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Министерство образования Республики Беларусь

УО «Белорусский государственный экономический университет»

И.Н. Чугай belarus. Belarusian economy беларусь. Белорусская экономика

Минск 2010

Рецензент: зав. кафедрой теории и практики английской речи, кандидат филологических наук, доцент Солонович Т.Ф.

Рекомендовано кафедрой теории и практики английской речи БГЭУ

Чугай И.Н.

Беларусь. Белорусская экономика. = Belarusian Economy: Электронное учеб.-метод. пособие / И.Н. Чугай.– Минск: БГЭУ, 2010. – 32 с. (1,75 усл. печ. л.)

Учебно-методическое пособие содержит тексты для изучающего и ознакомительного чтения, комплекс упражнений и заданий для формирования англоязычных коммуникативных навыков студентов на материале темы «Беларусь. Белорусская экономика». Предназначено для студентов БГЭУ дневной формы обучения.

Belarus. Belarusian economy

GETTING STARTED

Review some background information about the Republic of Belarus.

Location Eastern Europe. Borders Russian Federation, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. The country is completely landlocked.

Size Total state border length 2,969km; area 207,600km2; maximum width west to east 650km; length 560km north to south

Geography Lowland terrain, with a mean elevation above sea level of only 160m, the highest point being 345m. Natural vegetation over nearly 70% of area, of which 38% is forest. Also 20,000 rivers and streams and 11,000 lakes, with significant areas of marsh territory.

Climate Moderately continental, with cold winters and warm summers. Average temperature January -6.7°C, July I7.8°C. Annual rainfall 550-750mm.

Status Republic

Administrative divisions Six regions (oblasts), comprising 118 administrative districts

Capital city Minsk

Other major cities Gomel, Brest, Vitebsk, Grodno and Mogilev

Population 9,480,000 (2009), (density 49/km2)

People Ethnic Belarusians (81%), Russians (I 1%), Poles (4%), Ukrainians (2%) and the remaining 2% comprising Jews, Lithuanians, Tatars, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Latvians, Koreans, Germans, Georgians, Ossets, Moldavians and traveling people

Life expectancy Male 64 years, female 75 years (2006 estimates)

Languages Belarusian and Russian have equal status as state languages

Religion Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholicism and Judaism

Economy Largely unchanged since Soviet times and currently around 80% state controlled

GDP BYR136 billion in total, BYR14 million per capita (2009 estimates)

National airline/airport Belavia/Minsk International

Currency Belarusian rouble (BYR)

Exchange rate £1 = BYR 5,100, US$ 1 = BYR 2,970, € 1 = BYR 3,980

(January 2010)

International dialing code +375

Flag Two broad horizontal stripes of red and green, red being double the area of green, with traditional patterning of red on a white border down the left-hand side

National anthem Мы, Беларусы ('We Belarusians')

National flower Flax

National bird/animal Black stork/European bison

National sport Ice hockey

Public holidays I January (New Year's Day), 7 January (Orthodox Christmas), 8 March (Women's Day), Orthodox Easter, Catholic Easter, I May (Labour Day), 9 May (Victory Day, a glorious celebration of the end of the 'Great Patriotic War'), 3 July (Independence Day), 7 November (October Revolution Day), 25 December (Catholic Christmas) and Radunitsa (Ancestors' Remembrance Day) on the ninth day after Orthodox Easter

USEFUL VOCABULARY

Use a dictionary to check the meaning and pronunciation of these words.

abundance n

account v

aggregate v

annual a

arable a

astonishingly adv

attach v

attributable a

average a

barely adv

boundary n

census n

comprise v

conservation n

contribute v

deplete v

elevate v

emerge v

encounter v

enhance v

enterprise n

equal a

estimate v

exclude v

extraction n

fertilizer n

frequently adv

involvement n

irrelevant a

maintain v

marshland n

measure n

notable a

peat n

performance n

personnel n

plain n

plentiful a

potash n

potassium n

precipitation n

private a

proficiency n

rank v

release v

reside v

resist v

robust a

share n

significant a

soil n

staple a

steady a

subsequent a

succeed v

sufficiently adv

surface n

surplus n

timber n

transition n

valley n

valuable a

vehicle n

2. Make sure you know the following acronyms and can translate them into Russian:

CIS- Commonwealth of Independent States;

EBRD- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;

FDI- foreign direct investment;

FEZ- Free Economic Zone;

GDP- Gross Domestic Product;

IMF- International Monetary Fund;

IT- information technology;

JSC- joint-stock company;

LLC- limited liability company;

NBRB- the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus;

OECD- Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development;

VAT- value added tax.

READING

Answer these questions and discuss them in small groups before you read the texts below.

  1. Where is Belarus situated?

  2. How does Belarus rank among the countries of the world in population and area?

  3. How many nationality groups are there?

  4. Can you describe the details of your local folklore?

  5. What are the official languages of Belarus?

  6. What Belarusian places of interest do you know?

  7. Is our country rich in history?

  8. When did Belarus proclaim its independence?

  9. How is the President elected?

  10. What do you know about the government of the country?

  11. What are the major problems facing Belarus?

Text 1

  1. Read the text attentively and explain the meanings of the words in bold type.