Russian Cities: Moscow

Moscow was founded in 1147 on the Moskva River by Prince Yuri Dolgoruki. In the 16-th century Tsar Ivan the Terrible made Moscow the capital of the country. Today Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world. It is a big political, economic and cultural centre of Russia. The total area of Moscow is about nine hundred square kilometres and the population is about eleven million people.  The centre of Moscow is Red Square, which is the most popular sight for tourists. It is a place for parades, demonstrations and meetings. In Red Square there is St. Basil's Cathedral, a masterpiece of Russian architecture, erected in memory of Russia's victory over the Kazan Kingdom in the 16-th century. Tourists can see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky in front of the Cathedral. It is the oldest monument in Moscow built in memory of the victory over the Polish invaders. The State History Museum is situated opposite St. Basil's Cathedral. It is one of the biggest museums in Moscow.

On the territory of the Kremlin, which is the heart of Moscow, there are old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congress, the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. The tallest tower, the Spasskaya lower, is the symbol of the Kremlin. Alexandrovsky Garden with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial to the soldiers died in World War II.

   Moscow is a big cultural centre of Russia. There are a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, numerous drama and musical theatres, including world famous ones like the Bolshoi Theatre and the Maly Theatre.

Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl is an ancient city to the north of Moscow. It was founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. There is an old beautiful legend about the foundation of Yaroslavl. Once Prince Yaroslav with his warriors came to the place where the Kotorosl River flowed into the Volga. The Prince liked the place, but the pagans who lived there didn't like this invasion and let their sacred bear kill the Prince, but Yaroslav fought against the sacred animal and killed it with his pole axe. Then he founded the fortress and it was called Yaroslavl and the coat of arms of the town was a bear with a pole axe on its shoulder.

Yaroslavl has the rich historic past. It saw the Tatar invasion, the Polish intervention, was damaged during the Revolution and suffered a lot. But in spite of all these difficult periods of history it has remained magnificently beautiful and it is one of the greatest attractions for tourists. Yaroslavl is one of the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia. The first Russian theatre was built in Yaroslavl by Feodor Volkov. In 2005 Yaroslavl became a member of UNESCO because of its wonderful architecture and rich history

Saint Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the ‘Window on Europe’. St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1712 till 1918. The city was built on the swampy land at the mouth of the River Neva. Prominent European and Russian architects worked here. The new capital grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. There are over 80 museums, more than 20 theatres, a lot of exhibitions, clubs, universities, colleges, schools and parks. The Alexandrinski Drama Theatre, the Bolshoi Drama Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet are pearls of the Russian art. The city is often called the Venice of the North because there are 65 rivers and canals with artistically decorated cast iron bridges. One of the most beautiful is the Anichkov Bridge.

Exercise 2 Answer the following questions.

1. What is the capital of Russia? 2. When was it founded? 3. What is the centre of Moscow? 4. When was founded Yaroslavl? 5. Has it a rich historic past? 6. Who built the first theatre in Yaroslavl? 7. When did Yaroslavl become the member of UNESCO? 8. When was St. Petersburg founded? 9. What theatres are there in St. Petersburg? 10. How is the city often called?

Exercise 3 Translate and memorize the following expressions from the text

To be founded, total area, popular sight for tourists, masterpiece of architecture, be erected, the victory over invaders, opposite the cathedral, sacred bear, pole axe, on its shoulder, the greatest attraction, its wonderful architecture, rich history, wealth and beauty, artistically decorated, iron bridges.

Exercise 4 Find synonyms among the following words.

To be established, to construct, to be situated, beautiful, to be known for, famous, outstanding, to be named after, to contain, marvelous, to bear the name of, hungry, to struggle against, to be famous for, to build, big, quickly, to include, to be founded, to be located, to rebuilt, prominent, to fight against, huge, rapidly.

Exercise 5 Write a summary of the text, presenting the content of each paragraph in 2-3 sentences. Use the expressions:

The main idea of the text is ... The text deals with one of the most important (urgent) issues ... Much attention (consideration) is given to (classification, description) ... It focuses on the matters of ... The text gives an overview of ... The text is mainly concerned with ... The aim of the survey is to show (demonstrate, find)... Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of… The text gives a detailed analysis of (reports on) ... To sum up ... In conclusion ...

Индивидуальное задание для студентов заочного отделения к курсу

«Английский язык»

Вариант № 12/1c

Exercise 1 Read the text and translate it in written form.