учебник, английский. Министерство высшего образования и науки российской федерации
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There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. Russia has 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: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: 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. Europe's biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian Rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena- flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom. Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East. On the vast territory of the country there are various 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 oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources. The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center. It's one of the oldest Russian cities. It was founded in 1147 by Yury Dolgoruky. According to the Constitution, the country comprises eighty-five federal subjects. In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were eighty-nine federal subjects listed, but later some of them were merged. These subjects have equal representation—two delegates each—in the Federation Council. However, they differ in the degree of autonomy they enjoy: 46 oblasts (provinces): most common type of federal subjects, with locally elected governor and legislature. 22 republics: nominally autonomous; each is tasked with drafting its own constitution, direct-elected head of republic or a similar post, and parliament. Republics are allowed to establish their own official language alongside Russian but are represented by the federal government in international affairs. Republics are meant to be home to specific ethnic minorities. 9 krais (territories): essentially the same as oblasts. The "territory" designation is historic, originally given to frontier regions and later also to the administrative divisions that comprised autonomous okrugs or autonomous oblasts. 4 autonomous okrugs (autonomous districts): originally autonomous entities within oblasts and krais created for ethnic minorities, their status was elevated to that of federal subjects in the 1990s. With the exception of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, all autonomous okrugs are still administratively subordinated to a krai or an oblast of which they are a part. 1 autonomous oblast (the Jewish Autonomous Oblast): historically, autonomous oblasts were administrative units subordinated to krais. In 1990, all of them except for the Jewish AO were elevated in status to that of a republic. 3 federal cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol): major cities that function as separate regions. Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterized as a potential superpower. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and an active global partner of the Association of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the G20, the Council of Europe, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the World Trade Organization (WTO), and is the leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Exercises. Give the Russian equivalents of the following:
Suggest the English for:
Answer the following questions: Why is Russia the largest country in the world? What territories does it occupy? When was the Russian Federation formed? How many federal subjects does Russia consist of? What countries does the Russian Federation border on? Is Russia rich in natural resources? What are the most important mountains in the country? What are the major rivers in Russia? What are the three federative cities in the state? What organizations does Russia cooperate with? Look through the text. What paragraphs would correspond to the following statements? Match the paragraph to each statement: Russian climate is very diverse. Russia has many water resources. Russia borders on lots of countries. Russia cooperates with many countries. Russia is a very big country. Imagine that you are an EF exchange program participant studying at Cornell University, New York State. Present your country to your foreign groupmates. Dialogue Read the dialogue and act out a dialogue between a Russian guide and a foreign guest in Moscow. What things are they discussing? Tourist (T): How long are the Urals? Guide (G): The Urals stretch for about 2,100 km from north to south. T: What is the highest peak of the Ural Mountains? G: The highest peak is Mount Narodnaya. It reaches 1,895 m, and other mountain tops range from 900 to 1,500 m. T: Is Moscow your native city? G: Yes, it is. I was born in Moscow. T: Have you recently visited any museums or theatres? G: Recently I have been to the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts to enjoy the Impressionists' works of art and the