Практикум представляет материал, который состоит из текстов, организованных по тематическому принципу, и предназначен для студентов неязыковых факультетов
 Скачать 0.51 Mb.
|
Chapter 5. Future professionText. Oleg’s future profession Read the text and do the exercises that follow it.Study the following vocabulary before reading the text: a flash – вспышка in mastering smth. – в изучении чего-либо integral – неотъемлемый attitude – отношение responsibility – ответственность to bring up – воспитывать to succeed – преуспевать Oleg is a first-year student of Mozyr State Pedagogical University. He studies at the faculty of Physics and Mathematics. In future after the graduation from the University he’ll become a teacher of Mathematics and Information Science. He made his choice long ago. The choice of this occupation didn’t come as a sudden flash. During his school years mathematics was his favourite subject. He decided to devote himself to the training of children in mathematics. It is necessary to introduce pupils to scientific mathematical concepts. There are many things which depend on mathematics. Practically everything in our modern life is based on mathematical calculations. In cooperation with science mathematics made possible our big buildings, railroads, automobiles, airplanes, subways, bridges. He is sure in future mathematics will have a wider application than it has now. Information science is not less important subject. Oleg understood how it was important to give pupils a certain amount of knowledge, skills and habits in mastering computers. The ability to operate a computer is an important basic skill today, as it is an integral part of the curriculum in schools and Universities. Oleg knows that teaching is a very specific and difficult job. The teacher is a person who is learning as well as teaching all his life. Teachers do not only teach their subjects. They bring up the younger generation, develop their pupils’ intellect, form their views and characters, their attitude to life and to other people. It is a great responsibility and the teacher must be a model of competence himself. It’s not as easy as it may seem at first. But Oleg thinks that love for children combined with the knowledge that he will get at the University will be quite enough to succeed in his work. Exercises 1. Answer the questions on the text. 1. When did Oleg make his choice? 2. What will Oleg be after graduation from the University? 3. What was his favourite subject at school? 4. What subjects is he going to teach? 5. Why is it an important speciality for Oleg? 6. Do teachers only teach their subjects? 7. Is teaching an easy or difficult job? 8. What is necessary to succeed in this work? 2. Speak on: – your choice of the speciality; – its significance; – your views on upbringing of a younger generation. 3. Be ready to speak about your future profession. Use the text as a help to your topic. Additional texts for readingText 1. School teacherRead the text using a dictionary and answer the questions that follow it.Teaching is a very responsible and specific job. Not everyone has enough courage to accept this responsibility. Most young people prefer to choose a more rewarding and better paid job. However there are many young people who consider teaching as a career. For them the main attraction is not money, but job satisfaction and the belief that education is of vital importance for the success and progress of any society. The success of educating and upbringing of children depends to a great degree on the personality of the teacher, his professional skills, moral principles, erudition and cultural background. This noble and challenging profession demands from a teacher constant creativity, enthusiasm, understanding of children and love for them, complete dedication to his cause. The teacher must be a model of competence, so he is a person who is learning as well as teaching all his life. Most jobs can be done within the usual office hours, but teacher’s work is never done and evenings are mostly spent marking exercise-books and preparing for the next lesson. It is also a stressful job because you have to encourage your pupils and keep them interested. A good teacher treats his pupils with respect and values them as individuals. He understands that each child is a unique and has special talents and capabilities. He helps children to develop their critical and creative thinking. He teaches them to work independently and cooperatively, to be helpful and useful. A good teacher will do his best to bring up honest and considerate, patient and tactful. Answer the questions on the text: 1. What establishments train teachers in our country? 2. Are teachers trained only on one subject? 3. What can you say about Mozyr State Teacher’s Training University? 4. Teaching is considered to be a very demanding and challenging job, isn’t it? 5. What does this profession demand from a teacher? 6. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of this profession? 7. What makes many young people take teaching career? 8. What personal qualities and moral principles should a teacher have? Text 2. ECONOMISTRead the text using a dictionary and answer the questions that follow it.The profession of an economist is one of the most important nowadays in view of the situation in our republic. What makes a good economist? Whatever he does, an economist should have a thorough training in economic theory, mathematics and statistics. Students who chose the profession of an economist are taught various general and special subjects, such as Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Management, Accounting, Marketing, Advertising, Money and Banking, Economic Theory, Econometrics, Statistics, Computer Science, Philosophy, Business Ethics, Foreign Languages, etc. An economist needs some knowledge of the world outside his own country because both business and government are deeply involved in the world