I курс
1. Russia
Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. The vast territory of the Russian Federation stretches from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, from the Arctic Ocean in the North to the Sea of Azov in the south. It occupies the northern part of Asia and the eastern part of Europe.
Russia borders on many countries, such as Mongolia and China in the south-east, Finland and Norway in the north-west, Georgia in the south, to name only a few.
Due to the large territory, the climate and nature are of various types in Russia. In Siberia, for example, the climate is continental, it is very cold in winter, but summers may be very hot and dry. In the central part of Russia the climate is rather mild: winters are seldom too cold, and summers are more often warm than hot. The climate in the south is tropical, with hot summers and warm winters; the temperature is usually above zero all year round.
Russia is a country of thick forests and wide valleys, of high mountains and bare deserts. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes on its territory. The longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Ob, the Yenisey and the Lena in Asia. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Baikal. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on earth.
The Russian Federation is rich in natural and mineral resources. It has deposits of oil, gas, coal, iron, gold and many others.
The current population of Russia is about 150 million people. The European part of Russia is densely peopled, and most people live in cities, towns and their outskirts.
The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow, with the population of about 10 million people,
1.Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний:
Одна из самых больших стран мира; простирается от Балтийского моря на западе до Тихого океана на востоке; от Северного Ледовитого океана на севере до Азовского моря на юге; граничит со многими странами; на юго-востоке; на северо-западе; если назвать лишь некоторые; климат является континентальным; в центральной части России; зимы редко бывают слишком холодными; температура обычно выше нуля; на ее территории много великих рек и глубоких озер; самое глубокое озеро в мире; Российская Федерация богата полезными ископаемыми; Европейская часть России густо населена; с населением более 10 миллионов человек.
2.Найдите в тексте антонимы к следующим словам:
low, thin, shallow, cool, narrow, poor, wet, monotonous, shortest, smallest, muddiest.
3.Ответьте на следующие вопросы:
1. What oceans is Russia washed by? 2. What countries does the Russian Federation border on? 3. What is the climate like in Russia? 4. What Russian rivers are the longest rivers in Europe and Asia? 5. What is lake Baikal famous for? 6. What mineral resources is the Russian Federation rich in? 7. How large is the current population of Russia?
1A. Historical Sights of St. Petersburg
This city witnessed many important historical events. In fact, the whole history of the Russian Empire lies here on the banks of the Neva River. Russia became a European empire at the beginning of the 18th century; in fact, Peter the Great was the first Russian emperor. It was the era of vast changes in our country, and Peter was the greatest reformer ever. Almost all the emperors starting with Peter himself are buried in St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral that is situated on the territory of Peter and Paul's Fortress which is the birthplace of our city. The gilded spire of the cathedral with a three meter high angel on top is one of the symbols of our city. St. Petersburg thus started as a fortress to protect the lands along the banks of the Neva River and the Gulf of Finland from Sweden. In fact these lands had always been an apple of discord between Russia and its "northern neighbor" Sweden. Separate fights were held throughout centuries up until 1700 when a war was started that was one of the most important happenings in the history of St. Petersburg and Russia and that came down into history as the Northern War. It was started by the Swedish king Karl XII. For Peter I who was the ruler of our country then the main purpose of the war was to regain the lands along the Neva and the Gulf of Finland that were lost to Sweden in 1617 as a result of a peace treaty.
The beginning of the 17th century was a hard time for Russia when Lithuania and Poland were trying to capture Moscow. Russia was weak and without a tsar then and it asked Sweden for help. As a result of this "help" Russia lost the access to the Baltic Sea. The country could not develop without it that is why in 1700 Peter entered this war that lasted for 21 years and was ended in 1721 with a total victory of Russia. To protect the newly regained lands Peter and Paul's Fortress was founded on a little Hare's Island.
The fortress developed into a city under the rule of the Romanovs - the ruling dynasty in Russia from Peter's grandfather Mikhail until the last Russian emperor Nicholas II.
