The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is one of the largest countries in the world. As you know, Russia occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia and the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. So we have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east;

There are two great plains in Russia. They are the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Plain. There are also several mountain chains on the territory of the country. They are the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest-mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. The Volga is one of the biggest rivers. It flows into the Caspian Sea, you know. Other big rivers in our country arc the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena and the Amur.

Russia is also rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. The water in the lake is very clear.

There are many forests in Russia. They are generally in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the large territory of the country there are different types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very rich in mineral resources. They are oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and others.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

As for the political system, Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

As you know, the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated at present. There are a lot of problems in the national economy. The industrial production is low. The prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is very high. People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants are going bankrupt.

But, I believe, that very soon Russia will overcome all its political and economic problems and become one of the best.

Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia, you know. It is one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in the world.

Moscow is a modern city now. The population of the city is about 9 million people. Moscow is a political centre, where the government of our country works.

As you know, Moscow was founded in 1147 by the prince Yuri Dolgoruky. The total area of Moscow is about 9 hundred square kilometres.

We say that Moscow is a port of five seas, as the Moscow-Volga canal links Moscow with the Baltic, White, Caspian and Black seas and the Sea of Azov.

Moscow Is an Industrial centre too. There are many factories and plants there. One of the best-known plants produces many lorries and the other one makes cars.

Moscow is a cultural centre. There are many cinemas, theatres, museums, universities and librarian In Moscow,

The Bolshoi theatre is one of the famous theatres all over the world. The building of the Bolshoi theatre is a masterpiece of Moscow classicism. F. Chaliapin, L, Sobinov, A. Nezhdanova and many other famous singers appeared on its stage. The Bolshoi Ballet has won a world fame.

Besides, there is another theatre in Moscow. It is the Maly theatre. The theatre continues to play an important role in Russia's cultural life. Popularly known as Ostrovsky's House, it continues to stage plays by the great Russian dramatist. A monument to Ostrovsky stands in front of the theatre building.

If you are fond of painting you can go to the Tretyakov Art Gallery or to the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum. You can see a lot of interesting portraits and landscapes there. The Tretyakov Art Gallery is a treasure-house of the Russian art.

As for the young people, they like to visit the Central Military Museum. There are many tanks, guns and war documents there.

One can see the Kremlin and Red Square in the city. In the 16th and 17th centuries Red Square was the central trading and public square. It was known as "Pozhar", that meant "a place destroyed by fire" and was called "Red". Later the word "Red" meant "fine, beautiful".

On the south side of Red Square is St. Basil's Cathedral. It is a masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture. St. Basil's Cathedral was built in 1555-1560 by Barma and Postnik In memory of the victory over Kazan (1552).

In front of the St. Basil's Cathedral is the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. It tells us of the people's victory over Polish invaders in 1612. The monument is the work of I. Martos (t 752-1835). This is the first sculptural monument in Moscow.

Further to the right of the Cathedral on the territory of the Kremlin we can see a tall tower. It is over 80 metres high. It is the Bell-Tower of Ivan the Great. It was built in the I5th century. There are 22 large bells and more than 30 small ones in it. At the foot of the Bell-Tower there is another ancient monument - the Tsar Bell weighing 200 tons.

Opposite the Cathedral on the north side of Red Square Is the History Museum.

There are many fine buildings, wide streets, green parks, large squares and monuments in Moscow.

It is necessary to mention such a famous monument as the monument to the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. It stands in Pushkin Square. The monument is a work of the sculptor A. Opekushin. The monument is very simple. The poet stands bowing his head as if in dreams. The front side of the monument has the words: "To Pushkin".

One of the highest buildings in Moscow is the State Moscow University. It was founded in 1755 by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov. It ts situated on the Vorobyev Hills. From there people enjoy a most beautiful view of the whole city.

The central building of the University is 780 feet high. There are 22 000 different rooms only in the central building of the University. The University has 45 000 rooms on the whole.

There are also many stadiums in Moscow. The Central Stadium is in Luzhniki. Many competitions and football matches are held there.

The Olympic Village was built for the 22nd Olympic games in Moscow in 1980, you know, it is a big complex for sport games.

Speaking about Moscow we should also mention a TV-Tower at Ostankino. Ii is 533 metres high. There is a restaurant in the TV-Tower. It is called "The Seventh Heaven". It turns round and gives a beautiful view of the city. I must say that Ostankino TV-Tower is considered to be the tallest in Europe.

A lot of tourists from different parts of our country and abroad visit Moscow all year round. They all enjoy our capital that is getting nicer and nicer every day.

As for me, I am very proud of Moscow and try to visit the capital more often.

My Native Town

I'd like to speak about Yaroslavl. It is one of the Russian oldest towns. It stands on the banks of the Volga River. Yaroslavl is my native town and I like it very much. As it is known, Yaroslavl has a very interesting history. In the year of 1010 Prince Yaroslav the Wise founded the town on the spot where the Kotorosl River falls into the Volga. There is a legend which tells us that once the Prince killed a bear with a pole-axe. That is why the town's coat-of-arms has a bear holding a pole-axe. Yaroslavl is a very beautiful city. Its architectural and artistic monuments, rich museum collections attract many guests from all over the country and abroad.

When we come to Yaroslavl from Moscow we get a lovely view of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery. It is well-known that in that monastery the manuscript of the famous Russian epic "The Lay of Igor's Host" was found. Now it is a historical museum. There are many works of art, icons, manuscripts and other historical documents there. There are many beautiful churches in Yaroslavl. They are: the Epiphany Church, The Church of the Archangel Michael, the Spas-on-Gorod Church, the Church of Ilya the Prophet and so on.

Yaroslavl is a happy mix of old, new and unexpected. Yaroslavl can be proud by such outstanding people as the great Russian poet N. Nekrasov, the educator K. Ushinsky, the singer L. Sobinov and the first woman-cosmonaut V. Tereshkova and others.

Yaroslavl is also a big culture centre. The first Russian Drama theatre was founded in Yaroslavl by F. Volkov in 1750. There are many cinemas, theatres, libraries, schools and several universities and colleges in our town.

Besides Yaroslavl today is an industrial centre with many plants and factories. They produce tyres, diesel motor, electric motors, textiles and many other industrial products. Yaroslavl is one of the towns of Russia's Golden Ring. Thousands of tourists come to admire the unique architectural ensembles, fine buildings and remarkable painting.

As for me I like to walk along Volzhskaya Embankment in the shade of the lovely old lime trees, along the modern squares and beautiful streets.

So, I can say, that I'm proud of my native town.

Unit Eight

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1042