_ПРАВКА_лексика разг.речи_. _ПРАВКА_лексика разг. Министерство образования и науки
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UNIT 3. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION Learn the following words and word combinations Vocabulary List
TEXT 1. Read and translate the text. Answer the questions below. Tourism in Russia Most of the tourism in Russia is centered on the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as these cities are the most famous attractions of Russia. Tourists are attracted by a very rich cultural heritage and rather tumultuous history of Russia. Popular tourist destinations in the major cities include the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow; St. Issac’s Cathedral, the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Russian Museum, the canals and waterways on the river Neva in St. Petersburg. The Russian countryside tends to be quite rural and undeveloped. Big pieces of tundra, taiga, woodlands, and steppe stretch across vast expanses of the Eurasian continent. In the countryside, there are many little towns with old castles. Some notable cities and towns, which have their own rich cultures and traditions, include Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea coast, Novgorod, Tver, Nizhni Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, Rostov and Kazan. Tourists are also drawn to the cruises on the big rivers like Volga, Lena or Yenisei as well as journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian railway, the third-longest continuous service that stretches from Moscow to its eastern terminal of Vladivostok at the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. Other destinations include the golden Ring region towns of Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Rostov, Suzdal. Russian cuisine is rich and varied. Some of the most famous dishes include borshch, schi, sirniki, okroshka, pirozhki, blini, pelmeni and shashlyk. Russia is also famous for its caviar, though severe overfishing has threatened the fisheries that provide the source of this delicacy. Despite these attractions, travelling in Russia presents many challenges for foreigners, such as weather and the language barrier. Questions
TEXT 2. Read and translate the text. Name 7 reasons to visit Russia. Seven Wonders of Russia As a response to Europe’s «Seven Wonders of the World» list, which didn’t include any Russian sights, Russia organized a national contest to select the seven most beautiful destinations the country has to offer. Almost 26 million people went online and voted for their favorites since the contest started in autumn 2007. The «Seven Wonders of Russia» contest had several stages, after the first one 49 national locations were chosen and after the second one only 14 remained. Finally the people chose the places they thought best represented their country’s beauty. Officials hoped this event would raise attention to the need of protecting the country’s historical, natural and cultural treasures. Here are the Seven Wonders of Russia: 1. The Baikal Lake This lake is situated in Southern Siberia and considered to be the deepest lake in the world as well as the biggest freshwater tank on the Earth. It is also known as the «Blue Eye of Siberia». Research has shown Lake Baikal is more than 25 million years old, which makes it the oldest lake in the world. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. 2. Valley of the Geysers The landmark is located on the Kamchatka peninsula and comprises about ninety living geysers and many other thermal springs. It was discovered by Tatiana Ustinova, a local scientist, in 1941 but serious exploration of the area began in 1972. In the 1980s The Valley of Geysers was presented as one of the main attractions of the Kamchatka peninsula, in an attempt to raise tourist awareness. The valley is difficult to reach, with helicopters providing the only feasible means of transport. The place is in the list of UNESCO World’s Heritage. 3. Mamayev Kurgan Mamayev Kurgan is a place of great significance for the Russian people. This dominant hill, overlooking the city of Volgograd (former Stalingrad) saw some of the fiercest battles of World War II. The huge memorial statue of the Motherland was built on top of Mamayev Kurgan in 1967. The monument is in Guinness Book of World Records as the highest monument at that time. The woman symbolizes Russia and is two times higher than Statue of Liberty with 85 meters high. 4. Peterhof The place was built to the order of Peter the First in the beginning of 17-th century and is situated nearby Saint-Petersburg. Often referred to as the Russian Versailles the palace and park of Peterhof are considered to be the top tourist attraction in the whole Russia. Versailles was indeed Peter the Great’s inspiration when he decided to build an imperial palace and many say Peterhof is even more beautiful than the famous French complex. Peterhof is an immense, luxurious estate, known as the capital of Russian fountains; the Grand Cascade, built in front of the Grand Palace, is one of the largest fountain ensembles in the world. The Upper Garden and Lower Park are also cultural masterpieces and the magnificent Grand Palace was remodeled by the famous architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. 