Travelling

Travelling plays a very specific role in our modern world. Nowadays it has become a very versatile phenomenon, I mean purposes of travelling and means of transport. Hundreds years ago it took much time to get the place of one’s destination. Today it takes almost no time to get some far away country. Now you are in Moscow and some hours later in New York. Those who wish to travel for pleasure or on business have at their disposal various means of transport: planes, trains, ships, cars, bicycles; which to choose depends on your taste, money, purpose of travelling and so on.

But most of us prefer trains. As for me I prefer to travel by train. It goes quicker and makes fewer stops than a passenger train. The express it is the quickest train, it goes without stops. I am in the habit of travelling about our country during holidays. That is why I look forward to my vacations. It seems to me there is nothing more pleasant than to visit new places.

Last holiday I went to St Petersburg as a tourist. I was under great impression after my journey. At first I went to the booking office and bought a ticket for a fast train in a sleeper. I prefer to buy tickets beforehand because I hate the idea of waiting in a queue. It gets to my nerves.

On the day of my departure I went to the railway station. I consulted the train schedule because I was afraid to miss the train. At the booking stall I bought some newspapers and magazines to while the time during the journey. I had no many pieces of luggage with me because I prefer to travel light. My friend saw me off. The guard checked my ticket and I got in a train. I shared a compartment with three young people. I was lucky I had a lower birth. The guard boiled tea and gave bedding. Then I went to the dining car to have supper. After it I had a nice nap. Next day we arrived in St Petersburg. We had a jolly good time there but they say, “East or West home is best”!

Russian federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by 11 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic. Russia borders on many countries, e.g., China, Mongolia, Norway, Finland and many others. It also has a sea-border on the USA.

There is hardly a county in the world with such a variety of scenery and vegetation. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There are 2 great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over 2 million rivers in Russia. Europe’s biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers, the Ob, the Lena, the Yenisei, flow from the south to the north. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom. Our country has one-sixth of the world’s forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate: arctic, temperate, continental, subtropical. Russia is very rich in natural gas, oil, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russian Federation is a parliamentary republic. The Head of the state is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

Proper names:

Europe	[′ju(ə)rəp]	Европа
Asia	[′ei∫ə]	Азия
Pacific	[pə ′sifik]	Тихий океан
Atlantic	[ət ′læntik]	Атлантический океан
China	[′t∫ainə]	Китай
Mongolia	[moŋ ′gouliə]	Монголия
Norway	[′no: wei]	Норвегия
Finland	[′finlənd]	Финляндия
USA	[ju əs ei]	США
Urals	[′jurəlz]	Урал