economy. Some knowledge of political and economic history will help him to expect changes and always look for basic long-run forces under the surface of things. The profession of an economist is quite diversified. The graduates of this faculty work at educational institutions, various research centres and laboratories, in industry, business, banks, etc. He may continue his studies at the Post-graduate Courses or Doctorate if he has a desire and abilities to become a scientist or a professor. Scientists in the field of Economics create new theories and models, test their hypotheses and carry out economic researches. Being employed in industry and business, graduates work as managers, as an executive manager, a sales manager, a financial manager. Some of them work as accountants. An accountant is one of the most prestigious and widely required professions of an economist in any society. Don’t mix an accountant and a book-keeper. While a book-keeper is mostly involved in calculations, like balance sheets, income statements, invoices, an accountant is responsible for designing the financial policy of a company. Some of them work at the banks, at the Stock Exchange as brokers, others work for the government or are employed by various agencies and by military services. Knowing the economic laws of the development of the society, economists can solve many problems facing our Republic. Answer the questions on the text: 1. Why is the profession of an economist one of the most important nowadays in our Republic? 2. What makes a good economist? 3. The profession of an economist is quite diversified, isn’t it? 4. In what way do accountants differ from book-keepers? 5. What kinds of specialists are graduated of Economics Faculty? 6. How can you continue your studies after graduating from the Economics Faculty? 7. What does the profession of an economist contribute to? Text 3. philologistRead the text using a dictionary and answer the questions that follow it.Philology faculty is divided into a number of departments at the Belarusian State University. Education is provided in 12 specialities, like Belarusian and Russian languages and literature, classical languages and ancient literature, Romance and Germanic languages, etc. What makes a good teacher? First of all a teacher should have true interest in children and love for them. He must be a well-educated man with a broad outlook and deep knowledge of the subject. A teacher should have the quality of sympathy, kindness and an inquiring mind. He must be a stern but just, strict and hard-working person. A philologist should teach his pupils to enjoy reading books, to encourage them in learning literature and language which is the source of any national culture. Reading books will help pupils in their self-education, in better understanding life and in solving different problems. Many students of this department are engaged in scientific work. At the end of the fourth year the university undergraduates are sent for a few months to school some practical know-how in teaching. The profession of philologist is quite diversified and the graduates of the faculty can work not only at secondary schools but also at the higher educational establishments, publishing houses, radio and TV. They may continue their studies at the post-graduate courses if they have a desire to become scientists. Many Belarusian writers are the graduates of the faculty. Answer the questions on the text: 1. How many specialities does your faculty provide? 2. What speciality do you study? 3. How does your faculty help students develop their creative activity? 4. What makes a good teacher? 5. Do you work at any scientific problem? 6. What problems do you consider to be the most difficult for a phililogist in his work? Text 4. historianRead the text using a dictionary and answer the questions that follow it.The Belarusian State University has the History Faculty. It was founded in 1934. At present 1225 students study there. History (from Greek historia) is a process of development nature and society. History as a science studies the past of mankind in all its variety and concreteness. “Historia est magistra vitae”, said an ancient philosopher. There are many historical subjects in our programme: Ancient History, the Middle Ages, Russian and Belarusian History, Modern and Contemporary History, etc. History is a science which helps people understand and explain the processes going on in various aspects of human life. It also helps people foresee the course of events in future. But it is possible to study any particular period of history if one doesn’t know a lot about what preceded it and what came after it. Historians study and describe the historic events taking place in different epochs and in different countries. Their descriptions and analyses should be strictly objective and scientific. If we look at the historic past we can see that the entire history of human society is that of wars and struggle for power, as well as people’s revolts for better life and freedom. Wars in different times and in different countries, except just ones, were waged with the purpose of conquering other lands and peoples, with making profits on the resources of oppressed nations. Since World War II a lot has been done by peace-loving nations to save the world from a new global catastrophe. But nobody managed to prevent local wars unleashed in different parts of the planet and taking away thousands of people’s lives. Peace and peaceful co-existence remain the key problem of our epoch. The profession of a historian is quite diversified. The graduates of this Faculty can work as teachers and research workers at secondary and higher schools, different museums and archives. Many of them have become well-known scientist or have chosen public activity as their career. Answer the questions on the text: 1. What faculty and year are you in? 2. Why do wars and revolts occupy a considerable place in human society? 