Топики по английскому языку. Топики Тексты для чтения Экзаменационные вопросы Цветкова И. В. Клепальченко И. А
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WASHINGTON, DC Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It's situated in the District of Columbia and is like no other city in the USA. It's the world's largest one-industry city. And that industry is government. The White House, where the US President lives and works, the Capitol, the home of the US Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington. Washington was named after the first US President George Washington. He selected the place for the capital and Pierre L'Enfant, a French engineer, designed the city. Washington was first settled in 1790 and since 1800 it has been the federal capital. Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol — a big white dome standing on a circle of pillars. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation's affairs. It's easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues. Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents. The White House is the official residence of the US President. He works in the Oval Office. One can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in Washington without a monument or a memorial. The most impressive and the best-known ones are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. There are some important museums in Washington where you can see all kinds of things: famous paintings and sculptures, the dresses of Presidents's wives, the original of the Declaration of Independence, the largest blue diamond in the world, etc. There are 5 universities in Washington. There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city's many monuments from view. No building in the city may be more than 40 metres tall. Thousands of tourists visit Washington every day. People from all parts of the United States come to see their capital. Names Washington ['woJiQtan] Вашингтон the District of Columbia |,distrikt av Кэ'1лтЫэ] округ Колумбия the White House Белый Дом (резиденция президента США) the Capitol ['kaepital] Капитолий (здание конгресса США) the Congress ['korjgres] Конгресс the Supreme Court [su:(sju:) ,pri:m 'ko:t] Верховный суд Pierree L'Enfant [pi,ea la:n'fa:nt] Пьер Ланфан the Library of Congress Библиотека конгресса Oval ['auvi] Office Овальный кабинет (рабочий кабинет президента США) the Lincoln Memorial ['liQkan mi'mo:rial] памятник Линкольну the Washington Monument о белиск в честь Джорджа Вашингтона the Declaration of Independence [,dekle'reijn av Jnda'pendans] Декларация независимости (приня- та 4 июля 1776 года вторым континентальным конгрессом в период войны за независимость Северной Америки (1775—1783); провозглашала Отделение колоний от метрополии и образова- ние самостоятельного государства — США) Vocabulary to design [di'zain] проектировать, создавать to settle ['sell] поселять, заселять huge [hju:d3] огромный, колоссальный dome fdaum] купол circle ['S3:kl] круг pillar f'pila] столб, колонна affair [a'fea] дело to get lost заблудиться to contain [kan'tein] содержать manuscript ['maenjuskript] рукопись personal ['рз:зпэ1] papers личные бумаги official residence [a,fijl 'rezidans] официальная резиденция ibmpressive [im'presiv] производящий впечатление, впечатляющий original [a'rid3inl] оригинал diamond ['daiamand] алмаз, бриллиант skyscraper ['skai,skreipa] небоскреб Questions 1. Where is Washington situated? 2. Is Washington a typical American city? 3. It's the world's largest one-industry city, isn't it? What kind of industry is it? 4. What important government buildings are situated in Washington? 5. Where does the US president live and work? 6. Who selected the place for the capital of the USA? 7. Is there a monument to George Washington in the city? 8. When was Washington first settled? 9. Who designed the capital of the USA? 10. What places of interest in Washington do you know? 11. How many universities are there in Washington? 12. Why aren't there any skyscrapers in Washington? THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA. There's hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There are two great plains in Russia: 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 - - 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 (1,600 metres) is Lake Baikal. It's much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there's 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, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources. Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma. The capital of Russia is Moscow. It's its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It's one of the oldest Russian cities. At present, the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated. The industrial production is decreasing. The prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is rather high. People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants are going bankrupt. But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for this country to become one of the leading countries in the world. I'm sure that we, the younger generation, can do very much to make Russia as strong and powerful as it used to be. Names the Russian Federation [,feda'reijn] Российская Федерация Europe ['ju:arap] Европа Asia ['eifa] Азия the Pacific Ocean [pa,sifik 'aujn] Тихий океан the Arctic Ocean [,a:ktik 'aujn] Северный Ледовитый океан the Atlantic Ocean [a,tl3entik 'aujn] Атлантический океан China ['tjaina] Китай Mongolia [morj'gaulia] Монголия Korea [kau'ria] Корея Kazakhstan [,kaezaek'sta:n] Казахстан Georgia ['0(30:0)33] Грузия Azerbaijan [,aezabai'd3a:n] Азербайджан Norway ['no:wei] Норвегия Finland [linlend] Финляндия the Baltic ['bo:ltik] States Прибалтийские государства Belorus [,belau'rus] Беларусь the Ukraine [ju:'krein] Украина the Great Russian Plain Русская (Восточно-Европейская) равнина the West Siberian [sai'biarian] Lowland Западно-Сибирская низменность the Urals ['juaralz] Уральские горы the Caucasus ['ko:kasas] Кавказ the Altai [/O'tai] Алтай the Volga ['volga] Волга the Caspian ['kaespian] Sea Каспийское море the Ob [ob], [o:pj] Обь the Yenisei [jeni'sei] Енисей Amur [э'тиэ] Амур Lake Baikal [bai'ka:!] озеро Байкал the Baltic ['boiltikj Sea Балтийское море Siberia [sai'biaria] Сибирь the Far East Дальний Восток Vocabulary to occupy ['okjupai] занимать surface ['S3:fls] поверхность eastern [1:stan] восточный northern ['пэ:Ээп] северный total area [,tautl 'earia] общая площадь square [skwea] квадратный kilometre ['kila,mi:ta] километр to wash омывать to border f'bo:da] on граничить с sea-border морская граница There's hardly a country in the world... Едва ли найдется страна... variety [va'raiati] разнообразие, множество scenery ['shnari] пейзаж, ландшафт vegetation [,ved3i'teijn] растительность steppe [step] степь plain равнина midland ['midland] средняя полоса tundra ['Undra] тундра taiga [tai'ga:] тайга highland ['hailand] нагорье, высокогорная местность desert ['dezat] пустыня chain цепь to separate ['separeit] разделять to flow [Паи] into впадать Siberian [sai'biarian] сибирский to count ['kaunt] считать bottom ['botam] дно to concentrate ['konsantreit] сосредотачиваться, концентрироваться European [juara'phsn] европейский vast [va:st] обширный territory ['teritari] территория various [vearias] различный climate ['klaimit] климат, климатический пояс arctic ['a:ktik] арктический subtropical [,s/to'tropikl] субтропический temperate ['tempi-it] умеренный continental [,konti'nentl] континентальный oil [oil] нефть coal [kaul] уголь iron ore ['aian ,o:] железная руда copper медь mineral resources [ri'soisiz] полезные ископаемые parliamentary [,pa:la'mentri] парламентский head of state глава государства legislative [Jedjis'leitiv] законодательный powers f'pauaz] полномочия to exercise f'eksasaiz] осуществлять, выполнять scientific [,saian'tffik] научный complicated ['komplikeitid] сложный, запутанный to decrease [di'kri:s] снижаться, падать constantly ['konstantli] постоянно the rate of inflation [in'fleijn] уровень инфляции to go bankrupt ['baerjkrApt] обанкротиться in spite of несмотря на the younger generation [,d3ena'reijn] молодое поколение powerful ['pauaful] могучий Questions 1. Where is the Russian Federation situated? 2. What is the total area of the country? 3. What countries does Russia border on? 4. What mountain chain separates Europe from Asia? 5. How many rivers are there in Russia? 6. Which is the longest river in Europe? 7. What do you know about Lake Baikal? 8. Do you know what strait separates Russia from America? 9. What mineral resources is the Russian Federation rich in? 10. What is the climate like in Russia? 11. What can you say about the present economic situation in Russia? 12. What great Russians do you know? MOSCOW Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the straggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon's occupation, but by the mid-19th century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again. Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is over 9 million. Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more historic associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St Basil's Cathedral was built in the mid-16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There's a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn't want them to create another masterpiece. There are a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow. Now Moscow is being reconstructed and we all hope that in a few years the city will become even more beautiful. There are more than 100 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in Moscow include the All-Russia Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture and many others. Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are also very popular. Moscow is a city of students. There are over 100 higher educational institutions in it. Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life of the country. Names Ivan the Terrible [,aivn da 'teribl] Иван Грозный Peter the Great [greit] Петр Великий (Петр I) St Petersburg [sant 'pi:tazb3:g] Санкт-Петербург Napoleon [na'paulian] Наполеон St Basil's Cathedral [sant ,baezlz kaG'hdral] собор Василия Блаженного the Bell Tower ['taua] of Ivan the Great Колокольня Ивана Великого the Tzar-Cannon ['za:(tsa:) 'kaenan] Царь-пушка the Tzar-Bell ['za:(tsa:) 'bel] Царь-колокол Barma [Ьэ'та:] and Postnik ['paustnik] Барма и Постник the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts Музей изобразительных искусств имени Пушкина Kazan [ka'zaen] Казань the State Tretyakov ['tretjakof] Gallery ['gaeleri] Государственная Третьяковская галерея the All-Russia Museum of Folk [fauk] Arts Всероссийский музей декоративного, прикладного и народного искусства the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art Музей древнерусского искусства имени Андрея Рублева Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum Театральный музей имени Бахрушина Mikhail Glinka ['gliQka] Museum of Musical Culture Музей музыкальной культуры имени Глинки the Bolshoi [,bol'Joi] Opera House Большой театр оперы и балета Vocabulary historian [his'to:rian] историк to accept [ak'sept] принимать, допускать gradually ['graedjuali] постепенно powerful ['pauaful] сильный, могущественный liberation [Jiba'reijn] освобождение tartar yoke ['ta:ta 'jauk] татарское иго united [jurnaitid] соединенный, объединенный to remain [ri'mein] оставаться target f'ta:git] мишень, цель, объект attack [a'tsek] нападение, атака to destroy [dis'troi] разрушать fire [faia] пожар occupation [pkju'peijn] оккупация completely [kam'pli:tli] полностью, целиком to restore [ris'to:] реставрировать, восстанавливать ancient f'einfant] древний masterpiece (;ma:stapi:s] шедевр architecture ['a:kitektja] архитектура architect ['a:kitakt] архитектор, зодчий tower ['taua] башня legend ['Ied3andj легенда to,blind [blaind] ослепить palace ['paelis] дворец mansion ['maenjn] особняк to reconstruct [/hkan'sti-Akt] перестраивать, восстанавливать unique [ju:'ni:k] уникальный, единственный в своем роде drama ['dra:maj theatre драматический театр studio ['stu:(stju:)diau] студия, театр-студия higher educational institution высшее учебное заведение Questions 1. When was Moscow founded? 2. Is there a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky in Moscow? Where is it? 3. When did Moscow become the capital? 4. In 1712 the capital was moved to St Petersburg, wasn't it? When did Moscow become the capital again? 5. Was ancient Moscow a big city? What's the total area of modern Moscow? 6. What's the population of Moscow? 7. What places of interest in the centre of Moscow do you know? 8. What do you know about St Basil's Cathedral? 9. What can you see on the territory of the Kremlin? 10. What are the most famous Moscow museums? (art galleries?) 11. What theatres in Moscow do you know? 12. What is your favorite place in Moscow? |