Political system and national Symbols of the Russian Federation

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The Russian Federation is separated into eight federal districts: Central, Northwestern, Southern, North Caucasus, Volga district, Ural district, Siberian, and Far Eastern district. All those are governed by President’s representatives.

The state symbol of the Russian Federation is a three coloured banner. It has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one stands for the sky and the red one symbolizes liberty. It was approved by the Federal Assembly in 1991.

The Russian anthem ‘Russia, the holy State…” is written by A. Alexandrov (music) and S. Mikhalkov (words). A new national emblem of Russia (The Arms of Russia) is a double- headed eagle, which first came into use in the 1490s. The Coat-of –Arms of Russia is Our Lady of Vladimir.

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Заполните таблицу.

verb	noun (concrete)	noun (abstract)	participle / adjective
	organizer
		promotion
			governmental
represent

 

TEXT 2

The Flag of the Russian Federation

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1. What facts in the text "The Flag of the Russian Federation" were unknown for you?

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3. How was the flag of the Russian Federation used in old times?

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The flag of the Russian Federation  is a tricolor flag consisting of three equal horizontal fields; white on the top,blue in the middle and red on the bottom. The flag was first used as an ensign for Russian merchant ships and only became official in 1896. The flag continued to be used by the Russian Provisional Government after the Tsar was toppled in the February Revolution and was not replaced until the October Revolution which established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic - the world's first socialist state. From that time period, a red flag featuring the abbreviated name "RSFSR" (" РСФСР ") was used, until replaced in 1954 with the universal design of the Soviet flag with a blue stripe along the mast. In 1991 that the tricolour was brought back as the official flag of the new Russian Federation.

There was no universally accepted flag for Russia until the middle of the 17th century. The earliest mention of the flag occurs during the reign of Alexis I, and is related to the construction of the first Russian naval ship, the frigate Oryol. The choice of the colours may originate from the Dutch flag with red, white and blue stripes. As for the Tsar Peter the Great we know he was keenly interested in shipbuilding in the European style. In 1693, Peter ordered a Dutch-built frigate from Amsterdam. In 1694 when it arrived, the Dutch red-white-and-blue banner flew from its stern. Peter decided to remodel Russia's naval flag after this banner by changing the sequence of colours. It eventually became the flag of the Russian Empire. Later,on 7 May 1883 it was authorized to be used on land, and became an official National flag before the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896.

Задание 2. Выпишите слова, имеющие интернациональное значение. Переведите их.

 

Задание 3. Заполните таблицу.

verb	noun (concrete)	noun (abstract)	participle / adjective
	user
		establishment
			educative
federate

Some Facts from the Flag History

There exist several versions of the Russian tricolor flag. They say that the three colours may come from the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which depict Saint George wearing white (silver) armor, riding a white horse,having a blue cape and holding a blue shield on a red field. According to another version, these three colours were associated with the robes of the Virgin Mary, the holy protectress of Russia. Yet another interpretation of the three colours is that the order in which they are placed reflects the Russian social system under the monarchy: white represents God, blue the Tsar and red the peasants. Another very common interpretation is the association of colours with the main parts of the Russian Empire: white representing Belarus ("White Russia"), blue Ukraine (or Malorossia, "Little Russia"), and red "Great Russia". The National Flag Day is an official holiday in Russia, established in 1994. It is celebrated on 22 August,though it is not a day-off.