3. What does history as a science study? 4. Why are you interested in history and what period attracts you most? 5. Where would you like to work after graduating from the University? Text 5. ecologistRead the text using a dictionary and discuss the vital ecological problems this profession deals with.Study the following vocabulary before reading the text:by-product – побочный продукт Our university has a Biology faculty which trains future specialists in ecology. Those who have chosen this profession are not indifferent to the ecological problems. They understand that the Earth is their common home, a big green home. The environmental protection should be our universal concerns. Our ancestors considered the Earth’s resources to be boundless and endless. Since ancient times Nature has served Man being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man’s interference in nature began to increase. In the 20th century with the rapid growth of science and technology human achievements in conquering nature became so great that man’s economic activities began to produce an increasingly negative effect on the biosphere. Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow vegetables and grain. Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 mln. tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burnt in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up. The destruction of nature gradually led to the loss of the most essential element of existence, a healthy biological habitation. Environmental pollution increases the cases of disease, raises the cost of medical services, and reduces the life-span of a man. By now the pollution and poisoning of the soil, water and air have reached a critical level. Environmental pollution has become a significant obstacle to economic growth. The discharge of dust and gas into the atmosphere returns to the Earth in the form of “acid rain” and affects crops, the quality of forests, the amount of fish. To this we can add the rise of chemicals, radioactivity, noise and other types of pollution. The most horrible ecological disaster befell Belarus and its people as a result of the Chernobyl tragedy in April 1986. About 18% of the territory of Belarus was polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the republic’s agriculture, forests and people’s health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Belarusian nation. Environmental protection is a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken. Some progress has already been made in this direction. As many as 159 countries – members of the UNO – have set up environmental protection agences. Numerous conferences have been held by these agences to discuss questions of ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl. The international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organization Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment. But these are only the initial steps and they must be carried forward to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations. Chapter 6. Youth life Text 1. Oleg is a TEENAger Read the text and do the exercises that follow it.Study the following vocabulary before reading the texts: a teenager – подросток от 13 до 19 лет There are many young people in our country. Each of them has one’s own view point on their life and their future. There are many problems which are common for all young people. For example‚ how to spend their free time, what to do after classes, how to deal with girls or boyfriends and so on. The problem number one for most of the young people is the problem of fathers and sons. All young people want to be independent; they want their parents to listen to their opinion, not to interfere in their private life. Some parents neglect their children, because they can’t find a common language with each other. Oleg also has some problems with his parents. But every time when he has them he tries to solve them without quarrel. Oleg has no problems how to spend his spare time. He can do it in different ways. As he is a computer addict he is fond of communication with other teens. That’s why he has a lot of friends in our and other countries. They send messages from one computer to another one using e-mail; they have on-line conversations. He is a member of the computing club and spends much time there. Of course, it’s rather expensive, but his parents understand him and give him enough money to pay for his computer club. And he thinks that his hobby will be useful in his future profession. Besides, he spends his free time in the sport club. He goes in for kung fu. Recently films about kung fu have become very popular. This fighting itself is a great art, the result of many years of hard work and self-discipline. The man who made kung fu films famous was Bruce Lee. He used fists, elbows, feet (never weapons) and moved as fast as lightning. He is rather good at kung fu now, but he never uses his skills to hurt anybody, unless it is absolutely necessary. Now people know what Kung Fu is, and he thinks it may become a sport of the future, because it develops up your personality, will and nobility. Many problems were hushed up, but now we can speak openly about them. The most difficult and serious problem of modern teenagers is drug-habit. Some young men use drugs, because they think that they will be cool guys. But they don’t understand that it’s wrong. Some of them can’t stop that, and they become dependent on drugs. They commit different serious crimes, because they need some money to buy drugs. There are also many other problems: alcoholism, smoking and so on. There are many youth organizations in our country, which unite young people on different principles. Members of every organization have their own world outlooks. Each of them has their own moral qualities. Now there exists the problem of misunderstanding between different youth groups. Young people are the future of our country. Teenagers play an important role in the modern society. Grown ups must remember that they are the future of our country and in present moment their character is formed and that’s why parents must not assert pressure on them. Exercises 1. Answer the following questions: 1. How does Oleg solve the problems with his parents? 