Text 4. Russia Sightseeing

1. Какие достопримечательности России Вы бы посоветовали посетить зарубежным друзьям? Почему?

The official name of Russia is the Russian Federation. It is the largest country in the world. Russia is a country of a very rich history and culture. Architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin and the Red Square, walls and towers of the Golden Ring fortresses and monasteries, canals and bridges of St. Petersburg, as well as its beautiful palace-and-park ensembles - all represent Russia's unique historical monuments, many of which were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. I want to tell you about those sightseeing. First of all I want to tell some words about our capital – Moscow. Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is one of the oldest Russian cities. Moscow was founded in 1147 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky.
Moscow became the capital of the young Soviet Republic in 1918. Now it's the largest political, scientific and cultural centre. The population of Moscow is about 10 million people. There are more than 80 institutes of higher education in Moscow. The Moscow State University is the centre of our educational system.
There are many places of interest in Moscow. The Kremlin standing on the banks of the Moscow River is the oldest part of the city. It was built under the Tzar Ivan III in the fifteenth century. Moscow is famous for its theatres and museums. The Bolshoi and Maly Theatres, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Andrey Rublev Museum and others are well known all over the world.
The Moscow Metro is comfortable and very fast. The first line of the Moscow Metro was constructed in 1935. Since that time Muscovites have built many new lines and terminals.

2. Найдите в тексте эквиваленты слов и словосочетаний: Список культурного наследия, центр системы образования, москвичи, крепости и монастыри, на берегах Москвы реки, музей изобразительных искусств имени А. С. Пушкина, очень быстрое, были включены.

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the “Window to Europe”. Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the river Neva. The work was very hard, but St. Petersburg was changing gradually into the city of great beauty. Peter the Great invited several famous European architects (Rossi, Tresini) to build beautiful palaces, cathedrals, and churches. In 1724 St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia. A lot of wonderful buildings were constructed. The St. Petersburg’s palaces were equal to any in Europe.
When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name, St. Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the Great October revolution the city was renamed after Lenin. In 1918 the capital was transferred to Moscow. During the Great Patriotic war the city suffered a great deal during the siege. People died of starvation. Daily bombing and air raids destroyed parts of the city, thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years. In 1990-ies the city was given its old name, St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. The population of the city is over 5 million.
St. Petersburg is indeed a wonderful city. At every turn there is something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, Russian Museum, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every corner of the world.
The city is called Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. St. Petersburg is also famous for its beautiful White nights.

3. Найдите в тексте эквиваленты слов и словосочетаний: художественно – оформленные мосты, юбилей, на болотистой местности, в устье реки, соборы и церкви, на каждом шагу, разрушали, Адмиралтейство, был переименован, была переведена, пережил многое, во время осады, восстановление.

“The Golden Ring” is one of the oldest Russian routes. It goes to the north-east of Moscow and forms a circle. There are many interesting ancient Russian cities and towns along the way, full of history and unique Russian architecture of the XII-XVII centuries. The 'classical' route (counter clockwise) starts from Moscow, goes through Vladimir, Suzdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Rostov Velikiy, Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Sergiev Posad. All cities and towns are located relatively close to each other, the 'Golden Ring' forms a ring, so from one place you can reach to another and make a circle until you get back to the one you started with. Special

There are many other places of interest in Russia. The Lake Baikal was known as the "North Sea" in historical Chinese texts. The first Russian explorer to reach the Lake Baikal was Kurbat Ivanov in 1643. The lake Baikal is situated in a rift valley, created by the Baikal Rift Zone, where the crust of the earth is pulling apart. The lake is 636 kilometers long and 79 kilometers wide. The lake Baikal has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in Asia and is the deepest lake in the world. The deepest continental rift on the Earth is situated below the lake. In geological terms, the rift is young and active - it widens about two cm per year. The fault zone is also seismically active; there are hot springs in the area and notable earthquakes every few years.

4. Найдите в тексте эквиваленты слов и словосочетаний:

в китайских исторических текстах, первый русский мореплаватель расположено в рифтовой долине, кора земли, пресноводное озеро, зона разлома, сейсмоактивный, горячие источники землетрясения.

The Salt lake “Razval” in Sol'-Ilezk. Sol'-Ilezk is a small town in the Orenburg region, located near the border between Russia and Kazakhstan. The salt and mud lakes are the main town sights. In April 1906 the pit named “Razval” was flooded by spring freshet, later water turned into high concentrated leach possessing 305 g/l salinity. The structure of the leach is similar to a composition of underground mineral water of Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA), Solar Lake (Sinai Peninsula, Israel), medical springs in Wiesbaden (Germany), and Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan). The place is also famous for its perfect sweet melons and watermelons.

5. Найдите в тексте эквиваленты слов и словосочетаний: грязь, затоплен, карьер, рапа, дыни и арбузы, весенние паводковые воды.

6. О каких достопримечательностях России Вы рассказали бы своим зарубежным друзьям? В каких местах Вы были? Какие города посетили?

Text 5.

1.Прочитайте тексты о выдающихся личностях Великобритании и угадайте, о ком идёт речь в каждом тексте.