Kyiv — the capital of ukraine

According to the chronicles Kyiv’s first citadel was built in the period from the sixth to eighth centuries. Kyiv bears the name of prince Kyi, who lived on the old Kyiv Hill in the sixth century. Under the rule of Yaroslav the Wise Kyivan Rus with Kyiv as its capital reached the height of its power. Nowadays Kyiv is a large political, industrial, scientific and cultural centre.

Its population is about 3 million. The city lies on both banks of the Dnieper. Kyiv is a garden city; only a seventh part of its territory is occupied by buildings. Kyiv has a well-developed industry. Its factories and plants produce sea and river transport vessels, air liners, computers, motorcycles, consumer goods. Kyiv is also one of the largest scientific centre’s.

The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and many research institutes are famous for their discoveries. More than 10 000 students study at Kyiv Shevchenko National University.

There are over 20 higher educational establishments in Kyiv. Kyiv is also the centre of political life in Ukraine. All major political events take place here. Kyiv is the largest ancient centre of national Ukrainian culture. There are 20 museums, 1300 libraries, 41 theatres, 121 parks.

Kyiv is growing and is being built, it also becomes younger and more beautiful.

Foreign languages

Foreign languages are absolutely necessary for us nowadays because of our growing international contacts with all the countries of the world.

There are many reasons why we begin the study of a foreign language. One of them is to be able to communicate with other people who use this language. We may be planning to travel in one or two countries where the language is spoken. If we know the language of a foreign country, we can talk to its people and understand what they are saying to us. If we are working in any branch of science, we naturally wish to read scientific books and magazines in other languages. Making business nowadays also means knowing foreign languages because of the growing international business contacts. Knowing foreign languages helps people of different countries to develop mutual friendship and understanding. We can also make our intellectual and cultural horizons wider through contacts with people of another culture. It is also very interesting to read foreign literature in the original. We can also read foreign newspapers and magazines and to understand films in foreign languages without any help.

Learning foreign languages is compulsory in all the secondary and higher schools in our country. English is a very popular language. People use it in many parts of the world and there is a lot of business correspondence and literature in English.

I think, it is very important to know at least one foreign language — English, German, French, Spanish or any other one.

Ukrainian cuisine

Ukrainian cuisine has long been noted for its appetizing variety of dishes. These dishes have been devised not only from a wide choice of products, but by combining different recipes and by preparing them in varied ways. For instance, the popular Ukrainian borsch has as many as 20 ingredients; in preparing it the ingredients are boiled as well stewed.

Many meat and fish dishes are fried, stewed and so on, to give them an original taste, flavor and succulence.

Many dishes in Ukrainian cuisine are stuffed or larded. Especially tasty are dishes with meat and vegetables; cabbage rolls,' beef and mushrooms stewed in casseroles, home-made Ukrainian sausages with onion, potato rolls stuffed with mushrooms, and others.

Ukrainian dishes made from poultry are very popular, for instance Cutlets a la Kiev.

Ukrainian national cuisine is rich in dishes and in a variety of delicacies made from flour. The most popular are vareniki, mlintzi, buckwheat bread, etc.

Ukrainian cuisine is also rich in fruit and berry desserts and drinks. For centuries Ukrainians have prepared their own drinks: homemade nalivkas (fruit liquor), brandies, varenukhas, tertukhas, kvass, and uzvarets.

The development of the food industry, a new variety of farm products led to inventing new dishes. Despite the use of new products, kitchen-laboratory combined recipes and industrial technology of food preparation, the national essence of Ukrainian dishes has been preserved.

As a result of close economic, cultural and trade ties, a number of dishes of different nations from all over the world have been introduced into Ukrainian cuisine. And many Ukrainian dishes I borsch, vareniki, larded meat, home-made sausage, stuffed fish and others are especially popular abroad.