Picasso. As for the theatre, the performance that impressed me greatly was “Tsar Fyodor Ioanovich” at the Malyi Theatre. This classical play was wonderfully performed. T: What monuments would you recommend your foreign guests to see? G: First of all, they should visit Red Square. They will see the monuments connected with the history of Russia there. In Red Square they will find a monument to Minin and Pozharsky. It was erected in 1818 to commemorate their victory over the Polish invaders in 1612. In front of the Historical museum they will enjoy a monument to Marshal Zhukov. Under his leadership the Soviet Union won World War II. The monument was erected in May 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the victory over Germany. Then walking up Tverskaya Street their attention can be attracted by the monument to Yury Dolgoruky, the founder of Moscow. In Pushkin Square they will view the monument to Alexander Pushkin, the Great Russian poet. In Mayakovskaya Square there is a monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky, the Russian poet of the 20-th century. If our guests want to see the dismantled monuments to the political leaders of the previous epoch I shall take them to the square attached to the Central House of Painters. T: Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help! Now make up your own itinerary of Moscow’s sights and discuss the route with your friends. Choose the best one. TEXT 2 The Russian Customs and Holidays Read the text and say how many official holidays are in Russia today The Russian love for holidays is known the world over. Every holiday is good in its own way, and the Russians are not indifferent to their meaning and ritual side. Thus, Russian holidays present a mixture of new and old, religious and secular, professional and private. National holidays reflect multicolored Russian history. Christian traditions were combined with pagan ones and therefore strongly connected to the seasons and agricultural cycle. Church holidays were mixed with those introduced during the communist regime. And Russian people do not mind: every holiday deserves its celebration. The New Year is the first in calendar and in popularity. It will be true to say that now the New Year is a greater holiday than Christmas in Russia. Long before December 31 sparkling fir trees appear in the streets, shops, offices and houses, bringing the joy of festive preparations and hope for happy miracles in the coming New Year. It is time to make wishes and presents to all friends and relatives. Children are looking forward to Father Frost (actually he is Grandfather Frost—Ded Moroz in Russian) and his granddaughter Snow Maiden (Snegurochka) to arrive at night and leave presents under the fir-tree. The grown-ups traditionally stay up for the whole night, making merry with friends and relatives. The New Year celebrations slip to Christmas festivities and go on till January 8-all these days from December 31 to January 8 are official days off now. Russian Christmas comes two weeks later than in other countries, on January 7. This difference is due to the Orthodox Church that follows the Julian (old style) calendar. One of the traditional rituals on Christmas is Kolyadki. At Christmas night young people put on fancy dresses, gather in a noisy crowd and go in every house on their way, singing carols and merry songs. Hosts of the houses thank singers with all the kinds of sweet things like candies, chocolates and pastry. Among other Christmas traditions are wishes of wealth and happiness for everybody and snowball games. It was a custom for young ladies to tell fortune on these days, Svyatki. The Old New Year’s Day on January 14 is not a public holiday, but many people celebrate it having a large meal in the families. This custom comes from Old Orthodox Calendar (Julian Calendar) according to which the New Year starts on 14th of January. Other Old Russian holidays include Maslenitsa, or a Pancake week, Easter, Ivan Kupala Day, the Trinity (Troitsa) and many various festivities. A Pancake week is a celebration of the sunlight and spring. A century ago Maslenitsa was a merry and widely celebrated holiday similar to the carnival in Western countries. It was a time of games and contests especially horse racing and fistfights. A big doll of straw was burned as the final act of saying goodbye to the already passed winter. Through the whole week people cooked pancakes (bliny) served with honey, caviar, fresh cream and butter. Nowadays the celebration is not so diversified but people do treat themselves and their guests with tasty pancakes. At present there are 8 public holidays in Russia: New Year’s Holidays and Christmas, Defender of the Motherland Day (or Man’s Day), which falls on February 23, International Women's Day, which is celebrated on March 8, Spring