2. Does he face the problem of free time? 3. What consequences will drugs and alcohol lead? 4. Is it difficult for you to find a common language with your parents and with your friends‚ group-mates? 5. Do you have any bad habits? 6. Are you a member of any organization or party? What organization would you join? 2. Develop the following ideas: 1. Young people want to be independent that’s why … . 2. I face (don’t face) the problem of free time as … . 3. Young people use drugs and alcohol because … . 4. I don’t smoke (smoke) because … . 3. Speak on: – the problem of fathers and sons; – the problem of free time; – drug-‚ smoke- and alcohol-habits. Additional texts for reading Text 1. PROBLEMS OF YOUNG PEOPLE’s UNEMPLOYMENT Read the text and express your opinion about the consequences of youth unemployment.People of almost every age are susceptible to this pernicious disease but it hits the youth the hardest. Its name is unemployment. The percentage of unemployed youth in the total number of the jobless is high. In many developing countries the situation is more serious. Many young people commit suicide. Youth unemployment will mount, unless the economic situation in the world changes. These predictions refer to all categories of workers with high and low skills in towns and in the country. These young people are outside the production structure of society. They are deprived the possibility of creating their “surplus” from time to time. Some may get a hit of luck, but the majority becomes disillusioned. Unemployment greatly influences the tendency towards drug, frustration and crime among the youth. This is a time bomb and is a heavy accusation of any social economic system. Text 2. Leisure activities of youth Read the text and say what the most popular free time activities for British and our teenagers are‚ what activities you like and why. Britain has recently been described as a “leisure society”. This is because there are a great variety of leisure pursuits. Young people generally go out on Friday or Saturday nights to a disco, to a concert or to a pub. In recent years going out for a meal or getting a take-away meal have become popular too. During the past years there is a great increase in keeping fit and staying healthy. A lot of teens started running, jogging and going to different fitness clubs in their spare time. Aerobics classes and fitness clubs opened in every town, and the number of recreation centres greatly increased. Indoor pools, with their wave-making machines, water slides and tropical vegetation, have become very popular. And the same is true in Belarus. A lot of teens go in for different kinds of sport. Sport helps them to feel as fit as a fiddle. In both countries there are special programmes for problem teenagers, such as high-risk activities, for example‚ they are taught to jump out of airplanes. But despite the increase in the number of teens participating in sport, the majority of young people still prefer to be spectators. They prefer to be couch potatoes. Watching sports on TV is a popular leisure activity, as is going to football matches on Saturday. Cinemas have been redesigned with four or more screens, each showing a different film at the same time, and a lot of teens like going to the cinemas too. The young generation is fond of communication. There are many available methods of communication nowadays, and the most popular one is computers. A lot of teenagers spend plenty of time working on computers. The Internet seems really good fun. You may send e-mails to friends from different countries and get their answers instantly. You even may talk to them. It is easy and quick. A lot of teenagers have mobile telephones, so they can always be contacted, if they keep their telephone switched on, at any time of the day or night, or send text messages. A lot of teenagers in both countries are crazy about animals. They race them, train them and breed them. They like to hear stories about them on television programmes and they like reading books about them. Many teens have a pet animal. It could be a dog, a cat, a goldfish, a bird or a small furry animal like a hamster. Looking after and being kind to their pets is very important for teens. Why are teens so interested in animals? Perhaps it’s because they are rather shy in their heart of hearts. One of my friends says: “I can say anything I like to my dog, but she never thinks I’m silly.” There are plenty of other kinds of activities, such as travelling, visiting historical places, babysitting, delivering newspapers, putting together jigsaw puzzles, reading, going to different museums, skateboarding, going fishing, hitchhiking, shopping, helping people in need, joining a computer club and others. We can say “So many teens; so many kinds of activities.” Chapter 7. The Republic of Belarus. Cities of Belarus Text 1. Belarus Read the text and do the exercises that follow it.Study the following vocabulary before reading the text: to border (on) – граничить flat – плоский an auroch – зубр a meadow – луг fertilizer – удобрение fibre – волокно a fodder harvester – кормоуборочный комбайн to rank – занимать какое-л. место representative – представительный legislative – законодательный executive – исполнительный an anthem – гимн 1. Geographical situation Belarus is divided into 6 regions: Brest, Vitsebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev. The capital of the republic is Minsk, one of the most beautiful and modern youthful looking cities with the population of over 1,5 million people. Belarus is very well geopolitically located. It is situated in the heart of Europe where all roads meet. The country stretches for 560 km from north to south, for 650 km from east to west bordering on Russia in the north and in the east, on the Ukraine in the southeast, on Poland in the west and on Lithuania and Latvia in the northwest. The population of Belarus is almost 10 million. Most of Belarus is a flat country. It is the land of forests, fields, meadows, rivers. The largest rivers are the Dnieper, the Nieman, the Sozh and the Pripyat. Belarus is also a lake country. The largest lake is the Naroch, 80 square km. The third of Belarus is under forests. The largest forests are Belovezhskaya, Nalibokskaya and Grodnenskaya. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is famous for its aurochs (European bisons). The climate of Belarus is influenced by moist winds blowing from the Baltic Sea. The climate varies from maritime to continental. Summer is the hottest season of the year. Winter is the coldest. The temperature is sometimes very low, about 20–25 degrees below zего. The warm days of autumn are called “Golden Autumn”. 2. Industry, agriculture, scienceBelarusian industry plays the major part in our economy. Our country is one of the biggest manufacturers of fertilizers, fodder harvesters, tractors, trucks, buses, chemical fibres, commercial wood and other products. Such famous brands as “Horisont” and “Vityaz” producing TV-sets, “Atlant” refrigerators and “Belarus” tractors enjoy world popularity. The “Gefest” gas stoves produced in Brest are widely spread all over European and Asian countries. Agriculture in Belarus specializes in milk and meat production. Potatoes, flax, grain, herbs and vegetables are cultivated here. Belarus is a country of well developed science. A great contribution to the development of the national economy is made by the scientists of Belarus. There is the Academy of Sciences with numerous research institutes which work on various topical problems in such fields as mathematics, optics, spectroscopy, energetics, genetics, biology and other branches of learning. About 37 higher educational establishments and about 400 professional schools train highly qualified specialists for various sectors of national economy. 3. Political set-up Officially our country is called the Republic of Belarus. It is a sovereign independent state with its government, constitution, state emblem, flag and anthem. The Declaration of State Sovereignty was adopted on July 27, 1990. Belarus is a presidential republic. The highest executive power belongs to a President elected for a five-year term. The parliament, which is the National Assembly, is known as a representative and legislative body of the country. The Parliament consists of two chambers: Representatives and Soviet of the Republic. The executive power is performed by the Council of Ministers headed by a Prime Minister who is appointed by the President of the Republic. Nowadays the Republic of Belarus is a founder-member of the United Nations Organization (UNO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It has its permanent representatives in the CIS, UN, UNESCO and in other international organizations. Exercises 1. Use the text to complete the sentences from the text: 1. Belarus is … into six regions. 2. Belarus is ... located. 3. It is situated in the centre of Europe, where ... . 4. Belarus is one of the biggest producers of ... . 5. Belarus is famous for ... . 6. …specializes in milk and meat production. 7. The climate of Belarus is influenced by ... blowing from ... . 8. Our country ... on Russia, on the Ukraine, on Poland, on the Lithuania and Latvia. 9. There are no mountains in our country, so Belarus is ... country. 10. Tractors, TV sets, gas stoves and other products are ... in Belarus. 11. Naroch is ... lake in our country. 12. The Baltic Sea ... the ... of Belarus. 2. Decide if the following statements are false or true: 1. Belarus is a monarchy. 2. The real power belongs to the Parliament. 3. The executive power is performed by the Council of Ministers. 4. The Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 5. Belarus is situated in the centre of Eastern Europe. 6. Belarus has a lot of mountains. 7. The climate of the republic is influenced by the Pacific Ocean. 8. Belarus borders on 3 countries. 9. The republic imports fertilizers, big lorries, refrigerators, TV sets, gas stoves, potatoes and flax. 10. Nowadays Belarus is a member of the European Union. 3. Answer the questions on the text: 1. How many regions is our republic divided into? What are they? 2. What is the capital of our republic? 3. What countries does our republic border on? 4. What can you say about the population of Belarus? 5. What do you know about different branches of Belarusian industry? 6. What does agriculture in Belarus specialize in? 7. What is Belovezhskaya Pushcha famous for? 8. What can you say about the climate of our republic? 9. Is Belarus a country of well developed education? 10. Are you proud of your country? Why? 4. Be ready to speak about Belarus. Use information from the text as a help to your topic. Text 2. MinskRead the text and do the exercises that follow it.Study the following vocabulary before reading the text:a convent – женский монастырь Minsk is the capital of the Republic of Belarus, its political, economic, scientific and cultural centre. It is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in our republic. Its name was first mentioned in chronicles in 1067. Minsk is situated on the river Svisloch. Its population is about 2 million. During the Great Patriotic War Minsk was destroyed by German invaders almost completely. It was liberated on the 3rd of July, 1944. In 1974 Minsk was honored with the title of Hero-City for people’s courage and heroism during the Great Patriotic War. In post-war years the city was rebuilt anew. Modern Minsk has numerous plants. It is also a big traffic centre with a large network of railways, roads, airlines and