It’s interesting to know …

• Russia is 60 % larger than the world’s second-largest country, Canada.

• The country extends across the whole of northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe, spanning 11 time zones.

• Permafrost covers 10 million square kilometres – an area seven times larger than the drainage basin of the Volga River, Europe’s longest river – making settlement and road building difficult in vast areas.

• Russia may be subdivided into six main relief regions: the Kola-Karelian region, the Russian Plain, the Ural Mountains, the West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the mountains of the south and east.

• Russia contains two million fresh- and saltwater lakes.

• Lake Baikal is the largest and the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth (20-25 million years old).

• Russia is the only country, on the territory of which there are 12 seas.

• On the territory of Russia there are 100 reserves, total area of which makes 33.55 million hectares, and 35 national parks with total area of 6.96 million hectares.

• Linguistically, the population of Russia can be divided into the Indo-European group, comprising East Slavic speakers and smaller numbers speaking several other languages; the Altaic group, including Turkic, Manchu-Tungus, and Mongolian; the Uralic group, including Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic; and the Caucasian group, comprising Abkhazo-Adyghian and Nakho-Dagestanian.

• Moscow is the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world.

• Moscow possesses the world’s second busiest (after Tokyo) metro system which is famous for its architecture and artwork.

• A person from Moscow is called a Muscovite in English.

• On 8 December 1991 in Viskuli, the residence of the Belarusian Government in Belovezhskaya forest preserve, the leaders of the Russian Federation, Republic of Belarus and Ukraine signed the Agreement on establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

• The CIS performs its activities on the basis of the Charter, adopted by the Council of Heads of States in 1993, which stipulates the goals and principles of the Commonwealth, rights and obligations of the countries, which established it voluntarily.

• On May 9, in New York, a plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly elected 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council, the new chief intergovernmental rights body of the United Nations system. The Russian Federation was elected a member in the very first round of voting, its candidacy drawing support from 137 delegations out of the 191 UN member states.

Task IV. Find the derivatives of the following words and fill in the table:

Noun	Verb	Adjective
obligation
	symbolize
limit / limitation
	integrate
		deep
endowment
		inhabited
religion
	initiate
		foreign

Task V. Find the words in the text with similar meanings to these:

1. be situated (2)

2. make difficult (1)

3. varied (1)

4. resources (1)

5. distant (1)

6. outstanding, famous (1)

7. previous in time or order (1)

8. constant (1)

9. breakdown (2)

10. start, introduce (1)

Task VI. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements relating to the text?

1. Russia’s total area is 15 million square kilometres.

2. Big Diomede Island is the country’s westernmost point.

3. The country is located on two plains, Great Russian Plata and West Siberian Lowland.

4. Russia has one-eighth of the world’s forests.

5. The anthem of Russia was the first state symbol that replaced the former symbols in 1991.

6. The Russian Federation is set up by the Constitution of 1993.

7. The executive power belongs to the Federal Assembly.

8. Each Chamber in the Federal Assembly is headed by the Speaker.

9. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia lost the USSR’s place in the United Nations (UN).

10. The President is elected by popular vote for a six-year term.

Task VII. Complete the given sentences:

1. Russia covers the ... part of Europe and the ... part of Asia.

2. There are steppes in the south, ... and ... in the midland, ... and ... in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

3. The largest mountain chain, …, separates Europe from Asia.

4. In the middle of the country the climate is ... and ... .

5. The main Siberian rivers – the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena – flow … .

6. Under the Constitution Russia is … .

7. The judicial branch is represented by … .

8. The Head of State is … .

9. The white stripe on the flag symbolizes …, the blue one stands for …, and the red one symbolizes … .

10. Some of the most-renowned museums in the world are found in … .

Task VIII. Check your understanding of the detail by answering these questions:

1. When did Russia become an independent country?

2. Why are the physical features of the Russian Federation considered to be diverse?

3. What natural resources is the country especially rich in?

4. Russia has one of the widest varieties of ethnic groups in the world, doesn’t it?

5. What branches does the Federal Government consist of?

6. What are the functions of the Russian President?

7. What is the first action of the Prime Minister on appointment?

8. What are the country’s official symbols?

9. What are the country's leading political parties?

10. What international organizations is Russia a member of?

Task IX. Think of some more questions about the Russian Federation and then ask your groupmates to give you extensive answers. Report your results.

