A great source of knowledge and information

Getting higher than the sky

The fresh air producer

Famous for its size

Named after a famous scientist

Spoken all over the world

A.          

Russia, also officially known as the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world. Its territory is 17,075,400 square kilometers. According to scientists, the country’s territory would almost cover the surface of the planet Pluto. It is the only country which is washed by 3 oceans and 12 seas. Russia is considered to be a European country, but two-thirds of the country are in Asia. However, most of the population lives in the European part of Russia.

B.           

Siberian Lake Baikal is the largest source of fresh water on the planet. All the 12 major rivers of the world (the Volga, the Don, the Yenisei, the Ob, the Ganges, the Amazon, etc.) would need to flow almost a year to fill a pool equal to the volume of Lake Baikal. Another impressive fact is that even if all the rest of the planet’s fresh water supply were to disappear, there would be enough fresh water left in Lake Baikal to supply the people of the earth for up to 50 years.

C.           

Russia is the country with the largest forest reserves in the world. 45% of its territory is covered in green forests. The forests are located in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East. Forests play an important role in the life and welfare of people. Russian forests are the biggest ‘lungs’ of the Earth. They produce oxygen and clean the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

D.          

There are more than five thousand languages in the world. Russian is one of the five major world languages. 280 million people around the world speak Russian and it is one of the most widely spoken native languages in Europe. The United Nations uses Russian as one of the official languages of the organization. It is also used in international commerce, politics, academic and cultural life.

E.           

For its collection of books, the Russian State Library is considered to be the biggest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The Russian State Library was founded in 1862, in Moscow. The library has over 275 km of shelves with more than 43 million items, including books, journals and magazines, art publications, music scores and sound records, maps and other things. There are items in 247 languages of the world.

F.           

Russia is known all over the world for its space programmes. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite in the world. Four years later, in 1961, human space flight was accomplished. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man to journey into space. He orbited the Earth and landed the same day. There are other impressive space achievements of the country like the first long space flight, the first woman cosmonaut in space, and the first spacewalk.

G.          

One of the most popular souvenirs tourists buy in Russia is the Matryoshka. It is a doll made of wood and painted with colourful ornaments. Although the Matryoshka is called a doll, it is actually a set of dolls of different sizes placed inside one another. A traditional Russian Matryoshka has big black eyes, red healthy cheeks and a friendly smile. She wears a national Russian costume, and often has some flowers or a basket of fruit in her hands.

 

Чтение 68.

Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами A–G, подберите соответствующий заголовок, обозначенный цифрами 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании есть один лишний заголовок.

 

A place to learn about the traditional craft

Strict rules to follow

The local crafts festival

The origin of the name     

A special and recognizable design

Good for medical use

Geographical location

A wide choice to offer

A.          

Gzhel is a famous type of Russian ceramics. It comes from the region with the same name, which is situated about sixty kilometers away from Moscow. Gzhel is not one place, to be exact. There are about 27 villages in the area which are involved in Gzhel ceramic production. The place can be easily reached by railroad and it is often visited by tourists.

B.           

It is believed that the place where Gzhel ceramics is produced, was named after the river Gzhelka, a small river flowing through the area. However, linguists still argue about where the word comes from. Some of them say it has Baltic roots. Others claim that the name is connected with the technological process. The word gzhel is similar to an old Russian word which means burn. Indeed, the clay should be burnt to become hard before it is good enough for pottery.

C.           

The clay production in Gzhel started to develop in the 17th century when the Russian monarch ordered the delivery of different sorts of clay to Moscow. Gzhel clay was found to be the best for making pots and containers for pharmacies. The doctors and pharmacists valued it a lot. They preferred to keep most of the medicine and herbs in ceramic pots to keep them fresh and effective for a long time.

D.          

By the 19th century, the Gzhel industry had become a profitable business. About twenty-five factories were producing all sorts of cups and plates, decorations and toys. Shiny white horses, birds and dolls became really famous. Dinner sets were popular with rich people and even with monarchs. Official sets contained up to eighty items. However, the largest dinner set was designed for a hundred and fifty people.