some Metro lines. Minsk has a highly developed industry. Hundreds of industrial enterprises produce tractors and automobiles, motor-cycles and bicycles, TV-sets and radio-sets, refrigerators and washing machines‚ watches‚ electronic devices, textile, footwear, food and other goods. Such enterprises as “MAZ”, “Horizont”, “Atlant” and others are famous not only in our country. Minsk is also an educational centre. There are 16 state higher educational establishments, the biggest of which are the Belarusian State University and the Polytechnical Academy. The cultural life of the people in the Belarusian capital is varied and interesting. In Minsk there are 6 theatres, a number of concert halls, a circus, a lot of cinemas, palaces of culture, libraries and clubs. The most famous theatres are the National Academic Opera Theatre, the National Academic Ballet Theatre, the National Yanka Kupala Theatre, the Gorky Russian Drama Theatre. Among the most interesting museums one can mention the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, the National Art Museum, the Y. Kypala and Y. Kolas Literary Museums, the Museum of Local History and Folklore‚ the Museum of the First Congress of Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Russia. The citizens of Minsk are proud of their city. It is beautiful at any time of the year. There are a lot of large parks and gardens in our capital. A lot of tourists come to Minsk to see its sights: the Bernardin Monastery and the Bernardin Convent (the oldest buildings in the city, both constructed in the 17th century), the Mound of Glory and other places of interest. Exercises 1. Use text 2 to reproduce the sentences with the following words and word combinations: to be honored with smth., to be varied and interesting, sights, to be proud of, a number of, to be mentioned, to be destroyed, to be rebuilt, to be known, to work on smth., goods, reputation, non-state schools, both in our country and abroad. 2. Use the text to complete the sentences: 1. Minsk was first ... in 1067. 2. Many people come to Minsk to see ... . 3. The Academy of Sciences ... on the problems in different fields of sciences. 4. Minsk has ... industry. 5. The capital is a big ... center. 6. German invaders ... the city almost completely. 7. The title of Hero-City was ... to Minsk in 1974. 8. In ... years people rebuilt Minsk ... . 3. Decide if the following statements are true or false: 1. Kiev stands on the river Svisloch. 2. The population of Minsk is about 2 mln. 3. The political, economic, scientific and cultural center of our republic is Mozyr. 4. Minsk was founded in the 11th century. 5. Nezavisimiy Prospect is the longest street in Minsk. 6. New modern houses, wide green streets and beautiful parks appeared in Minsk after the war. 7. Minsk has a museum of local history and folklore and literary museums. 8. Minsk has one Metro line‚ a lot of buses‚ trolley-buses and trams. 4. Answer the questions on text 2: 1. When was Minsk founded? 2. When was Minsk liberated from the fascist occupation? 3. What for was Minsk awarded the title of the Hero-City? 4. Is Minsk your home town? 5. Where is Minsk situated? 6. What is the population of the Belarusian capital? 7. Minsk is an industrial center of Belarus, isn’t it? 8. What are the most famous industrial enterprises in Minsk and what do they produce? 9. What cultural places can people visit in Minsk? 10. How many higher educational establishments are there in the Belarusian capital? Does any of your friends study in Minsk? 11. Have you ever been to Minsk? 12. Would you like to live there? Why? 5. Be ready to speak about the capital of our republic. Use text 2 as a help to your topic. Text 3. Mozyr Read the text and do the exercises that follow it:Study the following vocabulary before reading the text: due to – благодаря amenity – удобство Mozyr is situated in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Belarus. It stands on the bank of the river Pripyat. The river divides it into two parts. On one side of the river there is Phov and on the other one there are all other districts of the town. Mozyr is an ancient town. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1155. Before the revolution 1917 Mozyr was a town of one-storeyed houses, narrow and dusty streets. It received the Magdebourg right in 1577. In 1793 Mozyr became a part of the Russian Empire. The town was developed due to trade. 6500 persons lived in the middle of the 19th century. People were busy with trading bread, fish, bacon, skin and other goods. The Soviet authority was established in 1917. Many times the town was destroyed and burnt down completely. Mozyr suffered greatly during the fascist occupation which lasted 875 difficult days. But the citizens of Mozyr didn’t give up. At last on the 14th of January 1944 Mozyr was liberated. In post-war years it was rebuilt anew. Modern Mozyr is a town of numerous plants and factories. The biggest of them are the Oil Refinery and Salt plants, the cable works, the “Nadex” clothing factory, the “Slavyanka” knitted goods factory and other enterprises producing furniture, dairy products, baking bread and other goods. Mozyr is a university center. There is one of the biggest higher educational establishments “Mozyr State Teachers’ Training University”. Besides there are some vocational schools, colleges and a technicum. Every residential area of the town has kindergartens, secondary schools, shops and everyday services. Mozyr has a wide range of social, cultural and leisure facilities, such as the Melezh drama theatre, cinemas, sport centers, art galleries, a museum of regional ethnography, some palaces of culture, a lot of libraries, a beautiful park with different entertainment centers. People enjoy their free time in restaurants, cafes, bars or clubs and parks. Mozyr has a nice scenery. It is surrounded by a beautiful countryside including the ravines with birch groves and an impressive bank-lane