Task X. Check how well you know Russia by deciding which of the following alternatives is most likely to be true:

1. The Russian Federation covers about … of the world’s land surface.

   1. one-sixth b. one-eighth c. one-third d. one-fifth

2. The Russian republic was established immediately after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and became a union republic in … .

   1. 1922 b. 1918 c. 1919 d.1921

3. To the southwest and west Russia borders on …, as well as Finland and Norway.

   1. Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, and Estonia

   2. North Korea, China, Mongolia

   3. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

   4. all of the above

4. On the basis of geologic structure and relief, Russia can be divided into two main parts – western and eastern – roughly along the line of … .

   1. the Urals b. the Lena River c. the Yenisey River d. the Ob River

5. This relief region is the smallest of Russia’s relief regions, lies in the northwestern part of European Russia between the Finnish border and the White Sea.

   1. The Kola-Karelian region c. the Ural Mountains

   2. The Russian Plain d. the Central Siberian Plateau

6. What is the highest point in Russia (5,642 m)?

   1. Mount Narodnaya c. Mount Yamantaw

   2. Mount Elbrus d. Kosvinsky Mountain

7. Lake Baikal is located in the … part of eastern Siberia within the republic of Buryatia and Irkutsk oblast (province) of Russia.

   1. western b. northern c. eastern d. southern

8. Nearly one-tenth of Russian territory is …, a treeless, marshy plain.

   1. taiga b. steppe c. wooded steppe d. tundra

9. … constitute more than four-fifths of the total population and are prevalent throughout the country.

   1. East Slavic speakers c. Turkic speakers

   2. Finnic peoples d. Caucasian speakers

10. Nonferrous metals are available in great variety from many districts, but by far the most important are those of …, which is Russia’s main centre of nonferrous metallurgy.

    1. Siberia c. Central Black Earth region

    2. Kola Peninsula d. the Ural region

11. Moscow is the … largest city in the world.

    1. sixth b. eighth c. seventh d. ninth

12. What is a traditional Eastern European (mainly Russian) dish usually made with minced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough?

    1. Kotlety b. Pelmeni c. Studen´ d. Lapsha

13. … is the largest one in Europe. Its area makes 18 400 square kilometres, average depth is 51 metres, the largest one is up to 23 metres.

    1. Lake Baikal b. Lake Ladoga c. Lake Onega d. Lake Seliger

14. … are considered to be one of the first mountains in the world.

    1. The Urals b. The Altai c. The Caucasus d. Baikal Mountains

15. Moscow and St. Petersburg are three hours ahead of London time and … hours ahead of New York.

    1. six b. four c. seven d. eight

16. The Coat of Arms of … depicts a horseman with a spear in his hand slaying a basilisk and is often identified with Saint George and the Dragon.

    1. Moscow c. Saint Petersburg

    2. Nizhniy Novgorod d. Kaliningrad

17. … was built to commemorate the victory of the Russian army over Polish invaders in 1612.

    1. The Verkhospassky Cathedral

    2. The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Holy Virgin

    3. The Cathedral of the Archangel

    4. The Patriarch’s Palace

18. …, known as Zatishye until 1938, is a city in the Moscow Oblast, which is located 58 kilometres east of Moscow and has a population of 146,294. It is a centre of metallurgy and building of heavy machinery.

    1. Elektrogorsk b. Elektrougli c. Elektrostal d. Elista

19. The Russian parliament, termed the …, consists of two chambers, the Lower Chamber and the Upper Chamber.

    1. State Duma c. Federal Assembly

    2. Council of Federation d. Supreme Court

20. The second President of Russia was … – he was elected for a first term on 26 March 2000 (inaugurated on 7 May) and re-elected for a second term on 14 March 2004 (inaugurated on 7 May).