and Labor Day on May 1, Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the victory over German Nazi in Great Patriotic War, 1941‒1945, Russia Day (Independence Day), which is observed on June 12 when it was adopted the Declaration of the state sovereignty of Russia on this day in 1991, and, finally, a recent official holiday which is called Unity Day on November 4th, commemorating the anniversary of the Russian people’s victory over the Polish invaders back in 1612. There are other popular holidays in modern Russia: Cosmonautics Day on April 12, which gained the status of the International Day of Human Space Flight adopted by United Nations General Assembly on April 7, 2011; Radio Day on 7 May to commemorate the invention of radio in 1895 by Alexander Popov; Tatiana’s Day on January 25 which is also known as Students’ Day because Saint Tatiana is the patron of students in the Russian Orthodox Church. Answer the following questions: What holidays are celebrated in Russia? What traditions are combined in the Russian holidays? What is the most popular holiday in Russia? How is the Orthodox Christmas different from the Western Christmas? What is the favorite holiday for the Russians? What is your favorite holiday? How do you celebrate it? Do you observe Old Russian holidays? Do you think the Russians should celebrate them? Why? Listening Comprehension Task 1. Listen to the text about Moscow Metro. How long and how deep is Moscow Metro? 2. Listen to the text again and say if the statements true or false. 1. The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system that serves only the city of Moscow. 2. The Moscow Metro was not the first system in the Soviet Union. 3. The Moscow Metro was opened in 1935. 4. Currently, the Moscow Metro has more than 180 stations. 5. The deepest section of the Moscow Metro is located at Mayakovskaya station. 6. The Moscow Metro is the world’s first most heavily used rapid system. Project Work Choose one of the topics and get ready for the project work: 1. My favorite holidays. 2. Customs and holidays around the world. MODULE 5 MY BURYATIA    Warming up. Read and dramatize the following mini-dialogues. Make up your own short situations. Introducing the Republic of Buryatia Florence: Hello, my name is Florence. I am from France. What is your name? Nikita: Hi, my name is Nikita. Nice to meet you, Florence. Florence: Nice to meet you too, Nikita. Where are you from? Nikita: I am from Buryatia. Florence: Where is it? Nikita: It is situated in Russia. This is a republic which lies near Lake Baikal. Florence: Oh, Lake Baikal? Of course, I know where it is. So you should live in the Eastern Siberia. Nikita: Yes, you are absolutely right, Florence. Florence: What can say about your republic? It sounds so exotic to me. Nikita: Buryatia is named so because of native Siberian people “Buryats”. In 17th century Russians came to explore the lands of Buryatia, and since then Russians and Buryats have lived together friendly and shared their traditions and cultures with each other. Florence: I would like to come to Buryatia, Nikita. Nikita: Welcome, we like to have guests in our republic. Introducing Ulan-Ude Jack: What can you say about your city, Bair? Bair: First of all, you should know about Ulan-Ude is that this is a capital city. It is the capital of the Buryat Republic located in the Eastern Siberia. There are two rivers: the Uda and the Selenga. Jack: When was your city built? Bair: It was founded in 1666 by the Russian Cossacks. Jack: Ulan-Ude is such an ancient city. Bair: Yes, it is quite old. It had another name. It was called “Verkhneudinsk”. It means “the city situated on the Upper Uda River”. Jack: When did the city get the name of “Ulan-Ude”? Bair: It was renamed in 1934. In the Buryat language it means “The Red Uda”. Jack: That’s interesting. Talking about the Buryat Culture Seseg: Well, Mitchell, how do you like your stay in Buryatia? Do you like it here? Mitchell: Everything is fine. I never expected that summers in Siberia would be so hot and sunny! Seseg: That’s why our republic is often called “Sunny Buryatia”. Mitchell: It is sunny indeed. Seseg: Did you like the Buryat cuisine? Mitchell: I think it is very fat. But it is excellent anyway. I like your buuzy very much. They are so tasty and nourishing. Seseg: This is our favorite meal. What do you think about museums of Ulan-Ude? Mitchell: I find them quite interesting. I liked the Art Gallery after Sampilov. Buryat artists are very talented. The Republic of Buryatia Words and Phrases for the Topic: autonomous republic — автономная республика a favorable geographic position — благоприятное географическое положение predominantly — преимущественно a mountainous country — горная местность (территория) ethnic minority — этническое (национальное) меньшинство of Mongolian