of the river Pripyat. The major care of the town is its cleanliness. Flowers blossom everywhere in the town in summer. Mozyr is a perfect and easy town to live in, neither too small nor too big. It combines a friendly small town atmosphere with the amenities of a modern city. The town is famous for its talented people who lived here. A lot of people know such names as M. Findberg (a conductor), Kseniya Sitnik (a young singer, the winner of Eurovision 2005), I. Mazurkevich (an actress), D. Borisova (a TV show woman), V. Khoruzhaya (a politician), and others. Exercises 1. Replace the following definitions by one word from text 3: – land along each side of a river or canal; – things, circumstances, surroundings, that make life easy or pleasant; – a part of a town or a country marked out for a special purpose; – to be shut in on all sides; – buildings and equipment of an institution, factory; – buildings where goods are made (esp. by machinery); – to get pleasure from; – a person who lives in a town, not in the country; – great in number, very many; – a rural area (contrasted with urban area). 2. Reproduce the sentences from the text in which the following word-combinations are used: in the south-eastern part, to occupy an area, to be famous for, on the bank, the impressive bank-lane, to become a part, different entertainment centres, due to trade, residential areas, to be busy with, in post-war years, to be established, not to give up, to be destroyed. 3. Answer the questions on the text: 1. Where is Mozyr situated? 2. What can you say about the past of Mozyr? 3. What do enterprises of the town produce? 4. Mozyr is a town of students, isn’t it? 5. Where can people spend their free time? 6. What is the landscape of Mozyr famous for? 7. Do any famous people come from Mozyr? 8. Is Mozyr your native town? 9. What places of the town attract you most of all? 10. Are you planning to stay here after the graduation from the university? 4. Be ready to speak about your home town (village, settlement). Use the following outline on the topic: – geographical situation; – history; – landscape; – industry (agriculture); – cultural and educational centers; – famous people. Additional texts for reading Text 1. From the history of Belarus Read the text with a dictionary and do the exercises that follow it.Study the following vocabulary before reading the text: to owe allegiance – находиться в вассальной зависимости remould – переформировать expediency – целесообразность Belarus is the Eastern Slavic nation. Historically part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Poland and Russia, it regained its independence on the 27th of July, 1990. The original Belarusian tribes were related to the Baltic nations, and grouped in independent principalities. From the beginning of the 10th century up to the 13th century there were several state formations on the territory of the present-day Belarus. The most important ones were Principalities of Polatsk, Turau, Novgorod and some others. The most powerful was Polatsk, a port and fortress on the river Dvina, which flows into the Baltic Sea. First, these principalities were parts of the Kievan Rus, which was an original, very vast medieval federation, where the relations between the princes were based on suzerainty-vassalage. During the 10th–12th centuries, some of the major principalities actually became independent and were being ruled by local dynasties. From the middle of the 13th century up to the end of the 18th century, the Belarusian lands belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (the GDL). The Duchy passed through two main stages in its state and political development:
The middle Belarusian language was the official state language of the united Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 13th to the late 17th century, and the Code of Laws of 1588 − the Lithuanian Statute was a compilation of that language. During this period Belarusian culture flourished to its highest level and developed its distinctive quality in almost every field. In the 16th century in the result of numerous wars, the Great Dukes formed the Union with the Kingdom of Poland. The old principalities were remoulded into provinces, though the status of the Kingdom of Grand Duchy remained that of dual Monarchy with separate laws and customs, known as the Rzecz Pospolita until 1795. Cultural decline set in, the Belarusian language was greatly influenced by Polish. Retrospectively, the state system of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the end of the 16th century to the 18th century was an early form of the bourgeois (the szlachta) democracy. In the 18th century the territory of Belarus appeared under Russian rule followed by russification. The change found reflection in its official name: from 1840 it was named “the North-Western Lands”. No special laws were issued regarding Belarus, which could have treated it as a region with a special legal status. From 1801 the ethnic territory of the Belarusians was part of the Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno and Vilnya provinces. Nevertheless the phenomenal advance of Belarusian studies in the 19th century was clearly observed. The publication of the first Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1870) by I. Nosovich (1788−1877) helped to lay the foundation of modern Belarus as a nation. A revival of the literary Belarusian language led to a rebirth of national feelings, to the proclamation of the country’s independence. On the 25th of March 1918, under the conditions of occupation by the German troops, the Belarusian People’s Republic was proclaimed, as a national bourgeois-democratic state. It failed, however, to turn into a fully-fledged state: it had no Constitution, no state boundaries, it had no armed forces of its own, the financial system and other attributes of statehood were not formed. It didn’t exist long. Soon the Bolsheviks took the power and