5. Match the sentence beginnings to the correct endings.

1. The Republic of Belarus is the official name of	a) centers of science in the country.
2. The republic borders on	b) a sovereign independent state with its own government, constitution, state emblem, flag and anthem.
3. The major industrial centers in Belarus are	c) an effective international partnership with the governments of different states and international organizations.
4. The National Academy of Sciences is one of the largest	d) Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Soligorsk, Zhodino, Brest.
5. Belarus actively participates in	e) Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia and Poland.

6. Work in groups. Find out from your partners:

• where Belarus is situated and what its area is;

• what countries Belarus borders on;

• why Belarus is sometimes called «blue-eyed»;

• what consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe are.

7. Read and translate the following dialogue. Act it out.

– Steve, my cousin is coming tomorrow. Where shall I take him, I wonder?

– Well, the problem is what you want him to see.

– Look, he's already been here several times. And what if I take him to Brest.

– But where will you stay?

– A friend of mine lives there. She'll show us around the city.

– Don't forget to go to the Brest Fortress. The memorial there is really impressive. There are always a lot of people there. I'm sure you'll remember your excursion there for a long time.

– Agreed. So, I'll go and buy the tickets for a train to Brest for the day after tomorrow.

8. Read the text “Agriculture of Belarus” and answer the questions that follow it. Agriculture of Belarus

Agriculture is one of the main branches of the Belarusian economy for it supplies the population with foodstuffs. Agriculture is also one of the most important activities in the republic for it employs lots of the workforce.

Nearly 60 % of the total land area is cultivated. Arable lands account for about 30 % of the cultivated land area, and meadows and pastures account for 15 %.

Belarus belongs to the area of so-called unstable farming. A short growing season, the lack of fertile soils and other factors make farming difficult. The main plowed lands have low natural fertility. Much of the land can be productive only with fertilizer application. Marshy lowlands cover the southern region of Polesye in the basin of the Pripyat River. Many of the lowlands have been drained. They are used for producing fodder crops.

The Belarusian agrarian business is represented by large agricultural enterprises and private farms. Most of the farms have mixed crop and livestock farming. The main species of livestock are cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry. Broiler chickens are other major livestock. They are raised at special mass-production plants.

The country's chief crops are cereal grains (mainly rye, barley and oats) and sugar beet. A large percentage of them is used to feed animals. Flax is also important. The republic is one of the main producers of flax in the world. The fact that potatoes are Belarusians «second bread» is known far beyond the republic. No wonder that Belarus is the second producer of potatoes in Europe. Additional crops grown on Belarusian farms are cabbages, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions. Fruit crops include apples, cherries, pears, plums.

Belarusian agriculture doesn’t only produce farm products to meet domestic needs but the republic is also a traditional exporter of agricultural products. Among them are pork, beef, chicken, animal oil, cheese, eggs, flax, vegetables. Today Belarusian agricultural products are supplied to twenty-three countries. The Russian Federation is our main customer.

1. Why is agriculture one of the main branches of the Belarusian economy?

2. Why is agriculture one of the most important activities in the republic?

3. What are the country's chief crops?

4. What makes farming difficult?

5. What crop is known far beyond the republic?