E.           

Gzhel ceramics can be easily identified by its beautiful white and blue coloured decoration. White means pure snow and moonlight. Light and dark blue symbolize the calm sky and rivers. Though the images on ceramics are usually flowers, they are all unique. Every item is a handmade picture with a unique combination of lines. Blue and white Gzhel ceramics are well-known all over the world.

F.           

You may think that Gzhel painters create their works freely, using their imagination. Although the talent of an artist and creativity are certainly important, the painter needs to follow a very strict technological scheme. Each ornament represents an image or a story that is given a code. All the codes are listed in catalogues and kept in the factory library. Technologists use catalogues to modernize production and organize training for new painters.

G.          

The Gzhel museum is a special attraction. The finest items from the 15th century to the present are displayed there. The collection of the museum contains about two thousand pieces and presents a great variety of bowls, vases, tea sets, toys and statutes. The place is good for a family day out – apart from enjoying the displays and buying souvenirs, you can watch the production process or take classes in sculpture or painting.

Чтение 69.

Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами A–G, подберите соответствующий заголовок, обозначенный цифрами 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании есть один лишний заголовок.

1. The future of the Olympic City

2. Where the name comes from

3. Mentioned in myths

4. Suitable for summer and winter sports          

5. The sports festival

6. A Russian resort

7. Getting ready for the great sports event

8. Famous for its collection of plants

A.          

Sochi is the second longest city in the world stretching for 145 kilometers along the shores of the Black Sea. The city is located at the same latitude as the world famous resorts of Cannes, San-Remo and Nice, and has the same weather conditions, that’s why it’s also called the Russian Riviera. Sochi is one of very few cities in Russia where you can see real palms, eucalyptus, magnolias and fruit, such as figs and grapes, which is not typical of the average cold Russian climate.

B.           

Sochi is a relatively new name for the city. It was first called Sochi in 1896. The first Russian settlement on the site was called Fort Alexander. Historians say that the word Sochi has two possible meanings. It could be a variation of the term sshatche which was used by the local people to mean place by the sea. It is also believed that Sochi comes from shacha which locals used to mean sell a head because it used to be where slave markets were held.

C.           

Sochi is situated between the sea and mountains which creates a very favourable climate. The sea warms the coast, and the mountains protect the city from the cold north winds. Sochi's summer is associated with the long swimming season. Winter temperatures are not often below 12 ºC, and ice hockey, figure skating, curling and speed skating are usually arranged as indoor events. However, up in the mountains it is much colder and there’s lots of snow, especially in February and March.

D.          

For several years Sochi and its citizens carefully prepared for the Olympic Games. The competitions were organised in two clusters: a coastal cluster for ice events in Sochi, and a mountain cluster located in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains. The mountain cluster hosted skiing and sliding sports. It took around 30 minutes to travel from the coastal to mountain cluster. Construction of the Olympic clusters took 7 years.

E.           

Ancient Rome and Athens aren’t the only places where Greek gods lived and performed their remarkable feats. It is known that Odysseus, a legendary Greek king of Ithaca, met his enemy, the one-eyed Cyclops, in Sochi. The city was also the site where Prometheus was chained and tortured. He was punished for granting fire to humans. Today a statue of Prometheus is placed on the top of Eagle’s Rock.

F.           

The Sochi botanic garden history goes back to the end of the 19th century. It is believed to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Russia. Over 1800 kinds of unique plants grow there. You can see the flora of various regions: China, Australia, South and North America, the Caucasus etc. The garden is located on a hillside and has two levels, from the top of which an impressive view can be seen.

G.          

The XXII Olympic Winter Games, a major international multi-sport event, were held in Sochi in 2014. It was the second Olympics in Russia after the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The Olympics in Sochi were distinguished primarily by the fact that these were the first winter games carried out in a city with a sub-tropical climate. 2780 athletes from different countries took part in the 98 events of the Games.

 

Чтение 70.

Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами A–G, подберите соответствующий заголовок, обозначенный цифрами 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании есть один лишний заголовок.

 

Adding colours

A craftsman’s present