- •The republic of belarus the republic of belarus
- •1. Practice saying the following words:
- •2. Memorize the following words:
- •I. Oral Practice Section
- •1. Look through the following quotations and proverbs and try to outline the problems to be discussed.
- •2. Find all the suitable nouns for each of the adjectives or participles.
- •3. Make sure that you know the words. Read the definitions and match the words and definitions:
- •4. Read the text. Fill in the gaps with the words from ex. 3. Put some verbs into the past form. From the History of Belarus
- •5. Work in pairs. Speak of the main steps in the history of our country to your partner matching the dates and the events and arranging the facts in the right order.
- •6. Read a small extract about the history of the name of our country. Say whether you know other versions concerning the history of the name.
- •7. Work in pairs. Restore the dialogue between Mike, a student from Belarus and Alex, a student from Australia. They are speaking about the history of the name “ Belarus “.
- •State system of the Republic of Belarus
- •9. Study the information about the state system of the Republic of Belarus. Open the brackets, using English words from the box below the text instead of Russian ones.
- •10. State system quiz
- •11. Use the tables below and the word list to essence of the state power of the Rep. Of Belarus to a foreigner. Speak about the main functions of each body of power.
- •Geography
- •12. Read the text, pay attention to the underlined words. Make an outline to speak about your native land Belarus. Geography of Belarus
- •14. Work in pairs. Reproduce the answers to your partners.
- •16. Work in groups. Find out from your partners:
- •Made in Belarus
- •21. Read the article “Education in Belarus”. Characterize the educational system of our republic.
- •22. Examine the following description of our capital. List five well-known places you’d like to visit. Minsk
- •23. Work in pairs. At the airport a Westerner and our countryman are talking about the most popular sightseeing of Belarus. Take part in this conversation and share your opinion with partners.
- •24. Work in pairs. Look through the following text and render it to your deskmate.
- •Eyeballing belarus
- •25. Quiz “Do you know the history of motherland?”
- •26. Comment on the following quotations.
6. Read a small extract about the history of the name of our country. Say whether you know other versions concerning the history of the name.
Historically the country was referred to in English as “White Russia”, although this is not exactly correct. The correct translation is “White Ruthenia”, which either describes the area of Eastern Europe populated by Slavic people or the various states occupied the area. Despite this, the practice of using the term White Russia continues in some languages: “Weiβrussland” in German, “Beyaz Rusya” in Turkish, “Leukorosia” in Greek.
The first known English use of the term “White Russia” to refer to Belarus was in the late 16th century by Englishman Sir Jerome Morsey. He used the term to describe areas of Ivan the Terrible’s Empire.
However, the origin of the name has never been precise. Some researchers put it down to the white colour of local peasants` everyday linen clothes and to their fair hair. There are also other versions of the origin of the name.
7. Work in pairs. Restore the dialogue between Mike, a student from Belarus and Alex, a student from Australia. They are speaking about the history of the name “ Belarus “.
Alex: Hello, Mike. You know, people in our country know too little about your country. I’m interested in the history of it. Is Belarus the original name of your country?
Mike: No, it isn’t. Once it was called “White Russia” or “Belaya Rus”.
Alex: …
Mike: Surely. According to chronicles it was first mentioned in the 12th century. And the English “White Russia” was first used in the 16th century.
Alex: …
Mike: You know there are different versions of the name. Some researchers associate it with the direct meaning of the colour “belyi” or “white”. Of course, there are also other versions.
Alex: …
Mike: In the 19th century, for example, it was called “Belorussia”. And then the official name of the country was “Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic”, when the country was the part of the former USSR.
Alex: …
Mike: On 27th of July 1990 our declared itself sovereign and became an independent state. Now its official name is the Republic of Belarus.
Alex: …
… Oh, thank you. I’ve learned interesting facts about your country.
… And what’s the origin of the name?
… Has your country been always called “Belaya Rus”?
… Do you know when the term “Belaya Rus” was first used?
… When did it become Belarus?
8. Read an extract about the Belarusian language. Reproduce it to your partner (group). Add some more sentences of yours, discussing the status of Belarusian language in our country nowadays. You may expand one of the three statements below the text.
The Belarussian language is the language of the indigenous population of the Republic of Belarus. In the 14th – 17th centuries the language of Belarusians was the state language of the Great Principality of Lithuania. After the territory of Belarus was included into the Russian Empire, the Russian language began to spread in Belarus.
For the purpose of preservation of the living space for the Belarusian language the Law “ On languages in the Republic of Belarus “ was adopted in 1990 which proclaimed the Belarusian language the state language. The Russian language was given the equal status to the Belarusian language in May 1995. Every nationality living in the territory of Belarus is guaranteed the right to study its native language and use it.
a) I’m sure the status of Belarusian language will improve and Belarusian people realize they must speak their native language.
b) People must be forced to speak their language, otherwise the loses its image.
c) I think Belarusian language is so beautiful, so soundy that one can’t help speaking it.