    1. Boris Yeltsin c. Mikhail Gorbachev

    2. Vladimir Putin d. Dmitry Medvedev

21. The President has a special copy of the Russian Constitution that is used … .

    1. during the inauguration

    2. on special occasions

    3. during presidential term

    4. to represent Russia in international relations

22. Russia emerged as a great world power during the reign of …, who built Saint Petersburg as Russia’s new ‘window on the West’ and moved the seat of government there in 1712.

    1. Yuri Dolgoruki c. Dmitry Pozharsky

    2. Dmitry Donskoy d. Peter the Great

23. In his first address to the Russian Parliament on 5 November 2008, D. Medvedev proposed to change the Constitution of Russia in order to ... .

    1. to reform the civil service system

    2. increase the terms of the President and State Duma

    3. set up the Historical Truth Commission

    4. to inject large funds from the state budget into the markets to stabilize the financial situation

24. When do the Russians celebrate Independence Day?

    1. 12 December b. 1 September c. 12 June d. 12 July

25. According to the Constitution the President of Russia is elected for …

    1. a four-year term c. a six-year term

    2. a five-year term d. a two-year term

26. Russian composer … composed the world’s most famous works of ballet – ‘Swan Lake’, ‘The Nutcracker’, and ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

    1. P. Tchaikovsky c. S. Rachmaninoff

    2. A. Scriabin d. D. Shostakovich

27. In recent years the national hockey team has re-emerged as a hockey superpower, winning gold medals in the 2008 and 2009 world championships, and overtaking … as the top ranked ice hockey team in the world.

    1. the USA b. Canada c. Sweden d. Finland

28. Dostoyevsky called this city “The most abstract and intentional city in the world”, emphasizing its artificiality, but it was also a symbol of modern disorder in a changing Russia.

    1. Moscow b. Semipalatinsk c. Omsk d. Saint Petersburg

29. … is considered to be the greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes.

    1. Daniil Chyorny c. Andrei Rublev

    2. Ivan Aivazovsky d. Dionisius

30. Which of these museums is situated in Moscow?

    1. The National Museum of Russian Fine Art

    2. The cruiser Aurora

    3. Pushkin Memorial Museum

    4. The State Hermitage

Task XI. Try to give an adequate translation of the following sentences:

1. Российская Федерация – самая большая по площади страна мира, расположенная на востоке Европы и севере Азии.

2. Берега России омываются 12 морями, принадлежащими бассейнам 3 океанов.

3. На северо-западе России лежит самое крупное из европейских пресноводных озер, Ладожское.

4. Из традиционных религий на территории России исповедуются христианство в форме православия, ислам, в меньшей степени иудаизм и буддизм.

5. Согласно конституции, главой государства является президент, избираемый на 6 лет. Президент является также Верховным главнокомандующим Вооруженными силами РФ.

6. Законодательную власть осуществляет Федеральное Собрание – Парламент, состоящий из двух палат: Совета Федерации (верхняя палата) и Государственной Думы (нижняя палата).

7. Исполнительную власть осуществляет Правительство. Система федеральных органов исполнительной власти включает федеральные министерства, федеральные службы и федеральные агентства.

8. Государственный бюджет в РФ обеспечивает функционирование государства на трех уровнях: общегосударственном, федеральном (бюджеты 89 субъектов федерации) и местном.

9. На конец апреля 2009 года в России официально зарегистрировано 15 партий, из них в Государственной Думе представлены четыре: Единая Россия, КПРФ, ЛДПР и Справедливая Россия.

10. Россия проводит многовекторную внешнюю политику. Она поддерживает дипломатические отношения со 178 странами, имеет 140 посольств. Внешняя политика России определяется Президентом страны и осуществляется Министерством иностранных дел.

C. Follow-up Activities

Task XII. Share your opinions on the following:

1. Which do you think are the most important Russian achievements?

2. Do you see any drawbacks in the Russian political system? What are its strengths?

3. Which parts of your country are most in need of protection and development: cities or the countryside? Give reasons for your decision.

4. What are at least three areas in which Russia leads the world?

Task XIII. Comment on the quotation:

“We need to develop respect for our history, despite all of its flaws, and love for the Fatherland. We need to pay the utmost attention to our common moral values and consolidate Russian society on this basis. I think that this is an absolute priority.” Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister

D. Optional Reading