descent — монгольского происхождения share many customs — разделять традиции highways — автомагистрали, трассы, дороги pass through — пересекать, проходить the Great Tea Road — Великий чайный путь light industry — легкая промышленность forest industry — лесная промышленность woodworking industry — деревоперерабатывающая промышленность mining industry — горнодобывающая промышленность little-explored mineral resources — наименее изученные минеральные источники therapeutic springs — термальные источники resorts — курорты fur market — пушной рынок lynx — рысь Siberian weasel — сибирский колонок (норка) ermine — горностай blue fox — песец Barguzin sable — баргузинский соболь a severe continental climate — резко континентальный климат precipitation — осадки permafrost areas — вечномерзлые территории coexist peacefully — мирно сосуществуют faith — вера, вероисповедание Orthodoxy — православие Buddhism — буддизм Shamanism — шаманизм Old believers — староверы, старообрядцы TEXT 1 The Republic of Buryatia—A Multinational Republic in the Eastern Siberia Read the text and say what new facts you have learnt about the Republic of Buryatia. The Republic of Buryatia is a federal subject of Russia. It is an autonomous republic which gained this status on May 30 in 1923. Buryatia is located in the southern part of East Siberia south and east of Lake Baikal. It has a favorable geographic position, with borders on Irkutsk region and Zabaykalsky krai, the Republic of Tuva, and Mongolia. It is a predominantly mountainous country with a small number of flat regions at altitudes of more than 500 m. The capital of Buryatia is Ulan-Ude. The population of the republic is 984,511 people (as of 2018 results). The Buryats, numbering approximately 500 000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia. They are mainly concentrated in their homeland—the Republic of Buryatia. Buryats are of Mongolian descent and share many customs with their Mongolian cousins. Today, the majority of Buryats live in and around the capital of the Republic, although many lead more traditional lives in the countryside. The republic covers an area of 351 300 km2. Two main railway lines, the Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways, pass through its territory. They connect the central parts of Russia with the Far East and Southeast Asian countries, including China, North Korea, Mongolia, and Japan. There are also several main highways in Buryatia, for example, the well-traveled Irkutsk—Ulan-Ude highway. The republic is divided into 21 districts (Barguzinskiy, Kabanskiy, Dzhidinskiy, Kizhinginskiy, Selenginskiy, Khorinskiy and other administrative districts), and it has 6 cities and 29 urban communities. The oldest cities are Ulan-Ude, Kyakhta (located on the Mongolian border; one of the main trading centers of the Great Tea Road), Selenginsk and Novoselenginsk, Zakamensk, Severobaikalsk, and Gusinoozersk. The most developed sectors in this industrial and agricultural republic include the fuel and energy complex, engineering (aircraft, shipbuilding, and machinery) and metalworking. The light, forest, woodworking, food, and mining industries are also highly developed. The republic is very rich in mineral resources, unique wilderness, therapeutic springs (about 360), and forests. Arshan and Goryachinsk are the best known resorts. The Buryat fur market attracts both Russian and foreign manufacturers, since furs like squirrel, lynx, Siberian weasel, ermine, fox, blue fox, and the renowned Barguzin sable are in great demand on the world market. Buryatia has a severe continental climate. Winters are long, cold, windless, and snowy, while summers are short and warm. Air temperatures range from +40 °C in summer to ‒50 °C in winter. Precipitation is about 300 mm per year. There are also permafrost areas. Buryatia's natural features are varied. They include great Lake Baikal, a favorite place for recreation and tourism; mountains up to 3491 m high; taiga that covers 2/3 of the republic's territory; forest steppes and steppes. Over 80% of the republic's territory is located in the mountainous region, including the Baikal Mountains on the northern shores of Lake Baikal. The highest mountain is Munku-Sardyk with 3491 meters located in the Eastern Sayan Mountains. The most important rivers are the Selenga, the Barguzin, the Verkhnyaya Angara, the Uda, and the Vitim. Lake Baikal, located on the republic's western boundary, is the world's deepest freshwater lake. Diverse religions coexist peacefully in Buryatia. Buddhism and Orthodoxy are the most widespread and traditional faiths. Shamanism is also popular. There is unique culture of old believers (or “semeiskie”) in the republic. Buryatia is the center of Buddhism in Russia and is the site of the country's first Buddhist temple. Buddhist monasteries (datsans) are found in every district. The form of Buddhism practiced here is Lamaism. In the monasteries, you can obtain spiritual or medical advice. The best known datsans are Ivolginsky (the center of Buddhism in Russia), Tamchinsky (one of the oldest), and Atsagatsky. Exercises. Give the Russian equivalents of the following:
