The republic of belarus

1. Make sure that you know the words. Read the definitions and match the words and definitions:

ancestor, antiquity, invade, annex, remain, rapidly, declare, to last, former, independence, primordial, bondage

to enter a country; old times; to take control of the country; to continue for a particular period of time; existing at or from the beginning of the world; the state of being a slave or prisoner;

a person in your family who lived long ago; to say something officially or publicly; still to be present after the other parts have been removed, used; that used to exist in earlier times; done or happening very quickly; freedom from somebody’s control.

2.Read the text. Fill in the gaps with the words from ex. 1 Put some verbs into the past form. From the History of Belarus

Belarus is a new, sovereign state the history of which goes back to … . The first human being appeared on its territory about 120-140 thousand years ago. There are sites on the territory of Belarus dating 2600 years ago. The … of Belarusians who settled on the territory of present Belarus between the 6^th and 12^th centuries were Krivichi, Radimichi and Dregovichi. They lived in the basins of the Dnieper and the Zapadnaya Dvina rivers. They hunted, fished and farmed. These tribes were separate, but they needed in a united state. It was Kievskaya Rus that appeared at the beginning of the 9^th century.

In the 13^th century the Belarusian territories were swallowed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During this time Belarus was largely in peace, but the Lithuanian duchy was at war and by the 15th century the Grand Duchy of Lithuania spanned from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

Later, at the end of the 17^th century Belarusian people were placed in … to the Polish feudal lords who exploited them cruelly.

It was also … by the troops of the Swedish King Charles XII. In 1708 the Russian troops under the command of Peter the Great routed the Swedish troops and by the end of the 18^th century Belarus was … by Russia until the 1^st of January 1919 when the Byelorussian Socialist Republic was proclaimed.

In 1922 it became a member of the … USSR. In 1939 Western Belarus, occupied by Poland, joined Byelorussia. During that period new plants and factories were built, national arts and literature, science and education developed … .

But World War II broke out and in 1941 Byelorussia was occupied by Nazi Germany. Over one million buildings were destroyed and the human losses totaled over two million Belarusians. The occupation … till 1944. In post-war years Belarusian people restored ruined cities and towns, rebuilt plants. During that time Belarus became a major manufacturing center in the Western region of the USSR.

Belarus … itself sovereign on the 27^th of July 1990 and the former BSSR became the Republic of Belarus on the 25^th of August 1991, attaining full independence.

3. Work in pairs. Speak of the main steps in the history of our country to your partner matching the dates and the events and arranging the facts in the right order.

6^th -12^th centuries; 13^th century; 1708; January 1; 1919; 9^th century; the end of the 18^th century; 1922; 1941; July 27; 1990; 1939; 1944; August 25; 1991