A) Study the definitions of the words with similar meanings and think about their proper Russian equivalents

1. historic / historical

historic – [adj]

important in history, or likely to be considered important at some time in the future

In London you can see a lot of areas of special architectural or historic interest.

historical – [adj]

connected with history or with the past; connected with history as a subject of study; used for describing someone or something as they really existed in the past; historicalresearch / evidence / traditions / novel

Thepaintingdepictsanactualhistoricalevent.

Note: a historic event – an event which is well-remembered; a historical event – an event which took place in history.

2. leave / abandon

to leave – [v]

to go away from a person or a place

Theshipleftbeforedawn. My secretary has threatened to leave.

to abandon – [v]

to leave a person, especially someone you are responsible for; to go away from a place, especially because it is difficult or dangerous to stay there; to stop doing smth. or being involved in smth. because there are too many problems and it is impossible to continue; to leave something in a place, especially because you are in a hurry or are trying to escape

Hismotherabandonedhimwhenhewasfivedaysold. After 20 lessonsIfinallyabandonedmyattempttolearntodrive. Thestolencarwasabandonedonlyfivemilesaway.

3. coast / shore / beach / seaside

the coast – [n, singular]

an area of land beside a sea, used to talk about a country or a large part of a country

We were driving along the Californian coast, from San Francisco to LA. She lives in a small village on the south coast of England.

the shore – [n, singular]

the land along the edge of the sea or along the edge of the lake

We could see a boat about a mile from the shore. Theystayedinahotelontheshor e ofLake Geneva.

a beach – [n, C]

an area of sand or small stones beside a sea or a lake

IlikethekindofholidaywhereIcansitonthebeachforaweekanddonothing.

the seaside – [n, singular]

a place by the sea, especially a holiday resort

When I was little we used to go to the seaside most weekends.

4. repair / fix / decorate / redecorate / renovate / restore / maintain / mend

to repair – [v]

to mend smth. that is broken or damaged

Littleseemstohavebeendonetorepairthebridges.

repairs – [n, C, usually plural]

work that is done to fix smth., an act or result of repairing smth.

Howmuchwilltherepairscost?

to fix – [v]

to repair smth. that is broken or not working properly, especially a machine

The radio isn’t working – can you fix it? I have to get my car fixed.

to decorate – [v]

(BrE)to put paint or paper on the walls of a room

We decorated the kitchen last week.

to redecorate – [v]

to paint a room again or put new wallpaper on the walls

The paint on the wall in the cellar has chipped off, you should redecorate it.

to renovate – [v]

to make something old look new again by repairing and improving it, especially a building

The old hospital needs renovating.

to restore – [v]

to clean and repair something old and dirty or damaged so that it looks the same as it did originally

The church has now been beautifully restored.

to maintain – [v]

to make regular repairs to the building, road, vehicle etc. so that it stays in good condition

The house is large and difficult to maintain.

maintenance – [n, U]

regular work done to check and repair smth. so that it stays in good condition

Mr. White is responsible for the maintenance of the school buildings.

to mend – [v]

to repair smth. that is broken or not working, or smth. that has a hole in it

When are you going to mend the fence?

5. destroy / ruin / damage / harm / spoil / injure

to destroy – [v]

to damage smth. so badly that it cannot be repaired

The earthquake destroyed much of the city.

to ruin – [v]

to destroy or severely damage something so that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc.; to spoil something

You'll completely ruin the flowers if you touch them. They didn't want to be accused of ruining everyone's fun.

to damage – [v]

to cause physical harm to something, so that it no longer looks good or works properly; to have a bad effect on something, in a way that makes it weaker, less effective, or less successful; Synonym: to harm

Don’t put any hot pans on the table – you’ll damage the surface. The scandal will damage the company’s reputation.

damage / harm – [n, U]

the serious problems that smth. causes for a person, organization etc.; to do harm / damage

If you keep criticizing children, it can do a lot of harm. Once the damage is done, even modern surgery can’t undo it entirely.

to harm – [v]

to damage smth; to have a bad effect on something, in a way that makes it weaker, less effective, or less successful; Synonym: to damage

Too much direct sunlight will harm the plant.

If the peace talks fail, it will harm the President’s chances of being re-elected.

to spoil – [v]

to affect something in a way that makes it worse, less attractive, or less enjoyable

Radio towers spoilt the view. Don’t let him spoil your evening.

to injure – [v]

to cause physical harm to someone or to yourself, for example in an accident or an attack; to be injured

One of the players injured his knee and had to be carried off.

6. cause / reason

a cause (of) – [n, C]

a person, event, or thing that makes smth. happen

What was the cause of the fire? The doctor recorded the cause of death as heart failure.

a reason (for / why / that) – [n, C]

the cause or explanation for smth. that has happened or that someone has done; a reason for / why / that

The only reason I went was that I wanted to meet your friends. What are your reasons for leaving the job?

b) Fill in the gaps choosing an appropriate word in the correct form:

1. historic / historical

1. The cathedral isamajor __________ monument.

2. Touristsliketovisit__________monumentssuchasStonehengeandWestminsterAbbey.

3. You must place these events in their __________context.