Vocabulary

alliance	союз
annexation	присоединение
barbarian	варварский
beech	бук
breakup	распад
brine	рапа, морская вода
cemetery	кладбище
cropland	зерновые
deposit	залежи
designation	характеристика
destination	место назначения, направление
devote	посвящать
engage	вовлекать
exploration	исследование
feather-grass	ковыль
flourish	процветать, пышно расти
gradually	постепенно
harbor	гавань, порт
hardship	трудности
hospitable	гостеприимный
implement	орудие, прибор
invasion	вторжение
limestone	известняк
marble	мрамор
meadow	луг
moat	ров (с водой)
narrow	узкий
naval	морской
peninsula	полуостров
plain	плоский
precisely	точно
prosperity	процветание
rampart	вал (крепостной)
remains	остатки
renowned	известный, знаменитый
shield	щит
soil	почва
soldier	солдат
spit	отмель, намывная коса
spring	источник
strip	полоса, лента
surface	поверхность
to join	присоединиться
to link	связывать, соединять
to thrive	процветать
to undergo	испытывать
turbulent	бурный, неспокойный
vineyard	виноградник

"There are corners on our earth so beautiful that each time you visit them they give you a sense of happiness". These words the renowned Russian writer Konstantin Paustovsky devoted to the Crimea are assented to by anybody who has been here but once.

Precisely when the peninsula got for the first time this name which is Turkish for "moat, rampart", the scholars argue about it to this very day. One thing is certain: it is not casual. On the comparatively small territory washed by the Black Sea and that of Azov there are plenty of rampart and moats overgrown with the hoary feather-grass and other remains of human hands creations as well - from the first stone implements to the medieval fortresses.

In ancient Greek myths, the Black Sea - then on the fringe of the Mediterranean world - was named Pontus Axeinus, meaning "Inhospitable Sea". Later explorations made the region more familiar, and, as colonies were established along the shores of a sea the Greeks, came to know as more hospitable and friendly, its name was changed to Pontus Euximus, the opposite of the earlier designation. The Turks, when they came to control the lands beyond the sea's southern shores, encountered only the sudden storms whipped up on its waters and reverted to a designation reflecting the inhospitable aspect of what they now termed the Karadeniz, or Black Sea.

The Crimean Peninsula, a popular vacation destination, is a large piece of land that juts south from Ukraine. Only the narrow Isthmus of Perekop links the peninsula to the mainland; Sivash lies between the mainland and peninsula and is separated from the Sea of Azov by a long sand spit, the Tonka of Arabat. The brines of Sivash are used to supply a chemical complex at Krasnoperekopsk on the Perekop Isthmus and Saki. The northern and central part of the Crimean Peninsula (some 75 percent of its total area) is a level plain of dry steppe with little surface water and is under intensive agriculture. Winter wheat, corn (maize) and sunflowers are the main crops. Additional water supplies are brought by canal from the Dnieper River at Kahovka. Most towns are engaged in processing farm produce, especially wine making. Heavier industry is concentrated in Kerch, a centre of large-scale iron-ore mining. Like the rest of Ukraine today, Crimea is undergoing serious economic hardships The narrow southern coastal plain has a warm climate and is a major health and holiday resort region.

Sevastopol, one of the best harbours in Ukraine, was long a Russian naval base. Simferopol is the city and administrative centre of Crimea. It lies along the Salgir River where it emerges from the Crimean mountains.

From low-lying coastal plains to the north, the peninsula rises gradually to the Crimean mountains on its southern coast. Mount Roman-Kosh, at 5,069 feet, is the Crimean Mountains' highest point. Dense forests of pine, oak and beech; grassy meadows dotted with wildflowers; flourishing vine- yards; and productive croplands all thrive in the peninsula's rich soil. In addition, the region has large deposits of limestone, marble and iron.

In antiquity it was known as the Tauric Chersonese, was settled by Greek colonists from the 6th century ВС onward, and Scythians occupied the interior. Later it came under the kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus, which eventually collapsed under the barbarian invasions. Long the home of the Crimean Tatars, with Bakhchisaray as their capital, the peninsula was annexed by Russia in 1783. Gregory Alexandrovich Potjomkin created the plans of annexation. After he became field marshal in 1784, he introduced many reforms into the army and built a fleet in the Black Sea,

Crimea has also had a bloody military history, with many Russian soldiers buried in its cemeteries. The Crimean War took place on the peninsula and in the Black Sea waters. From October 853 to February 1856, Russian troops fought against British, French, and Turkish forces, mainly over religious differences. Severe battles were fought at the Alma River, at Balaklava and at Inkennan. .

Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the British, French, and Turkish alliance controlled Crimea until Soviet troops took over the peninsula in 1921. Control changed hands again during World War II, with Germany occupation from 1941 to 1944. During the war, Yalta was the site of a historic conference of leaders of Allied forces - Prime Minister of Great Britain Churchill, President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt, and Josef Stalin of the Soviet Union.

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Crimean Peninsula has been a part of Ukraine. With adoption of the Constitution the Crimea has obtained its flag, coat of arms and anthem. The Flag of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea is a colour cloth consisting of three horizontal colour strips: blue, white, red. The coat of arms of the ARC resents a silver gryphon on the Varangian shield facing to the right and holding in its right paw an open silver shell with a blue pearl. The shield is crowned with the rising sun and circled by two white columns connected with a blue-white-and red band. On the band there is a motto: "Prosperity in Unity". The anthem of the ARC was composed by A.S.Karamanov,

Despite its turbulent history, Crimea is best known as a vacation spot. Its beauty, mild climate and mineral springs make it an ideal spot for the many resorts and health centers that lines its coasts.

1. Read and learn the words of the vocabulary by heart

2. Read the text, translate it into Russian

3. Answer the questions.

1. How was the Black Sea named in ancient Greek?

2. What are the brines of Sivash used?

3. What are the towns of the Crimea engaged in?

4. What is the highest point of the Crimean mountains?

5. Who annexed the peninsula in 1783?

6. What was the role of Yalta during the war?

7. Describe the flag of Crimea.

8. Describe the coat of arms.

9. Who composed the anthem of the Crimea?

10. Tell the story about any Crimean town you like most of all.

4. Retell the text.