It was at the time of Elizabeth, Peter's daughter (ruled 1741-1761), that the city obtained its magnificence in architecture. One style was ruling in the middle of the 18th century - baroque, and there was an architect who could not be surpassed in creating baroque masterpieces - Francesco Rastrelli (1700-1771). This Italian architect, who was the favorite court architect of Elizabeth I, built a lot of richly decorated baroque buildings in St. Petersburg and its suburbs, which are now a distinguishing feature of our city. Among them are the Winter Palace - former main imperial residence, the Smolny Convent (former residence of the first women's school in Russia), and summer imperial palaces in Tsarskoe Selo (now Pushkin) and Peterhof (now Petrodvorets). The Winter Palace is one of the most splendid buildings in St. Petersburg. Almost all the Romanovs starting from Catherine the Great resided there. The palace had hundreds of rooms; many of them were State Halls the interiors of which are preserved till the present days and open to visitors. When you are inside of these miraculous halls you'll have a strong sensation of having got back to the times of the emperors. When you take the magnificent State Gala Staircase covered with a red velvet carpet and decorated with sculptures, huge mirrors, ceiling paintings, marble, gilded wood carvings - all to the baroque style - you are going to feel yourself one of the astonished guests invited to the pompous balls and receptions held in the Winter Palace. They had never before imagined such richness and splendor. Candles were lit in the vast Great Throne Room where the Emperor and Empress as well as Grand Dukes received their guests. Nobody was forgotten. The provincial nobility was received in the Emblem Hall covered all over with gilded bronze and sparkling in the candlelight.
Now the Winter Palace does not only display beautiful interiors but also houses our greatest pride - the Hermitage Museum. It ranks among the best museums of West European art in the world such as the Louver in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery and the British Museum in London and Prado in Madrid. The Hermitage possesses the masterpieces of such great painters as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Giorgione, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Hals, Velasquez, Goya, El Greco, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Kandinsky, and many others. The Hermitage has more than 3 million exhibits, among them not only paintings but also antique sculptures, medieval applied art, cameos, ancient and 18-19th century
1b.OUR UNIVERSITY
The Bratsk State University (BrSU) is one of the largest institutions of higher education in the North of Siberia. In 2007 the Bratsk State University celebrated its 50th anniversary. It was established in 1957 as a branch of Russian Correspondence Building-Engineering Institute. The University is situated in Bratsk on the left bank of the Angara. Four educational buildings, sports building, workshops, hostels, canteens, cafeterias and a block of flats for teachers make up a whole township.
The Bratsk State University offers excellent education to everyone having general secondary education. Its courses are challenging and rigorous, guided by university's highly qualified academic staff. The quality of teaching is very high in our University It gives education in many areas – economy, mechanics, wood engineering, power engineering, computer programming and so on. The University bases its work on state standard and offers the students very wide and complex education. The academic year at the BrSU starts in September and ends in June.
The BrSU is administrated by Rector and nine Pro-Rectors. It consists of 12 faculties: Mechanical, Wood Engineering, Economic, Power Engineering, Correspondence and others. All the faculties provide full-time and part-time education.
More than 12500 students are educated here in 39 specializations. The applicants are enrolled according to the results of entrance examinations.
Our teachers deliver lectures and hold seminars on different subjects such as: physics, chemistry, higher mathematics, strength of materials, applied electrical engineering, heat and power engineering, motor transport, social sciences, foreign languages and many others.
During the third-fifth years the students specialize in their main areas of interest. In the fifth year they are required to write a diploma work. The aim of it is to train the students in individual research, in planning investigations and in presenting their results in a written report. The diploma work could thus be the beginning of a research career or lead to employment in industry.
After graduating from the University the students get the Diploma in Higher Education.
Our University has good training facilities: lecture-rooms, laboratories, libraries, gymnasiums, computer classes with the latest equipment.
The Bratsk State University keeps in touch with foreign universities and schools.