Text 3. Holidays in Russia

Vocabulary

Christmas -Рождество

Day of the Defender of Motherland –День Защитника Отечества

Independence Day –День Независимости

National Reconciliation Day –День примирения и согласия

Father Frost –Дед Мороз

Snow Maiden –Снегурочка

to see the New Year in –Встречать Новый Год

sparkling champagne –искрящееся шампанское

to make merry –веселиться

renewed –новорожденный

Jesus Christ –Иисус Христос

Bethlehem –Вифлеем

wise men –волхвы

worship -поклоняться

frankincense –ладан

myrrh –мирра

Trade Union –профсоюзы

summer cottage –дача

ally –союзник

military parade –военный парад

to lay wreath –возлагать венок

eternal –вечный

inscription –надпись

to perish –погибать

newly-married couple –молодожены

missing in action –пропавший без вести

Easter –Пасха

resurrection –воскрешение

Christ is risen! –Христос воскрес!

expected answer –ожидаемый ответ

He is risen indeed! –Воистину воскрес!

There are many national holidays in Russia, when people all over the country do not work and have spe­cial celebrations.

The major holidays are; New Year's Day, Christmas, Day of the Defender of Motherland, Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day, Independence Day and National Reconciliation Day.

New Year's Day is the first holiday of the year. It is very popular. There is a New Year tree in every house and in the streets. Father Frost and Snow Maiden present children and adults with the gifts. People see the New Year in at midnight on the 31st of December. They greet the New Year with wine glasses of sparkling champagne and say toasts "Happy New Year!", "Here is to you", etc. It's time for eating, drinking and making merry. People consider New Year's Day to be a family holiday.

Christmas is a renewed holiday in our country. It's celebrated on the 7th of January. The holiday is connected with the wonderful birth of Jesus Christ. On that day Jesus Christ Was born in Bethlehem. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came to worship him. They gave the child presents — gold, frankincense and myrrh. That's why people nowa­days give their friends and relatives Christmas pre­sents.

Day of the Defender of Motherland is celebrated on the 23rd of February. We congratulate our fathers, grandfathers and young men with the little presents

and cards.

Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th of March. We congratulate all the girls, mothers and grand­mothers with this holiday. Usually they get flowers, cards and presents. On the 8th of March all the boys and men try to be very polite, they help to cook meal and do everything about the house. Usually there are very good TV programmes. All of them are about love, spring and beautiful women.

May Day is celebrated two days. It is called now the Day of Spring and Labour. The members of the Trade Unions have their demonstrations on this day. Many people go to their summer cottages and spend this holiday there.

Victory Day is the greatest national holiday in our country. On the 9th of May 1945 the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Great Patriotic War ended for our peoples. We lost 30 million people during this war. Many vet­erans meet on this day. They also participate in the military parade on Red Square and lay wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is an Eternal Flame there and the inscription "Your name is unknown, but your deed is immortal". This is a mon­ument to all those, who were perished during this war. We have a very nice tradition: the just married couple always puts flowers there. In such a way they show their respect and gratitude to the people, who were killed and missed in action. On the 9th of May there are very many people in the streets, squares, parks. Young people usually give flowers to the vet­erans and thank them for the victory. You can hear everywhere music and songs, which were popular during the war. A lot of guests from different coun­tries of the world come to Moscow and other places to participate in the celebrations.

Independence Day is a new holiday in our country. On the 12th of June, 1992, the first President of Russia was elected.

The 7th of November is the National holiday. In November 7, 1917 the Revolution was in Russia. Many years we celebrated this day as the Day of the Revolution. Now it's called the National Recon­ciliation Day. Different parties have their meetings and manifestation on this day. They express their po­ints of view at the development of the situation in Russia.

Besides this holidays we also celebrate Easter. It is a very popular holiday in Russia in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. On the Easter day peo­ple greet each other by the words "Christ is risen!" And the expected answer is "He is risen indeed!". People also paint eggs and give them to one another as a symbol of eternal life.

Text 4. Moscow

Vocabulary

unique sights –гордиться рядом уникальных достопримечательностей

to hold receptions –проводить приемы

the Tsar Cannon –Царь-пушка

the Tsar Bell –Царь-колокол

marketplace –рыночная площадь

meeting spot for popular assem­blies –место проведения народных собраний

tomb –гробница, захоронение

dome –купол, свод

to extend -простираться

to be demolished –быть разрушенным

notable feature –заметная черта, отличительная черта

boulevard -бульвар

Gothic-influenced –испытавший на себе влияние готического стиля

Skyscraper –небоскреб

free-standing structure –отдельно стоящее здание

broadcast tower -телебашня

recreation area –зона отдыха

Botanical gardens –Ботанические сады

underground –метро

There is a lot to see in Russia, but first of all foreign tourists visit the capital of our country, Moscow, its economic and cultural centre.

The first thing I would advise a foreigner to see and the most popular Moscow sight is the Kremlin. First, it is one of the most ancient sights of Moscow. Second, it has long been a symbol of Moscow, and a foreign guest can't fail to see it. It was builtas a fortress in the 15th-16th century under the supervision of Italian architects.The twenty towers on the Kremlin wall were builtin the 17th century for decoration. Among the ancient buildings Inside the Kremlin are the famous churches: the Archangel Cathedral with tombs of princes and tsars, theBlagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral with Andrey Rublyov's frescoes, the Uspensky cathedral, Granovitaya palata (Palace) where receptions wereheldby Russian tsars, and the Grand Kremlin Palace. Among other historical monuments of the Kremlin are the Tsar Cannonand the Tsar Bell,both of enormous size.