on the 1st of January 1919, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialistic Republic (the BSSR) was formed and the first Constitution of the BSSR was adopted. In December 1922 it joined the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (the USSR) as one of the founders. The advantageous geographical position was the reason of many wars, invasions and aggressions. In the 11th century the Tatar-Mongols attacked Polotsk and Turov principalities in the east and south. In the 13th century the Crusaders invaded Belarus lands from the west. Sweden conquered the north of Belarus. It was devastated by Russian-Polish wars (16−18th centures), the Napoleon invasion (1812), World War I (1914−1918), the Soviet-Polish war which ended with Western Belarus ceded to Poland and the World War II and Nazi occupation (1914−1944). All these tragic events didn’t stop the development of the nation. On the disintegration of the USSR, Belarus proclaimed its sovereignty and adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty on July 27, 1990. In December 1991 it was one of the republics of the former USSR to form the CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) with the headquarters in Minsk. Exercises 1. Use the text to complete the sentences from the text: 1. Belarus was a part of … . 2. … was the official state language of the Grand Duchy in the 13th−17th centuries. 3. Belarus regained its … in 1990. 4. Belarus was proclaimed … . 5. The Belarusian language was greatly influenced by … . 6. Belarus was ... by many wars. 7. The territory of Belarus appeared under Russian rule followed by ... . 8. The publication of … helped to lay the foundation of modern Belarus as a nation. 2. Decide if the following statements are false or true: 1. The Lithuanian Statute was written in the middle Belarusian language. 2. The first Dictionary of the Belarusian Language was published in 1870. 3. The BSSR was proclaimed in 1918. 4. The advantageous geographical position was the reason of many wars, invasions and aggressions. 5. Belarusian culture flourished to its highest level during the period when Belarus was a part of Rečpaspalitaya. 6. In 1991 Belarus became a member of the USSR. 7. The fist Constitution of the republic was adopted in 1918. 8. The reason of many wars was its rich deposits of oil and gas. 3. Answer the questions on the text: 1. Was Belarus an independent state before 1918? 2. What stages did the GDL pass? 3. What language was the official state language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania? 4. What does the Lithuanian Statute mean? 5. Why was the Belarusian language influenced by other languages? 6. When was Belarus joined Russia? 7. When was Belarus proclaimed a republic? 8. What was the reason of many wars? 9. When did Belarus proclaim its sovereignty? Text 2. From the history of MinskRead the text with a dictionary and answer the questions that follow it.Study the following vocabulary before reading the text:to come into existence – существовать to derive – извлекать, происходить(от) an invader – захватчик, оккупант a devastation – опустошение to befall – случаться, происходить More than 900 years ago on the banks of the Nemiga and Svisloch rivers came into existence the city of Minsk or Mensk as it used to be called before. The name of the city is believed to be associated with the river Menka that flowed into the river Ptych not far from the city. But the legends say that the city derives its name from the word “mena” as in the ancient times there was a barter market in the newly-founded settlement on the right bank of the Svisloch. Mensk was first mentioned as a town in the Principality of Polotsk in a chronicle in 1067 in connection with a battle on the Nemiga between Prince Vseslav of Polotsk and Prince Yaroslav’s sons: Yzyaslav, Vsevolod and Svyatoslav. As a result of this battle Mensk was ruined with all men killed, women and children taken to prison. In 1084 Mensk was burnt yet another time by the Great Russian Prince Vladimir Monomakh. In the 12th century the Polotsk Principality was divided into 6 independent principalities among Prince Yzeslav’s sons. Thus Mensk became the centre of a principality. In the late 13th century the Principality of Mensk became part of the Great Duchy of Lithuania. The 14th–15th centuries were very important in the life of Mensk and its inhabitants. It was the period when the Belarusian nation was formed with its national language and culture. But in 1569 the Lithuanian Princes united with the Polish kingdom and formed a joined state Rzečzpaspalitaya. It was at that period that Mensk was renamed into Minsk. In 1793 the eastern and central parts (later all the territory) of Belarus joined the Russian Empire. In 1795 it was turned into a gubernia (province) with Minsk as its centre. Only in 1919 Minsk became the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Throughout the 17th–18th centuries the Upper Town remained the town’s main administrative, trade and cultural centre. Minsk rapidly grew and developed. But in 1812 the Napoleon troops burnt the city again. In the 20th century the foreign invaders not once occupied the Belarusian capital: in 1918 it was occupied by Germany, in 1919–1920 by Poland. The most horrible disaster befell the city of Minsk in 1941–1944 in the years of fascist invasion. Not only wars were responsible for Minsk’s numerous devastations. Fires caused a great damage to the city too. Especially damaging was the 1881 fire. Since then only stone and brick buildings have been constructed in the centre of Minsk. And every time our people rebuilt the city, it became more beautiful than before. Answer the questions on text 2: 1. When was Minsk founded? 2. What is the name of the city associated with? 3. When did Minsk become the centre of the independent principality? 4. When was Mensk renamed into Minsk? 5. What caused a great damage to the city during the 20th century? |