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ENGLISH FOR SURVIVAL

UNIT 1. UKRAINE

Pre-reading task

What comes to your head when you think about Ukraine? Draw a mind-map with the word UKRAINE (which presents a topic) with the associations you have about this country and explain why you have them.

 
 

 

 


Name the countries Ukraine borders on and brainstorm information you will need to present your country.

TEXT 1

Studythe definitions of the following words.

Populous – an area that has a large population in relation to its size.

Barrier – a physical objects that keeps two areas, people apart.

Plateau – a large area of flat land that is higher than the land around it.

Meadow – a field with wild grass and flowers.

Fertile – land or soil which is able to produce good crops.

Elevation – a height above the level of the sea.

Invasion – the arrival or presence in a place of a lot of people or things often where they are not wanted.

Irrigation – the supply of land or crops with water.

Tributary – a stream or river that flows into a larger river.

Drought – a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live.

If a person were asked to name the second largest country in Europe, his/her answer most likely would be France or Germany. People might be surprised to find out, however, that neither answer is correct. The country in that position is Ukraine, a rich and populous state, but one about which most of the world knows either nothing or just a little.

Location. Located to the north of the Black Sea, Ukraine encompasses an area larger than all of England, Ireland, Austria and Greece combined. Except for the Carpathian mountains to the southwest and the Black Sea to the south, Ukraine has no natural barriers and that is why it has been the subject of frequent invasions by its neighbours.

Topography.Ukrainian topographyconsists mostly of vast plains and plateaus which seldom reach the height of 300 metres above the sea level. The northwestern part of the country is an area of mixed forests and many lakes and rivers. This is the Polissia district of Ukraine, located in the Prypiat’ river basin, a land of fens and marshy meadows. Unfortunately the area suffered greatly after the Chornobyl’ catastrophe and a greater part of it is contaminated. To the south along the right bank of the Dnipro river which runs almost through the middle of Ukraine, from north to south, the elevation increases, the number of river decline, and a series of plateaus unfold. Low hills and steep rocky ravines are characteristic of this part of Ukraine. Along the eastern, left bank of the Dnipro is a low plain which increases in elevation eastward.

All traces of trees disappear on either side to the south along the Dnipro. The elevation steadily declines, the few rivers become quite shallow. This is the famous fertile steppe region which stretches from the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, along the shores of the Black and Azov Seas, and into the steppes of Central Asia.



The highest elevation in Ukraine is in the Carpathian mountain range. Greatly beloved by the Ukrainian people, the Carpathians are extremely picturesque, with large grassy pasture lands lying high above the forested lower slopes and cut by swift, clear rivers running between steep, rocky banks. The highest peak in the Ukrainian Carpathians is Hoverla (2,061 m). The steep mountainous coast of the Crimea in the Black Sea is the other region where elevation rise over 480 metres.

Rivers. The biggest and most beloved of the Ukrainian rivers is the Dnipro, which is famous in Ukrainian history and literature. It is the third largest river in Europe and serves as a great source of hydro-electric power. Other major rivers in Ukraine include the Dnister, the Prut, the Donets, and the Buh. Rivers and steams abound in most of Ukraine, except in the south where irrigation is necessary to fight with droughts that sometimes hit the region. Most of the streams, tributaries and rivers of the north empty into few main rivers and flow southward into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Post-reading tasks

1. Identify: France, Hoverla, the Carpathians, the Dnipro, the Crimea, the Polissia, Austria, the Prypiat’.

2. Which countries were mentioned in the text? In what connection? Name their names, capitals, languages spoken there.

3. Define: populous state, neighbours, river basin, marshy meadows, catastrophe, picturesque, fertile steppes, drought, irrigation.

4. Find the synonyms to the following words in the text: astonished, situation, comprise (v), conquest, region, quick.

5. Find the antonyms to the following words in the text: slow, deep, upper, flat (adj), draining.

6. Which words are associated with the Polissia district and the Carpathians? Choose from the list and match: the highest elevation, catastrophe, range, area of mixed forests, greatly beloved, extremely picturesque, northwestern part, grassy pasture, contaminated, rocky banks, suffered greatly, forested lower slopes, swift, clear rivers, steep, a land of fens and marshy meadows, peak.

7. Make analogies. Choose information from the text and continue the logical rows: 1) basin, flow, river, …

2) range, peak, slope, …

TEXT 2

Pre-reading tasks.

1. Brainstormnatural resources you can find on the territory of Ukraine.

2. Studythe definitions of the following words.

Deposit – a layer of a mineral, metal etc that is left in soil or rocks through a natural process.

Ore – rock or earth from which metal can be obtained.

Sufficient – means as much as needed for a particular purpose.

Titanium –a strong light silver-white metal that is used to make aircraft and spacecraft, and is often combined with other metals.

Mercury – a heavy silver-white poisonous metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures and is used in thermometers.

Magnesium – a common silver-white metal that burns with a bright white flame.

Coal – a hard black mineral which is dug out of the ground and burnt to produce heat.

Potential – the possibility that something will develop in a particular way or have a particular effect.

Arable land – land that is suitable for growing crops.

Ukraine comprises 0.45% of the globe’s dry land. And it has about 5% of the world mineral resources. Ukraine has the richest in the world deposits of iron and manganese ores. It is rich in coal, titanium, mercury, magnesium and other various metals. These are found in quantities sufficient not only for the needs of Ukrainian homes and industries, but also for export. Ukraine’s iron reserves make up 13.6% of the total world reserves. Some 25-30% of total world reserves of manganese ore, 8% of mercury, 2.5% of petroleum and considerable deposits of other minerals are found in Ukraine. Chemical minerals and construction materials are also in sufficient supply. The state also has oil and gas deposits but they are insufficient for the country’s needs and Ukraine imports them in large quantities. This makes the country dependent on the imported raw materials. On the whole, about 80 sorts of mineral resources are produced from 8 thousand deposits in Ukraine.

Production potential. The main branches of industry of Ukraine are: ferrous metallurgy (21.9% from the whole volume of industry), mechanical engineering and metalworking (14.7%), power industry (12.7%) and food industry (16.1%).

Centres of the ferrous metallurgy are Zaporizhzhia, Mariupol’, Dnipropetrovsk, Donets’k, Kryvyi Rih; mechanical engineering: Kharkiv, Donets’k, Lugans’k, Odessa, L’viv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia; chemical industry: Lysychans’k, Cherkassy, Odessa.

Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of Ukraine. The area of arable lands equals to 41.8 million hectars, including 32.2 million hectars of tillage. Rich fertile black earth called “chornozem” in the form of wide belt crossing central and eastern regions of the state makes up nearly 60% of all arable lands.

Post-reading tasks

1. Answer the questions: a) How does the country solve the problem of insufficiency in some natural resources? b) What natural resources are in quantities sufficient for exporting? c) What is “chornozem”? d) What is the role of agriculture in the economy of Ukraine? e) Which cities play an important role in the industrial development of Ukraine?

2. Define: globe, “chornozem”, deposits, supply (n), import (v), export (v), raw materials, power industry, arable lands, hectar, potential.

3. Find the synonyms to the following words in the text: farming, district, fruitful, plenty of, consist of, layer, part.

ENGLISH FOR SURVIVAL


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 712


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