working in pair, name some rivers, mountain ranges, and canals in Russia.

Rivers:

Mountains:

Canals:

Now, make the same job for the United States of America.

2. Next sentences refer to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Consider carefully two sentences with each phrase, the first using the ‘ing’ form and the second using the infinitive form.

Example: Seeing large herds of buffaloes was common for the expedition members.

It was common for the expedition members to see large herds of buffaloes.

1. Exploring new western territories…

2. Making friends with Native Americans…

3. Crossing the mountains…

4. Learning the Indian’s way …

5. Following the rivers…

6. Discussing their way back home…

Exercise № 27. There is an inventory list of the Russian-American Company made in 1815. Using the information stated in the inventory list, compose two paragraphs about the life of the Russian-American Company in America.

Инвентарь Русско-Американской компании.

КОМПАНИЯ ИМЕЕТ

1. Церковь на Кадьяке.

2. Строится в Ново-Архангельске - иконостас и вся утварь заготовлена здесь, и отправится на Кутузове.

3. 15 крепостей, в том числе 3 довольно изрядные - Павловская на Кадьяке, в Ново-Архангельске, на острове Баранов и. Рос - в Калифорнии, в заливе Румянцева. Маленькие же обнесены палисадами и рвами, во всех артиллерия имеется. 3 корабельных верфи. Одна значительная, заведена оседлость в Калифорнии, в заливе скотоводство и хлебопашество, ибо в одном сем месте удобно быть хлебопашеству, и обещают вскоре не только прокормить колонии, но Камчатку и Оходск снабдить.

4. В Ново-Архангельске и Кадьяке выстроены по планам дома с назначением улиц, в первом до 45, а во втором до 87. Гавани расчищены. Маяки устроены.

5. Училища народное, в коем до 200 мальчиков воспитываются. Для девиц заведено училище.

6. 14 кораблей, в том числе 5-ть трех мачтовых, на всех есть орудия.

7. Окрещено до 27000 американцев обоего пола. В подданство приведено около 70000. Географические изыскания доведены до совершенства, начиная от Берингова пролива до 40-го градуса к экватору, положены по астрономическим наблюдениям на карты заливы, гавани и острова, коих до нескольких сот описаны. Гражданство учреждается в прочное водворение. Покупается остров у короля Сандвических островов по согласию обоюдному.

8. Скотоводство умножено до желаемого совершенства -- нужен домовой (...), огородили. Капитал компании более 4000,000. Выдача прибылей последовало акционерам в 3 раза, по 2100.

Exercise № 28. Spoken skills development.

Preparing spoken presentations should also be properly organized. Here are some tips which can help you to make an interesting presentation.

1. Introduce yourself and state a subject of your presentation. For example, My name is Anastasia Razina. I’m the first year student of the Moscow State University. The subject of my topic is “The Life-long explorations of Vitus Bering made Russia stronghold of the world”. If you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to ask them at the end of my presentation.

2. While you are presenting your topic, you should pay attention to your gestures. Try not to gesticulate with your hands and don’t forget to create a friendly atmosphere by smiling.

3. While you are presenting your topic, you shouldn’t look at the same person or group of listeners. Try to address to the whole audience. If you have some illustrations or maps, do not use your fingers or hands to point at them. Use your pen.

Here are some ideas for spoken presentations:

1. Vitus Bering and his discoveries;

2. Policy of Russian kings in expanding the country;

3. Lewis and Clark expedition;

4. Jamestown – the first British Colony;

5. Life of first settlers in British colonies.

Preparing your presentations some additional literature is welcomed and desired. Prove your erudition.

English in Use

Exercise № 29. Use an appropriate form of the verbs in parentheses complete the sentences. Decide on giving a headline to this paragraph.

        In the midst of the 18^th century the Russian Government … (send) Vitus Bering to explore the lands behind Russia. Soon after Vitus Bering … (discover) the strait which … (separate) North America from Asia. It … (name) after the discoverer. On a later voyage Vitus Bering … (see) the mainland of North America. This discovery … (give) Russia its legal right to possess Alaska. Vitus Bering … (die) before he … (can) take the good news back to Russia. But Aleksey Chirikov and some other men of the Bering's expedition … (come) back. The Russians … (explore) the North American continent as far north as the Arctic Ocean. Russian pioneers … (make) settlements and … (build) profitable trading posts as far south as Northern California. Not long before George Washington … (become) the President of the US, the Russians … (make) a number of settlements in Alaska. For more than a hundred years trade … (carry) on between Russia and Alaska. During this time people from the US … (become) interested in this far northern territory. Some American ships … (sail) to the Arctic Ocean to catch fish. Various American companies … (trade) with the Russian settlements for a large span of time. In 1867 the USA … (buy) Alaska. It … (sell) for a little more than seven million dollars. Alaska … (be) still the largest of all the American states. It … (be) unbelievably rich in minerals. There … (be) large forests, many animals and much fish there.