Ann and Kate are pen friends. Ann lives in Sochi, Kate is from Omsk, they tell each other about their cities. Complete the dialogue according to the plan.

A: large city?

K: not the biggest city, but very-well known.

A: Sochi small, but one of the most popular.

K: geographical position, southern part of the West Siberian Lowland, the river Irtysh.

A: south of Russia, mountains, the Black sea.

K: continental climate, long severe winter, short summer

A: subtropical climate, wet air, no snow

K: light and food industry

A: country’s main resort area, big port

K: saturated cultural life, museums, theatres, festivals

A: “a city of summer joy”, Sochi Olympic Games 2014

HOLIDAYS IN RUSSIA

1. Read and translate the text given below:

There are many national holidays in Russia, when people all over the country do not work and have special celebrations.

The major holidays are: New Year's Day, Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day, and Independence Day.

The first holiday of the year is New Year's Day. People see the new year in at midnight on the 31st of December. They greet the new year with champagne and listen to the Kremlin chimes beating 12 o'clock.

There are lots of New Year traditions in Russia. In every home there is a New Year tree glittering with coloured lights and decorations. Children always wait for Father Frost to come and give them a present. Many people consider New Year's Day to be a family holiday. But the young prefer to have New Year parties of their own.

A renewed holiday in our country is Christmas. It is celebrated on the 7th of January. It's a religious holiday and a lot of people go to church services on that day.

On the 8th of March we celebrate Women's Day when men are supposed to do everything about the house and cook all the meals.

The greatest national holiday in our country is Victory Day. On the 9th of May, 1945, the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War ended. This year we will celebrate the 67th anniversary of this great event. A magnificent memorial on Poklonnaya Gora has been built to commemorate the Victory. Many veterans took part in the military parade and laid wreaths on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All stood in silence for a minute. Radio and television broadcast popular war songs all day long. A lot of guests from different countries of the world came to Moscow to participate in the celebrations.

Independence Day is a new holiday in our country. On the 12th of June, 1992, the first President of Russia was elected.

We also celebrate Day of the Defender of Motherland on the 23d of February, Easter, Day of Knowledge and lots of professional holidays which are not public holidays and banks, offices and schools do not close.

Names

Independence Day — День независимости

Christmas— Рождество

Easter— Пасха

Father Frost — Дед Мороз

Day of Knowledge— День знаний

 

Vocabulary

celebration— празднование

to see the new year in — встречать новый год

to greet— встречать (возгласами, аплодисментами)

champagne— шампанское

chimes— куранты

to beat (beat, beaten)— бить, отбивать

a New Year tree — новогодняя елка

to consider— считать

renewed— возобновленный, восстановленный

religious— религиозный service ['sa:vis] — служба

ally— союзник

to defeat— наносить поражение, разбивать

fascist— фашист anniversary £smiva:sari] — годовщина

magnificent— великолепный, величественный

memorial— памятник, мемориал

to commemorate the Victory — вознаменование победы military— военный

to lay a wreath— возложить венок

to broadcast (broadcast, broadcast)— передавать (по радио, телевидению), вещать, вести передачу

to participate — принимать участие

to elect— избирать

 

2. Give Russian equivalents:

National holidays, special celebrations, major holidays, to see the new year in, to greet the new year with champagne, a renewed holiday, the Great Patriotic War, the greatest national holiday, to celebrate the anniversary, to commemorate the Victory, a magnificent memorial, to take part in the military parade, to participate in the celebrations, professional holidays.

3. Translate into English:

Семейный праздник, религиозный праздник, передавать по радио, День Независимости, День Победы, возложить венок, государственный праздник, профессиональный праздник, праздновать годовщину.

 

4. Answer the following questions:

1. What public holidays are celebrated in Russia?

2. What is your favourite holiday?

3. How is New Year's Day celebrated in your family?

4. Do you see new year in at home?

5. What New Year traditions do you know?

6. When is Christmas celebrated?

7. What holiday do we celebrate on the 8th of March?

8. What is the greatest national holiday in our country?

9. Why is the 9th of May so sacred (священный) for the Russian people?

10. What other Russian holidays do you know?

Moscow

1. Read and translate the text given below:

Moscow, one of the biggest cities of the world, is the capital of Russia. Founded in 1147 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky Moscow has become the largest political, administrative, economic and cultural centre. It is the seat of the Russian Government. About 10 million people live in it now.

Moscow is also a large educational and scientific centre. The Academy of Sciences with its numerous research institutes, more than 80 higher educational institutions, thousands of public and scientific libraries, the oldest in Russia Moscow University, founded by Lomonosov in 1755 are located here.

The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It is here that the ancient Russian capital grew and developed. Moscow Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral are the most beautiful masterpieces of Russian architecture. Mausoleum and State History Museum, the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great (with 22 large and 30 small bells), Armoury (Oruzheinaya Palata), the Kremlin Palace of Congresses - all these you will find in Red Square and the Kremlin. Thousands of tourists come to Moscow to look at these beautiful works of Russian masters.

