Quiz: How much do you know about Russia?

1. The official name of our homeland is....

a) Russia b) the Russian Federation C) the Republic of Russian Federation

2. There are... republics and 68 other regions in the Russian Federation.

a) 21 b) 12 c)17

3. The National Government of Russia consists of...

a) The President and Prime Minister b) The President and the Council of Ministers

c) The President, the Council of Ministers and the Federal Assembly

4. There are... Houses in the Federal Assembly.

a) two b) three c) four

5. The lower House of the Federal Assembly is...

a) The State Duma b) the Council of Ministers c) the Federal Council

6. The population of Russia is about...

a) 148000000 b) 48000000 c) 548000000

7. Russia is a land of over... nationalities,

a) 10 b) 100 c)1000 d)200

8. The five ancient Russian towns which are known as Zolotoe Koltso (the Golden Ring) include Rostov, Suzdal, Vladimir and...

a) Tver b) Smolensk c) Yaroslavl

9. The original name of the city founded on the Neva banks by Peter the Great was...
a) Petrograd b) St. Peterburg c) Leningrad

Read and translate the text

SIBERIA

Siberia is an enormous area in north Asia spreading from the Urals in the west to mountainous ridges of the Okhotsk Sea coast in the east, from the Arctic Ocean in the north to borders with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China in the South.

Three great rivers, the Ob, the Enisei and the Lena, flow of the territory of Siberia. The world oldest and deepest lake Baikal is found here. The world greatest lowland, the West-Siberian Plain, covers 2,7 million km of Siberian's territory. About a half of the planet's boreal forests grow here. Here is the world largest natural forests-swamp complex. Mountainous massif and highlands occupy large areas in Eastern Siberia. Mountain system border Siberia from the west, the east and the south, enclosing it from cyclones of the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.

In Siberia, latitudinal zoning of natural landscapes is well expressed. from the north to the south, tundra passes into boreal forests, forest-steppe. Mountains, characterized by vertical zoning of climate and biota, frame these landscape.

Common points for the whole Siberia are an extreme continental and often cold climate and vast permafrost areas.

The area of Siberia is greater than one-half of the area of the Russia Federation, almost equal to the area of Europe, almost a quarter of the entire Asia or 1/15 of the whole land of the Earth. In dimensions, population density and climatic conditions, Siberia is mostly similar to Canada.

Its population, residing mainly along the Trans-Siberian Railway and in the south, amounts to 15% of the whole Russia population. It is the most northern, the coldest and the least populated part of Siberia that is fraught with immense natural riches.

One of the most attractive places in Siberia is a Lake Baikal. Baikal is one of the most interesting water reservoirs in the world. Baikal has a surface equal to the territory of Belgium and Holland taken together. For its area Lake Baikal is the eighth in the world. But it is the world's deepest lake, and because of its immense depth of up to 1,620 meters it holds 23,000 cubic kilometres of water-more than Baltic Sea and nearly as much as the Great Lakes of America. Baikal is the largest fresh-water reservoir on the globe, holding almost o fifth of its total amount.

The people of Siberia habitually refer to Baikal as «the sea».

Development of Siberia, since its joining Russia in late XVI century has always been associated with exploitation of its natural resources: first fur, then lands and noble metals, now mostly raw materials and power resources.

 

Supplementary reading

Translate into English

- Россия - самая большая страна в мире с общей площадью около 17 миллионов квадратных км., расположенная в Восточной Европе и северной части Азии.

- Россия протянулась от Атлантического до Тихого океана и от Северного Ледовитого океана до Черного моря на юге.

- Волга, крупнейшая река России, впадает в Каспийское море.

- Среди крупнейших горных цепей России - Урал, отделяющий Европу от Азии.

- На территории страны существуют все типы климата, кроме тропического.

- Западная Сибирь богата такими полезными ископаемыми, как железная руда, уголь и нефть.

- Правительство Российской Федерации состоит из законодательной, исполнительной и судебной властей, подконтрольных президенту.

- Россия - президентская республика, законодательная власть принадлежит Федеральному Собранию.

- Государственным символом России являются флаг, гимн и герб. Столица России Москва - промышленный и культурный центра, местонахождение правительства Российской Федерации.

Vocabulary

 

Siberia Asia spread(n) the Urals the Okhotsk Sea the Arctic Ocean Kazakhstan Mongolia China the Enisei (Yenisei) the Lena the Baikal the West-Siberian Plain massif (n) cyclone (n) the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean extreme continental permafrost (adj) Europe dimensions (n) population density (n) the Trans-Siberian Railway be fraught with (adj) immense (adj) join (v) fur (n) noble metal power resources (n) depend on (v) the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of sciences

Сибирь Азия простираться Уральские горы Охотское море Северо-Ледовитый океан Казахстан Монголия Китай р. Енисей р. Лена оз. Байкал Западно-Сибирская низменность горный массив циклон Атлантический океан Тихий океан резко континентальный вечная мерзлота Европа объём, размеры плотность населения Транссибирская ж/д магистраль быть полным необъятный, огромный присоединяться мех благородный металл энергетические ресурсы зависеть от Сибирское отделение Российской Академии наук

 

Questions

1. What can you say about the position of Siberia?

2. What are the Siberian main rivers?

3. Lake Baikal is the world’s largest fresh water lake, isn’t it?

4. Can you say some words of its climate?

5. How large is Siberia?

6. What part of its territory is mostly populated? Why?

7. What is it rich in?

 

2. Make up your own sentences using the underlined wards:

a) Siberia spreads from the Urals to the Okhotsk sea in the East.

b) The world’s greatest and deepest lake Baikal is situated here.

c) The West-Siberian Plain covers 2.7 mln km.

d) In the north of Siberia permafrost areas are stretching.

e) The territory of Siberia is almost equal to the territory of Europe.

f) In population density and climatic conditions Siberia is similar to Canada.

g) Natural riches are founded in many parts of Siberia.

h) The future of this area depends on scientific and educational potential accumulated here.

 

3. Complete the sentences:

1. Siberia is an enormous area…

2. Mountain systems border Siberia…

3. From the north to the south…

4. In dimensions, population density…

5. But it is the world’s deepest lake…

6. The future of Siberia largely depends…

Novosibirsk

 

Vocabulary

Novosibirsk	Новосибирск
Siberian	Сибирский
is associated with	связанный с
the Trans-Siberian railway	транссибирская магистраль
giant	громадный, гигантский
industry - industrial	промышленность
produce	производить, выпускать
machine tool	станок machinery машины, машинное оборудование
electronic equipmentbl	электронное оборудование
junction	ж/д узел
scientific	научный
cultural	культурный
settlement	поселение
ballet	балет
philharmonic society	филармония
symphony orchestra	симфонический оркестр
icon	икона
sculpture	скульптура
choreographic	хореографический
State Scientific and Technical Public Library	Государственная публичная научно-техн. библиотека (ГПНТБ)
Siberian branch of the Russian	Сибирское отд. Российской
Academy of Sciences	академии наук (CO РАН)
throughout	повсюду
research	исследовательский

 

Exercises