5. Saint Basil’s Cathedral Also known as The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat is considered the most beautiful cathedral in Russia and one of Europe’s most beautiful holy places. It was constructed during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and a legend says the architect was blinded after finishing his creation, so he couldn’t build anything as beautiful again. Built in the middle of the Red Square, in Moscow, St. Basil’s Cathedral commemorated Ivan IV’s victory over the Kazan Khanate. 6. Poles of the Komi Republic Set in the Troitsko-Pecherskiy region, in the Komi Republic, the Columns of Erosion, or Manpupuner as they are known in Russia are one of the country’s most mysterious attractions. No one knows how long ago they were created, but for sure scientists know that only nature could create such a thing. Estimated age is 200 million years and their height is 42 meters at most. The 7 Strong Men as the locals call them are 7 massive rock towers bursting out of a flat plateau. Many say that while there you feel no need of water, food or rest, all you want to do is stare at these masterpieces of nature, where locals say spirits used to gather in ancient times. 7. Elbrus Standing at 5,642 meters, Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in the Caucasus and the highest point in Russia. It is a stratovolcano that has lain dormant for the last 2,000 years. Set near the border with Georgia, Mount Elbrus is a popular tourist destination and many attempt to climb it, especially during the summer. A special cable-car system was created during the 70s that takes people up to 3,800m up the mountain. Up to 100 people try to reach Elbrus peak every day. In the winter time, attempts are very scarce and only professionals venture up the mountain. It has harsh winter weather and strong winds are notorious and it claims 15-30 lives every year, mostly poorly equipped dare-devils trying to reach the top. TEXT 3. Read and translate the text. Name 10 reasons to visit Baikal. Lake Baikal: the Pearl of Siberia Lake Baikal is the most ancient lake on earth. Lakes rarely live longer than a million years but the «Pearl of Siberia» or the «Sacred Sea», as it is often called, is more than 25 million years old! For scientists it is a living laboratory of evolution! Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, measuring 1 637 metres from top to bottom. It sits in the planet’s deepest land depression where at least 3 tectonic plates meet! These plates scrape against each other, making the lake even deeper and wider. There is a theory that Lake Baikal is the beginning of a new ocean. The lake holds one-fifth of the planet’s fresh water – and it’s still remarkably clean! The waters of the lake are amazingly transparent – and they change colours all the time! Lake Baikal is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Everyone who has been to its shores is impressed and charmed by its grandeur, size, and unusual might. This wonder of the natural world is very difficult to describe. Valentin Rasputin once said, «Man does not have enough feelings to respond to this miracle». The Buryat had settled the lake’s shores long before the 13th-century conquests of Genghis Khan. Russian fur traders arrived in the 1640s. The Buryat have a mystical feeling for the lake. They believe that its waters are charmed. This is why they never call it a lake, only – the Sea, or the Old Man, or He! The snows of Siberia come to Lake Baikal in early October. At the end of October the lake begins to freeze. In winter the ice gets very thick – well over a metre! In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, a railway track was laid across the ice to carry guns to the front. By mid-April the ice begins to thaw and the lake becomes so huge that sailors and fishermen here talk of «going to sea». The water of the lake can hardly be called warm. In summer, its average temperature is + 12C. But many people who go for their first swim in the lake behave as if they had jumped into boiling water! Lake Baikal is a living museum of water plants and animals. About 1 500 species of animals are endemic – you can see them nowhere else in the world! It’s also rich in life at all depths. Its cold waters move vertically, carrying oxygen even to the 1 637 bottom. The golomyanka, a transparent, glass-like fish, lives only in Lake Baikal. The omul, an arctic fish endemic to Lake Baikal, is delicious. One great mystery about the lake is how nerpa, the Baikal seal, originally came there, as it is hundreds