Lesson 6 kyiv h e who loves not his country, can love nothing…

George Byron

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Activity 1. Kyiv is not a typical city of Ukraine.

Discuss with your partner what attracts people in big cities like capitals. Use the picture as a prompt. Ask each other questions about similarities and differences between towns in general and capitals in particular. Use the prompts to help you:

• What/differences?

• What/similarities?

• Can/you /describe ... /me?

• What/your impression?

• What/can/you /learn/from?

Activity 2 “To be or not to be where you want to be?”

Step 1. Alex has recently been to Kyiv. While he was there, he visited different places and bought some souvenirs. Look at the pictures and the prompts below and say what Alex did and why:

go / the Bulgakov Museum (House)	buy / souvenirs

look round / the Botanical Garden	see / rare plants
visit / the Dynamo Stadium	take photos of / the monument to Lobanovs’kyi
be / the Pyrohiv Museum	taste / Ukrainian food

Step 2. Your partner is now Alex (agree with each other which of you will be Alex). Encourage him to share his impressions by asking him what he visited, why he went to see all those sights and whether he enjoyed everything or not. Alex, in his turn, asks you which of the places of interest you’d prefer to visit and why. You respond.

Step 3. If you wanted to visit some new place, would you prefer to get to know it through the bus/car window or explore it on foot? Explain why.

Activity 3. “A picture paints a thousand words”.

Step 1. Look at the pictures. Do you recognize the landmarks? Where exactly are they?

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Step 2. Match the pictures in the previous step with the statements below. Mind that there are two statements to one of the landmarks.

1. an impressive monument located in front of St. Sophia in the heart of downtown Kyiv;

2. a large set of churches with golden domes, underground labyrinths and monastic buildings;

3. the mansion takes its name from the ornaments representing various exotic animals and hunting scenes created by the sculptor Emilio Sala;

4. it was originally one of the many southern gates of the city and after the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral it became the main entry point into Kyiv;

5. big, busy and heaving with people (=there are a lot of people) with a number of excellent little cafes and restaurants along the way;

6. it's the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (of the Kyiv Patriarchate) where the frequently celebrated services differ in their solemnity;

7. you can see a statue of an emaciated girl at the memorial symbolising countless victims of the Holodomor famine in 1932-33;

8. the cathedral has since been converted into a museum of Christianity in Ukraine, and most of its visitors are tourists;

9. it’s poetically named as a temple of muses and an architectural pearl of Kyiv;

10. It is one of the city's major landmarks and the mother cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the Kyiv Patriarchate), one of the two major Ukrainian Orthodox Churches built to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus' by prince Volodymyr I of Kyiv;

11. a functioning monastery rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 18th century while the interior remained in its original Byzantine style, situated on the edge of a bluff (=a steep cliff or slope) northeast of Saint Sophia Cathedral in the historic administrative Uppertown and overlooks the city's historical commercial and merchant quarter, the Podil neighbourhood; the original cathedral was demolished by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s, but was reconstructed and opened in 1999 following Ukraine’s independence in 1991.

Step 3. Discuss with your partner what you could see and do at each place; which of these places you would choose to go to and why? Use the prompts in the previous step as well.

Activity 4. “First impressions are the most lasting. No matter fair or false”.

Step 1. You are going to listen to Sam Lovett, who is from Scotland, talking about his new life in the capital of Ukraine. Before you listen, read the statements carefully. As you listen, add all the necessary details to his impressions. The following words will help you understand everything better:

beloved = loved very much by someone

an entirely foreign country = a completely unknown country

be confined to = be limited by

immensely popular = hugely popular

reasonable prices = fair, right, neither high nor low prices

you’re in for a nasty surprise = you’re likely to experience a bad surprise

have priority = be more important than

dump rubbish = get rid of, throw out rubbish

otherwise = in other words, in other instances

inhospitable = not welcoming or generous to people who visit you

wring a smile from = make smb smile

gorgeous = very beautiful or pleasant

high heels = women's shoes in which the heels are raised high off the ground

the lack of taste in clothing = when a person doesn’t have enough good taste

intense make-up = too much make-up

off-putting = slightly unpleasant or worrying so that you do not want to get involved in any way

last but not least = used when mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are still important

due to = owing to

make it further = proceed

to cut the long story short = to be brief

despite sth = used to say that something happens or is true even though something else might have prevented it [= in spite of]

STATEMENTS:

• The country’s food is really amazing;

• The places where you can eat well and with reasonable prices are only few;

• It is not exactly easy to move around if you don’t have a car, and a car must be BIG. It means you are a person with money, and you will always have priority in traffic and people will respect you more;

• The environment is considered the place where you dump rubbish;

• It is very difficult to wring a smile from a shop seller, even if you smile at them, they will NOT smile back;

• Girls are indeed beautiful and gorgeous;

• Despite its problems, Ukraine is a wonderful country.

Step 2. Now discuss his impressions in pairs, state whether you agree with Sam or not and why.

Activity 5. Which to opt for while moving around: the city transport or going on foot?

Step 1. Your friends from Ireland are going to Kyiv. They are in two minds about the way of going sightseeing around Kyiv. Work in groups of 3-4 students: first, agree on which mode of transport each of you would like to find out more information about (in Appendix 1), then read the corresponding texts.

Step 2. Share with each other the relevant information about each mode of transport to get you round the city and, having weighed up pros and cons, take a joint decision which of them you could recommend as the most suitable to your friends from Ireland and why.

