My native town (kirov)

The city of Kirov is the centre of Kirov region. It was founded in 1374 on the banks of the Vyatka river. Its territory is about 132 square kilometers. Its first name was Khlynov. In 1780 the town was named Vyatka. Vyatka was a small provincial town with dirty narrow streets and small wooden houses. It was a place of exile for many outstanding people: famous democratic writers Hertsen, Korolenko, Saltykov-Shchedrin, architect Vitberg and others. The Vyatka land gave birth to many great sons of Russia: artists Vasnetsov, singer Shalyapin, writer Grin, marshal Konev and other outstanding figures.

In 1934 the town was named after S.M. Kirov. After the October revolution the town began to develop quickly. Now its population is more the half a million people. It is an important industrial and commercial centre. There is a great number of modern industrial enterprises in it, such as the tyre plant, several machinebuilding plants and others. Kirov is also a cultural and scientific centre. There are several higher schools in it: 2 state universities, the Agricultural Academy, the Medical Academy and others, several scientific research institutes, a number of technical and music schools, libraries and museums. In the halls of the Vasnetsov Brothers Art museum one can see pictures of many famous Russian artists and a fine collection of Dymkovo toys.

The Drama Theatre, the Theatre for Young Spectators, the Puppet Theatre, the Circus and the Philharmonic Concert Hall are very popular with the Kirovites. There are many places of interests in Kirov. The centre of the city is the Theatre Square. In summer there are always a lot of people around the fountain in the middle of the square. From the Grin Embankment you can have a good view of the river and its green banks. You can also see the monuments to the Kirovites who perished in the Great Patriotic War and the Eternal Flame there.

One of the most beautiful streets is October Avenue with its green boulevards. The city is growing from year to year. New districts are well planned and green with wide streets and high modern apartment houses.

MOSCOW

Moscow is the capital of our country. It is a political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. The city was founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruky. Now it is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about 900 square kilometres. Ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the preset-day Kremlin. The population of the city is over million.

The heart of Moscow is Red Square. The square has witnessed many historic events. Here ceremonies, national celebrations and executions took place. The Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral are architectural masterpieces. The main Kremlin Tower, Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. There is a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma ad Postnik, because he didn’t want them to create another masterpiece. On the territory of Kremlin you can also see the Bell Tower, of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and the bell in the world.

There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Besides, Moscow is famous for its theaters. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House.

Moscow is a city of students. In the south-west of the city we can see a 32-storey building of Moscow University with the monument to M. Lomonosov in front of it.

Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life of the country.

TRAVELLING

Travelling plays a very specific role in our modern world. Nowadays it has become a very versatile phenomenon, I mean purposes of travelling and means of transport. Hundreds years ago it took much time to get the place of one’s destination. Today it takes almost no time to get some far away country. Now you are in Moscow and some hours later in New York. Those who wish to travel for pleasure or on business have at their disposal various means of transport: planes, trains, ships, cars, bicycles; which to choose depends on your taste, money, purpose of travelling and so on.

But most of us prefer trains. As for me I prefer to travel by train. It goes quicker and makes fewer stops than a passenger train. The express it is the quickest train, it goes without stops. I am in the habit of travelling about our country during holidays. That is why I look forward to my vacations. It seems to me there is nothing more pleasant than to visit new places.

Last holiday I went to St Petersburg as a tourist. I was under great impression after my journey. At first I went to the booking office and bought a ticket for a fast train in a sleeper. I prefer to buy tickets beforehand because I hate the idea of waiting in a queue. It gets to my nerves.

On the day of my departure I went to the railway station. I consulted the train schedule because I was afraid to miss the train. At the booking stall I bought some newspapers and magazines to while the time during the journey. I had no many pieces of luggage with me because I prefer to travel light. My friend saw me off. The guard checked my ticket and I got in a train. I shared a compartment with three young people. I was lucky I had a lower birth. The guard boiled tea and gave bedding. Then I went to the dining car to have supper. After it I had a nice nap. Next day we arrived in St Petersburg. We had a jolly good time there but they say, “East or West home is best”!

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by 11 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic. Russia borders on many countries, e.g., China, Mongolia, Norway, Finland and many others. It also has a sea-border on the USA.

There is hardly a county in the world with such a variety of scenery and vegetation. 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 2 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 largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over 2 million rivers in Russia. Europe’s biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers, the Ob, the Lena, the Yenisei, flow from the south to the north. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom. Our country 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: arctic, temperate, continental, subtropical. Russia is very rich in natural gas, oil, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russian Federation is a parliamentary republic. The Head of the state is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

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