Outstanding people of Russia

When we speak about outstanding people of Russian culture, we can’t but speak about opera and ballet, music, fine arts, literature and cinema.

As for the ballet, the Russian school of ballet is known for its well-trained and beautiful dancers, such as Anna Pavlova, Maya Plisetskaya, Vladimir Vasiliev and Rudolf Nuriev.

Russian opera is well-known too. Such masterpieces as “Ivan Susanin” and “Ruslan and Ludmila” by Glinka are amongst the best operas in the world.

Everybody can enjoy the great works of icon-painters Feofan Greek (the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin) and Andrei Rublev (the Trinity Monastery of St Sergius, Sergiev Posad and the Andronikov Monastery). Russian painters have always wanted to express the Russian soul and beauty of Russia in their pictures. Landscapes of I.Levitan and I.Shishkin, historical canvases of V.Surikov and I.Repin, mythological pictures of M.Vrubel and V.Vasnetsov charm the visitors of the museums.

Russian literature is known for its good style. Since the first printing-house of Ivan Fyodorov began to work we can’t imagine our life without books. We admire our writers – Denis Fonvizin, Nikolai Karamzin, Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Turgenev, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Our modern writers are appreciated in many countries too. For example, Vladimir Nabokov wrote the world-famous novel “Lolita”.

Verses of Russian poets, such as A.Pushkin, S.Yesenin, and V.Mayakovsky are translated into many languages. Russian poet Joseph Brodsky was awarded the Alfred Nobel Prize in 1987. We can be proud of other winners of the Alfred Nobel Prize. They are I. Bunin, B.Posternak, M.Sholokhov and A.Solzhenitsin.

The names of S.Eizenstein, A.Dovzhenko, S.Bondarchuk and N.Mikhalkov are well-known in the world of cinema.

Russian achievements in sport are great as well. Just remember the world chess champions Karpov, Kasparov, Russian figure skaters and many others.

Can you name other outstanding people?

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What’s the difference in meaning “to be famous, “to be a celebrity” and “to be outstanding”?

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STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on the topic “Famous people”.

Remember to talk about

§ What the advantages of being famous are

§ What the disadvantages of being famous are

§ A famous person you know

 

Answer the question:

Would you like to be famous? Why/ why not?

 

VOCABULARY EXERCISE

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

 

Interviews bodyguards break-up privacy

In the public eye autographs celebrity pressures

Entourage fans

 

Being famous, being a (a) _________ can mean wealth, recognition and being surrounded by an (b) _________ of helpers, secretaries and agents. It can mean giving (c) ________ to admiring (d) _________ and (e) _________ to the press. But being (f) __________ also has its disadvantages. Famous entertainers suffer from a lack of (g) __________. They need

(h) _________ to protect them. The constant (i) ________ on them can lead to the (j) ______ of their marriages. This is the price of fame.

WORD FORMATION

The life of a famous person

Many people who think they have a __________ (profession) future in films go to Hollywood only to find_______ (disappoint) instead of success. They often have to give up the more _______ (enjoy) aspects of their chosen career to play parts in ________ (advertise) because these provide _________ (finance) security – but they are not satisfying. For many actors, even basic _________ (survive) can be difficult. Some do not earn enough to pay their rent or ____________ (electric) bills, and the time and money they invest in the ________ (prepare) of a portfolio for interviews is often wasted. Of course there is a possible ___________ (explain) for why only 1% of actors are really __________ (succeed). There are just too many people who believe that their next __________ (perform) will be the one that makes them a star!

 

 

WRITING

С1

Personal Letter

This is a part of a letter from George, your English pen friend.

 

… At school we are doing projects on famous people in different countries. Could you tell me about famous Russian person? What is he or she famous for? Would you like to become famous? As for my school trip to London last week, it was wonderful…

 

Write back to George.

In your letter

§ answer all his questions.

§ ask 3 questions about his trip to London

Write 100-140 words.

Remember the rules of letter writing.

С2

GUIDED WRITING

 

Argumentative composition

1) Study the example and complete the exercises.

2) Underline the link words and expressions

3) Complete the gaps with the sentences A,B,C or D

Positive and negative aspects of being an actor.

Have you ever dreamt of being an actor? The acting profession may sound glamorous to most of us, but the truth is that there are advantages and disadvantages to a life in acting.

The main positive side of being an actor is that it is a creative job. 1_______As a result, many of them come to terms with the bad aspects of their character and develop the good ones. Furthermore, many people are impressed by actors. 2___________

However, the greatest drawback is lack of privacy. 3_________.What’s more, at the beginning of their careers they have to struggle with low pay and long hours. 4________

All in all, being an actor means little or no privacy and long hours of practice for little reward. However, it can help you discover many things about yourself and one day you might play the leading role in a film or in the theatre.

 

A They often envy their lifestyles and fame.

B For example, they have to go to a lot of auditions before they get a small part in a play or film.

C It’s quite common to see famous actors being mobbed by their fans while having dinner or coffee.

D An actor, by playing different characters during his/her career, has the chance to express different aspects of his/her own personality.

 

4) Replace the words / phrases from the text with the expressions listed.

 

To sum up, This way, One point of view in favor…, For instance, In addition to this, On the other hand, Finally

С2

Argumentative composition

 

Some people claim that being famous isn’t always easy and even can ruin a person’s life.

What is your opinion? Would you like to be famous?

 

Write 200-250 words.

Use the following plan

§ make an introduction. (state the problem)

§ express your personal opinion and give 2-3 reasons for your opinion

§ express an opposing opinion and give 1-2 reasons for this opposing opinion

§ express why you don’t agree with the opposing opinion

§ make a conclusion restating your opinion

.