You’re most welcome to make use of the following prompts:

Let me start with ... . I have read about ... . Now let’s weigh up pros and cons of moving around by ... . We shouldn't rush into anything, let’s take just one point at a time. So, ... . To be honest, I'm in two minds, just don’t know which mode of transport to recommend since, on the one hand ..., however, on the other ... . ... while/whereas ... . 'Look (Phil), we don't have any other option but ... . (Tim), don't jump to conclusions about ... . I think that we should keep our options open. I appreciate your input, however I tend to think that ... far/much/a lot more convenient than ... . Well, I do agree, it’s not beside the point (but ...). I can partly agree with you as/since/because ... . Here, I have doubts about ... . This is a matter of opinion. I would personally opt for ... as/since/because ... . ... don’t you agree? ... a brilliant idea (but ...). Well, time is running out, so we need to make/reach a decision now. Now we should try to reach a compromise In my opinion, we can’t recommend only one ... as/since/because . As I see it, we could actually recommend two at least ... (as/since/because ).

Activity 6. All roads lead to the metro!

You (Student A) are currently serving as an employee at a Tourist Office. Your partner (Student B) is a foreign tourist who comes to your office: he wants to go to a particular location within the city.

Step 1. Decide with your partner on the location of the Tourist Office, thus determining the point of departure (on the basis of the relevant landmarks).

Step 2. Using the map of the metro and the prompts (Student B – below, Student A – see App. 1), ask for and give the necessary information:

Student B (the foreigner). How / I get to ... (the Golden Gateway, the House with Chimeras, the (Kyiv-) Pechers'k Lavra (The Cave Monastery), Saint Sophia Cathedral, etc)? Which way/I go for ...? Which line/I take for (to get to ...)? Have/I/change trains (transfer to the ... line; change (on) to the green (etc) line)? Which way/I/take to go to ...? What/my line/called? How / I get to the ... station from here? Where/the nearest station? How/I/get/down to the trains? Which/ the best route to get to ...? Mine/direct? How long/take/to get ... ? What landmarks/I/find in ... (Khreshatyk street, Andriyivs'ki Uzviz, Maidan Nezalezhnosti, etc)?

Activity 7. Swapping stories at a get-together.

Step 1. You’re at a party and have a tradition to swap different stories with your friends. It means that each of you should have a story ready. Today you are at a party celebrating the Day of Kyiv. So, the story you are to make up is about the capital of Ukraine. Remember to use as many facts, relevant words and word combinations you’ve already learned.

Step 2. Now present your story to a group of 2 students who are to ask further questions while you’re telling your story.

Activity 8. “Wanna lend a helping hand? First, gain experience first-hand, and then – be a sport and share it with your friend!”

Student A reads the task below, whereas Student B uses Appendix 1.

Student A (You speak first). You are a foreign exchange student who is going to the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, as a student to study medicine. Ask a friend of yours who has been doing a similar course there:

• how different he/she thinks it is from the city you live in;

• what it’s like living there;

• how you could feel more ‘at home’ there;

• how difficult it is to study in a foreign country.

Home task 1.

Step 1. Match the numbers with the letters.

1	The Golden Gates	A	it is a troglodytic monastery located in the old part of Kyiv sitting on the hill overlooking the Dnipro river
2	St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral	B	is one of the oldest edifices of Kyiv dating back to Yaroslav The Wise
3	The (Kyiv-)Pechers’k Lavra (monastery of the caves)	C	the solemn dedication of the cathedral took place in the presence of Nicolas II and his wife, on August 20, 1896
4	St. Sophia Cathedral	D	it is now one of the most famous monuments of Ukraine, and it's the first Ukrainian site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
5	The House with Chimaeras	E	it’s the best-known city monument, an original symbol of Kyiv

6	Khreshchatic Street	F	it was the third (after Moscow and Petersburg) opera theatre of the Russian Empire
7	The National Opera House	G	the six-story Art Nouveau building was built between 1901 and 1902 by the architect V. Horodets’kyi
8	The Monument to Bohdan Khmelnyts’kyi	H	from its start at European Square to its terminus at Bessarabs’ka Square, Kyiv’s most beloved street

Step 2. Below you’ll find some useful links about the landmarks of Kyiv. Use them to find the correct answers to your previous step.

http://kiev.com/sights/category/museums

http://travel2ukraine.info/national-opera-house-of-ukraine/

http://www.kievtown.net/eng/sights/hmelnitsky.htm

http://www.inyourpocket.com/ukraine/kyiv/sightseeing/essentialkyiv/Khreschatyk_26447v

Step 3. Pick the landmark that appeals to you most, prepare your presentation with a set of photos to illustrate it. In class, first, show the photos, second, ask your fellow students to guess the landmark and tell the rest of the class what they know about it sharing their impressions. Then add the necessary information to what they have already expressed.

Home task 2.

Step 1. Search the Internet to find the necessary information about good-value-for-money places to eat at. Note down the necessary information concerning their location, how you can get there, exterior and interior design, atmosphere inside, musical accompaniment if any, price range, menu, service. Don’t forget about the pictures portraying these eateries. In addition, pick a couple of dishes you can recommend to a foreigner.

Step 2 (in class). Your partner is now that foreigner who asks you about some places to eat at. Give him your recommendations mentioning all the points in the previous step.

Home task 3. Agree or disagree and why? The only way to travel around the city is on foot.

Use the prompts to help you:

- travelling on foot: exhausting: you get nowhere fast;

- if we depended on our legs, we would be isolated from each other, as in the past;

- modern means of communication make "the world" a small place;

- modern means of travel/transport facilities extend, not replace the use of our legs;

- travelling at high speeds is a means not an end.