Suggest the English for:
Answer the following questions: What type of administrative status does Buryatia have officially? Where is Buryatia located? Does Buryatia have a favorable geographic position? Why? Who are the Buryat people? What can you say about the geography of Buryatia? What natural resources is Buryatia rich in? What kind of climate is in the republic? How many districts and cities does the Buryat Republic have? What industries are highly developed in the republic? What religions are widespread in Buryatia? Reread the last paragraph of the text. Which of these following statements below is the most suitable for the main idea of the paragraph: Buryatia is the center of Buddhism in Russia. Buryatia has many Buddhist monasteries. Buddism is the main confession in Buryatia. Buryatia has many Buddhist temples and Russian Orthodox churches. Buryatia is the center of Buddhism in Russia, but there are many other confessions that coexist with each other in the republic. Project work. Imagine you are a participant at the International Tourism Conference. How would you present the Republic of Buryatia and its touristic resources? TEXT 2 Ulan-Ude—the Capital of the Republic of Buryatia Read the text and say why Ulan-Ude is the business, educational, cultural and political center of the Republic of Buryatia. The city of Ulan-Ude is the capital of the Republic of Buryatia. It is located in the Western Transbaykalye, in the valley where the Uda River and the Selenga River meet each other, in 140 km from Lake Baikal. The city was founded in 1666 as a Cossack winter camp of Udinsky. Later, this small Udinsky ostrog was renamed into the city of Verkhneudinsk (1775). In XIX century it was known as a trading center of Transbaikalye. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad has brought a new impulse in the development of the city. In 1923 Verkhneudinsk from a district city became the capital of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and in 1934 the city was renamed into Ulan-Ude. Translating from Buryat it sounds like “Red Uda”. “Ulan” is a Buryat word, meaning “red” and “Ude” is the river name. The river name in its turn means “streaming flow”. Ulan-Ude has 3 districts: Soviet district (political and business center of the city), Zheleznodorozhny (the industrial center) and Oktyabrskiy (this is mostly the residential area). The city is rich in historical monuments. Today it is a large educational, scientific and cultural center of the republic. The Buryat Center of Science (Siberian Department) of the Russian Academy of Sciences with scientific research institutes is situated here. There are 5 state institutions of higher education, 11 branches of institutions of higher education from other cities of the Russian Federation, 16 colleges, the total number of students in which makes more than 40 thousand, 84 secondary schools and 80 kindergartens and pre-school educational centers for children. The city of Ulan-Ude is also the center of political and business activities of the Republic of Buryatia. This is where the Republic’s government (People’s Khural) and the office of the Republic’s head are situated. At present more than 430 thousand people, representatives of 100 nationalities, live peacefully in Ulan-Ude. People, who peacefully coexist and live in the city, profess different religions. Nowadays, together with the Orthodox churches the Buddhist datsans are restored and are under construction in the city. One can find Old Believers and Catholic churches in the city as well. Many companies, enterprises and organizations of different type successfully operate at the Buryat market. The major of them are Locomotive-Carriage-Repair Plant (LVRZ), Aviation Plant, Bridge Metal Structures Plant, Meat-Packing Plant (Buryatmyasoprom), Confectionery Factory “Amta” (“Karavai”), Baking Factory “Buryathlebprom” and some others. There are more than 20 hotels, tourist hostels, 140 enterprises of a small-business involved in tourist service. The well-known hotels are “Baikal-Plaza”, “Sagan Morin”, “Geser”, “Buryatia”, “Mergen Bator” and “Barguzin”. There are 5 professional theaters in Ulan-Ude: the Opera and Ballet House, the Youth Art Drama Theater, the Buryat State Academic Theater of Drama after Kh. Namsaraev, the State Russian Drama Theater after N. Bestuzhev, and the Republican Puppet Theater “Ulger”. Ulan-Ude has 6 museums: the Open-Air Ethnographical Museum, Museum of Nature of the Republic of Buryatia, Museum of the History of the Buryat Republic, Geology Museum and Museum of the History of Ulan-Ude City. Today Ulan-Ude is developing to a modernized city where new buildings, banks and offices, entertaining and shopping centers, restaurants and cafes are emerging. Exercises. Give the Russian equivalents of the following:
Suggest the English for:
Answer the following questions: Where is Ulan-Ude located? When was it founded? How did it look like? What were the first names of Ulan-Ude? When did the city get its present name? What does “Ulan-Ude” mean from the Buryat language? How many districts are there in the city? What are they? Is Ulan-Ude the educational and scientific center of the republic? What is the population of Ulan-Ude? What is the People’s Khural? Who is the head of the Republic of Buryatia? What can you say about the industry and economy of the city? Does Ulan-Ude have a cultural life? How is Ulan-Ude developing today? Reread paragraph 2 of the text. Which of the following statements below is the most suitable for the main idea of the paragraph: The city of Ulan-Ude was founded in 1666 as a winter camp of Udinsky. In 1923 Verkhneudinsk became the capital of the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The city of Ulan-Ude got its name in 1934. The city of Ulan-Ude has a long and very interesting history starting from 1666 as a winter camp till its present status of the capital of the republic of Buryatia. The name of the city of Ulan-Ude means “the Red River” from the Buryat language. Read the text again and retell it using the structure given in Supplement V of this textbook. Dialogue Read and act out the following conversation between two tourists visiting the capital of the Buryat Republic for the first time. What places of interest are they going to visit? A: What about going to the Odigitria Cathedral? I’ve heard so much about it. B: I’m sorry, but I don’t like this idea. I’m not interested in churches. I’d rather go to the Museum of the History of Buryatia, I find it very attractive. A: Oh, I don’t think I will have time for that today. Ulan-Ude has so many places to visit and so many things to try. B: Yes, I agree with you. I wish we had more time. If you like museums so much, I suppose you won’t mind if we go to the Ethnographic Museum of Buryatia. A: What is so special about it? B: It is really such an interesting place. It’s called the Ethnographic Museum of Trans-Baikal People, and it’s one of the largest Russian’s open-air museums. This museum contains historical funds from the era of Huns till the mid of XX century including a unique collection of samples of wooden Siberian architecture, — more than 40 historical architectural monuments. And one can’t help visiting it. A: It sounds exciting. But why don’t we leave it for another day? I think we’d better go to the Ivolginskiy Datsan. B: But what can we do there? A: Well, the Ivolginskiy Datsan is the center of Buddhism in Russia, and we could learn a lot about Buddhist traditions in Buryatia. Actually, this is one of my primary goals to get to Ulan-Ude. You see, I’m fond of Oriental cultures. B: Really so? I don’t mind. A: So let’s go. B: OK, and the day after tomorrow we are going to Lake Baikal. This is my life time dream to see the Baikal. The Baikal water is said to be pure and crystal. A: Yes, this is something unique. I am also excited about this trip to Baikal. B: I’m so glad that we have come to Buryatia! A: So am I! II. Suggest your own tour around Ulan-Ude and discuss it with your friends. Think about the landmarks, entertaining places of the city and the hotels where you will accommodate your foreign guests. Use information that you read from this Module. Project Work. Write your ideas concerning the development of tourism in Ulan-Ude. What should government or people do to improve the situation of the city and to make it a tourist modern center attracting lots of foreigners and Russian dwellers as well? TEXT 3 Lake Baikal—the Pearl of Siberia Read the text and explain the exceptional features of the Baikal. Lake Baikal is situated in East Siberia and is fairly regarded as one of the miracles of Nature. It is the deepest (1,637 m) and the most ancient lake on the Earth—it is more than 25 million years old. Despite its age, Lake Baikal is not going to die, quite the opposite, its shores are drifting apart at the speed of 2 cm a year, and geophysicists say that the Baikal is an incipient ocean. Being 600 km long and from 27 to 79 km wide, the Baikal contains huge water volumes—23,000 m3, which is more than the volume of all the American Great Lakes together. Lake Baikal contains 20% of the Earth’s fresh surface water. The remarkable clarity of its waters is maintained thanks to a small quantity of suspended substances and endemic plankton crayfish—epishura. The water’s transparency at the Baikal comes up to 40 meters. This pearl of Russia is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges: the Primorsky, Baikalsky, Barguzinsky and the Khamar-Daban ridges. More than 300 rivers (336) flow into Lake Baikal. The largest of them is the Selenga River. Only one river—the Angara—flows out of the lake, it is called “The Daughter of Baikal”. There are 27 islands on Lake Baikal. The most famous island is the Olkhon Island. A legend says that the Olkhon is a place of wild spirits. The Olkhon is famous for its large number of sunny days — the sun there shines brightly more than 300 days a year. There is also a famous Shaman-Stone, a place, where shamans lived in old times. Lake Baikal is a biodiversity champion. 