of kilometers from any ocean. The lake is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The Baikal Mountains on the north shore and the taiga are protected as a national park. Olkhon is the largest of the lake’s 27 islands. It’s 72 km long and its shape resembles the shape of Lake Baikal. Olkhon is a remarkable conglomeration of all possible landscapes that exist around Baikal – rolling grass steppes, deep forests, sand dunes and rocky cliffs. Olkhon is also an important centre of shamanism. Shamanka, or the Shaman’s Rock, is the most famous landmark of the island. According to legend, it has some magic power and blocks the entrance to the underground spirit world. TEXT 4. Read and translate the text. Make reports on the topic. What is Russia famous for? Russian Bear The Russian Bear is a widespread symbol for Russia, used in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays at least since the 17th century, and relating alike to Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the present-day Russian Federation. It often was and is used by Westerners, to begin with especially in Britain and later also in the US, and not always in a flattering context — on occasion used to imply that Russia is «big, brutal and clumsy». The bear image was, however, on various occasions (especially in the 20th century) also taken up by Russians themselves. Having the teddy bear «Misha» as the mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games – boycotted by numerous countries due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan – was evidently intended to counter the «big and brutal Russian Bear» image with a small, cuddly and smiling bear. Matryoshka Matryoshka refers to a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. The first Russian matryoshka was carved in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo. Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan, a long traditional Russian dress. The figures inside may be of either gender; the smallest doll is typically a baby lathed from a single piece of wood. Much of the artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be very elaborate. The dolls often have different images varying from typical Russian girls to the famous sportsmen, from fairy tale characters to the country leaders. Balalaika The balalaika is a plucking string instrument that resembles a guitar, but has a triangular shape and only three strings (or two in some cases). It is difficult to explain, but when you hear balalaika’s sounds, you at once think of Russia. There is something deeply Russian, typical folk and traditional in it. It is quiet and delicate, gently filling you with the essence of Russia. Unfortunately, today the balalaika has disappeared from Russians’ everyday life almost completely. There aren’t many people left who can play it – not to mention, only professional musicians in Russian folk music ensembles. Samovar Samovar has traditionally been the most recognized symbol of Russian hospitality and family comfort as well as a sign of prosperity. For more than 250 years, the samovar has occupied an honored place in Russian homes as the centerpiece of the table, around which life revolved. Step by step a peculiar ritual of tea-drinking emerged and was adopted in every Russian home - people gathered to have tea parties and provided the right atmosphere for friendly conversation and sharing news, stories, and fellowship. Thus, samovar had both a practical and an emotional function. The Russian word samovar literally means “self-boiling.” The vessel consists of a metal container for boiling the water and a fire-pan with a tube. The first samovar was made in Tula (an old city to the south of Moscow) in 1778, and since that time Tula is known as the centre of Russian samovar production. Russian tea culture Tea is part of Russian culture. According to recent studies, some 82% of Russians consume tea daily. Tea is a source of various minerals and nutrients that help supplement the Russian diet, and is used in Russia as a source of low cost nutrition. According to William Pokhlyobkin, tea in Russia was not regarded as a self-dependent beverage; thus, even the affluent classes adorned it with a jam, syrup, cakes, cookies, candies, lemon and other sweets. This is similar to the archaic idiom «чай да сахар» (tea and sugar). The Russian language utilizes some expressions connected with tea consumption, including «чайку-с?» (roughly «some tea?»), used by the pre-Revolutionary attendants. The others are «гонять чаи» (whip the teas) and «побаловаться чайком» (indulging in tea). Tea was made a significant element of cultural life by the literati of the Karamzinian circle. By the mid-19th century tea had won over the town class, the merchants and the petty bourgeoisie. This is reflected in the dramas of Alexander Ostrovsky. Since Ostrovsky's time, duration and the amount of consumed tea are appreciated in the tea-drinking. |