Near the Kremlin is the huge Red Square, the most famous Rus­sia's square. Originally it was a marketplaceand a meeting spot for popular assemblies; it is still used as a parade ground and for demonstrations. On the west side of Red Square and along the Kremlin wall are the Lenin Mausoleum and the tombsof Soviet political figures; on the north side is the completely rebuilt Kazan Cathedral (constructed in the 17th century, razed by Stalin, and rebuilt in 1993); and at the southern end stands the imposing Cathedral of Basil the Beautified. The cathedral has numerous cupolas, each a different color, grouped around a central dome.In front of the cathedral stands a monument to Minin and Pozharski.

Near Red Square extendsthe old district of Kitaigorod. It is one of the oldest places in Moscow, once the merchants' quarter,later the banking section, and now an administrative centre with various government offices and ministries. Tverskaya Street (formerly Gorky Street), a main thorough­fare,extends from the Kremlin and is lined with modern buildings. Near the beginning of Tverskaya Street is Treatre Square, containing the world-famous Bolshoi and Maly treatres. Encircling the Kremlin and Kitaigorod is the Bely Gorod (white city), traditionally the most elegant part of Moscow and now a commercial and cultural area. In the Bely Gorod is the Christ the Saviour Cathedral; demolishedin 1931, it was rebuilt in 1990s.

Notable featuresof Moscow are the concentric rings of wide boul­evards.Post-Soviet Moscow has seen renewed construction, including the Triumph-Palace, which echoes Stalin's Gothic-influencedSeven Sisters skyscrapersand is the tallest building in Europe. The tallest free-standing structurein Moscow is the Ostankino Tower (1967), a broadcast towerand tourist attraction that rises 1,771 ft (540 m). Among Moscow's many cultural and scientific institutions are the University of Moscow (founded in 1755), the Russian Academy of Sciences, a conservatory (1866), the Tretyakov Art Gallery, the museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Oriental Cultures, the State Historical Museum, the National Exhibition Centre. Treatres include the Moscow Art Treatre, the world-famous Bolshoi, the Maly Treatre and many others. Numerous large parks and recreation areasinclude Gorky Central Park, the forested Izmailovo and Sokolniki parks, and Ostankino Park, with its Botanical gardens.

The ornate undergroundregarded by many asthe most beautiful underground in the world was opened in 1935.

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Москва может гордиться рядом уникальных достопримечатель-ностей, среди которых Кремль, построенный как крепость под руководством итальянских архитекторов.

2. Среди знаменитьгх древних построек Кремля —Архангельский собор, Успенский Собор и Грановитая палата, где цари устраивали приемы, Большой Кремлевский дворец, Царь-пушка и Царь-колокол.

3. Красная площадь первоначально была рыночной площадью и местом проведения народных собраний, на ней находятся Мавзолей В. И. Ленина и захоронения советских политических деятелей, а также внушительный Собор Василия Блаженного с многочисленными куполами.

4. Около Кремля простираются старый район Китай-города, который когда-то был кварталом купцов, и Белый город с Храмом Христа Спасителя, восстановленным в 1990-х годах.

5. К другим достопримечательностям Москвы относятся широкие бульвары, образующие концентрические кольца, семь небоскре­бов в стиле, напоминающем готику, Останкинская телебашня и Ботанический сад.

6. Богато украшенное московское метро считается самым красивым метро в мире.

Answer the following 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?

Text 5. ST. PETERSBURG

Vocabulary

the Neva –Нева the Hermitage Palace –Эрмитаж the Winter Palace –Зимний дворец the Russian Museum – Русский музей St Isaac's Cathedral –Исаакиевский собор the Peter-and-Paul Fortress –Петропавловская крепость the Admiralty –Адмиралтейство swampy –болотистый mouth –устье (реки) arm – рукав (реки) to drop dead –упасть замертво ruler – правитель empire –империя to lay out – планировать

granite – гранит equal –равный, не уступающий to rename – переименовывать to suffer –страдать to lay siege to –осадить starvation – голод shelling –бомбежки air raid –воздушный налет to destroy – разрушать to catch smb's eye –привлечь внимание, поразить to attract –привлекать, притягивать canal –канал artistically –мастерски bridge –мост

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the "Window on the West". Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry. The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by the hundreds. But the work went on.

In 1917 St Petersburg, a city of great beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings became the capital. Under later rulers the new capital of the Russian Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought from western Europe to lay out the city in harmonious squares. Buildings were constructed of grey and rose-coloured granite. The Hermitage Palace and the Winter Palace, the homes of the tsars, were equal to any in Europe.

When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name, St Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin.

During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in, and people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.

Now St Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. The population of the city is over 5 million.

St Petersburg is indeed a wonderful city: at every turn there's something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, St Isaac's Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every corner of the world.

Petersburg's many museums house some of the world's most famous art collections. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures in the world.

The city is called the Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers, arms and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It's also famous for its beautiful white nights.

Answer the following questions:

1. Have you ever been to St Petersburg? 2. Is St Petersburg as old as Moscow? 3. Who was the city founded by and when did it become the capital of the Russian Empire? 4. Peter I thought that Moscow looked provincial in comparison with the capitals he had visited and decided to build a magnificent city equal to any European capital. Did he succeed? 5. How many times has the city been renamed and why? 6. Did the city suffer a great deal during the Great Patriotic War? 7. What is St Petersburg famous for? 8. Have you ever been to the Russian Museum? (the Hermitage?) 9. What other places of interest in St Petersburg do you know?
10. Why is St Petersburg called the Northern Venice?

***

Quotes about home:

- When you finally go back to your old home, you find it wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood.

By Sam Ewing

- Any old place I can hang my hat is home sweet home to me.

By William Jerome

- I'm going to buy some green bananas because by the time I get home they'll be ripe.

By Ryan Stiles

ТЕМА 4