75% of 2635 species of animals and plants discovered at the lake are endemic—they can be found nowhere else in the world. The lake is a breeding ground for the only sea mammal—Baikal seal, nerpa, and it is also famous for its omul-fish. The indigenous people of Baikal are the Evenks. Then about 700 years ago there settled the Buryats. The Russians came to Pribaikalie in the 17-th century with the arrival of the 50-year-old Kurbat Ivanov who drew a map of Baikal. What does the name of the lake mean? According to the most popular theory, the word “Baikal” is of Turkic descent and is originated from “bai”—“rich”, “kul”—“lake”. So we have: “a rich lake”. In 1996 Lake Baikal was declared a site of UNESCO World Heritage. The total area of Baikal World Heritage Site by UNESCO is 8.8 million ha, 3.15 million of them are the lake surface and 1.9 of them is occupied by three reserves (Baikalsky, Zabaikalsky, and Barguzinsky reserves) and two national parks (Pribaikalsky and Tunkinsky). For the Russian people Lake Baikal has always remained a national treasure, and for the local population it has been “The Saint Glorious Sea”. Exercises. Give the Russian equivalents:
Suggest the English for:
Answer the following questions: Where is Lake Baikal situated? How deep is Lake Baikal? Is Lake Baikal the most ancient lake in the world? What does geophysics say about this lake? Why are the waters of the Baikal clear? How many rivers flow into the Baikal? What river flows out? What is so special about the Olkhon Island? Why is Lake Baikal a biodiversity champion? Who are the indigenous people of the Baikal? What does the word “Baikal” mean? When did UNESСO declare Baikal Lake as a site of the World Heritage? What reserves and parks can be found on the territory of Lake Baikal? Do you agree that Lake Baikal is “The Saint Glorious Sea”? Why? Reread the paragraph 4 of the text. Which one of these following statements below is the most suitable for the main idea of the paragraph: Olkhon Island is the only most famous island of Lake Baikal. Only Shamans live on Olkhon Island. There are many islands at Lake Baikal, and one of the most famous is Olkhon Island which is considered to be a saint place according to Shamanism. Shamanism emerged on Olkhon Island. There are many islands at Lake Baikal, and one of the most famous is Olkhon Island which nowadays people cannot visit because of wild spirits. Imagine you hold a route around Lake Baikal. What would you say about its peculiarities? Listening Comprehension 1. Listen to the audio fragment about Lake Baikal once and say why Lake Baikal is of particular interest to world science. 2. Listen to the audio fragment again and fill in the following missing words: Lake, speed, continent, shores, ocean, oldest, fresh water, theory, heart, valley, Africa, plates. Lake Baikal is one the ….. lakes in the world. It is located in the very …. of the largest ….. in a rift …. between two tectonic …. . There is a …. that Lake Baikal is on its way to become an …. basin. Its … are spreading apart at the …. South America is moving away from …. . The ….. contains 20% of the world’s ….. …… resources. This is the land of crystal clear .., clean … , and magnificent … . 3. Listen to the fragment for the third time and be ready to say if the statements are true or false: According to the audio, Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. Lake Baikal is located in the very center of the largest continent in a rift valley between two tectonic plates. There is a theory that Lake Baikal is on its way to become an ocean basin. Its shores are spreading apart at the speed South Africa is moving away from America. In the course of thousands of years its closed ecosystem formed a unique natural environment which should be carefully studied. The geography of Lake Baikal is very diverse. Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Project Work Write your ideas concerning the protection of Lake Baikal from the pollution of different sorts. What measures should we take to preserve the pure waters of the Baikal? How should we avoid the pollution? |