Five airports connect Moscow with different regions of our country and foreign countries as well. There are 9 railway stations in Moscow; about 1 million people come to Moscow every day. Moscow is a port of 5 seas. Day and night the work is going on in these ports - different cargoes from various parts of our country are loaded and unloaded here. All Muscovites are proud of Moscow Metro, a fast and reliable means of transport. The construction of Moscow Metro began in 1932 and since that time it has grown greatly. Now it has over a hundred stations. One can't help admiring beautiful ornaments of Metro stations; each station has its own ornament.

A great variety of branches of industry is represented in Moscow: automobile, electronics, aviation, radio-electronics, dairy and meat, chemical, shoe-making and many others. Production of Moscow plants and factories is well-known in our country and abroad. Moscow is a cultural centre of our country. Hundreds of museums, permanent exhibition halls, theatres, Palaces of Culture can be found there. Lots of libraries invite their readers, among them - the Lenin State Library, which contains over 22 million copies of different publications in 166 languages of the world.

The cultural life of the capital is very rich. A wonderful collection of world famous pictures by Repin, Levitan, Surikov and other well-known Russian artists is exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery. The Pushkin Art Museum possesses a good collection of foreign art masters. Coming to Moscow everybody is trying to visit museums of the Kremlin, the Andrey Rubliov Museum of Ancient Russian Art, the State History Museum, the Museum of Revolution, a Polytechnical Museum.

The Bolshoi Theatre is inseparably connected with the most glorious pages in the history of Russia. Among other theatres known all over the world are: the Maly Theatre, the Taganka Theatre, the Moscow Theatre of Satire, the Mime and Jesture Theatre and others.

In beautiful squares, parks one can see lots of monuments to famous Russian poets, writers: Pushkin, Lermontov, Zhukovsky, Vysotsky, etc.

 

2. Train pronunciation of the following words and learn them:

government -правительство

scientific -научный

research -исследование

ancient -древний

St.Basil's Cathedral -собор Василия Блаженного

masterpiece -шедевр

architecture -архитектура

Mausoleum -мавзолей

the Tsar Cannon -Царь Пушка

cargo -груз

load -грузить

reliable -надежный

admire -восхищаться

possess -обладать

inseperably -неотделимо

glorious -славный

 

3. Answer the following questions:

1. Who founded Moscow?

2. What is the population of Moscow?

3. What can you tell about Moscow as an educational and scientific centre?

4. What was founded in 1755?

5. What is the heart of Moscow?

6. Can you call any masterpieces of Russian architecture?

7. What can we see in Red Square?

8. How many airports are there in Moscow?

9. There are 9 railway stations in Moscow, aren't there?

10. Is Moscow a port?

11. Do you know anything about Moscow Metro?

12. How many stations are there in Metro?

13. What branches of industry are represented in Moscow?

14. What do you know about Moscow libraries?

15. Have you ever been to the Lenin State Library?

16. What is exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery?

17. What does the Pushkin Art Museum possess?

18. What Moscow museums do you know?

19. What theatres are known all over the world?

20. What can one see in squares and parks of Moscow?

 

4. Choose the word that best completes each sentence:

1. Moscow is the (seal, seat, seam) of the Russian Government.

2. Moscow is also a large educational and (scholastic, scrupulous, scientific) centre.

3. Five airports (connect, collect, correct) Moscow with different regions of our country and foreign countries as well.

4. The (colloboration, corpopation, construction) of Moscow Metro began in 1932.

5. A great variety of branches of industry is (reorganized, represented, reflected) in Moscow.

6. (Production, proportion, protection) of Moscow plants and factories is well-known in our country and abroad.

7. A wonderful (correction, collection, connection) of world famous pictures by Repin, Levitan, Surikov and other well-known Russian artists is exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery.

8. Art Museum (possesses, processes, proceeds) a good collection of foreign art masters.

 

5. Complete the following sentences using the words given below:

1.... of Moscow is Red Square.

2....... come to Moscow to look at these beautiful works of Russian masters.

3. There are 9...... in Moscow.

4. Each Metro station has its own....

5. Moscow is a... centre of our country.

6. Lots of libraries... their readers, among them - the Lenin State Library.

7. The Bolshoi Theatre is inseparably connected with the most...... in the history of Russia.

_____________________________________________________

glorious pages; cultural centre; thousands of tourists; invite; the heart; ornament; railway stations.

6. Translate from Russian into English:

1. Москва стала крупнейшим политическим, административным, эконо­мическим и культурным центром.

2. Около 10 миллионов человек жи­вут в ней сейчас.

3. Москва также является крупным образователь­ным и научным центром.

4. Именно здесь росла и развивалась древ­няя российская столица.

5. Днем и ночью продолжается работа в портах - разные грузы из различных районов нашей страны грузятся и разгружаются здесь.

6. Все москвичи гордятся московс­ким метро, быстрым и надежным видом транспорта.

7. Нельзя не вос­хищаться прекрасной отделкой станций метро, каждая станция имеет свой орнамент.

8. Приезжая в Москву, каждый стремится посетить музей Кремля, Музей древнего русского искусства Андрея Рублева, Государственный исторический музей, Музей Революции, Политехни­ческий музей.

7. Speak on:

1. Moscow as a centre of science, culture and education.

2. Red Square.

3. Means of communication.

4. Places of interest.

Make up a plan of the text.