To afford — позволять себе

deck of the ship— палуба корабля

fresh sea wind— свежий морской ветер

Questions

1) Why do you think almost all people are fond of travelling?

2) What are the methods of travelling?

3) What is you favourite method of travelling?

4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by air?

5) What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by car, train and ship journey?

6) Why do many people prefer to travel by car?

MOSCOW

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is one of the largest cities in the world. It was founded in 1147 by the prince Yuri Dolgoruky. It stands on the banks of the Moskva river. About eight million people live in the city.

Moscow is famous for its historical and architectural monuments that were built by outstanding architects. The Red Square is the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. It is the place of parades, meetings and demonstrations. There is a Cathedral of St. Basil built in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture. The heart of Moscow is the Kremlin. There is a wonderful architectural ensemble with 3 cathedrals, the Bell tower of Ivan the Great, palaces, fortress walls and 20 towers. The most famous of the towers is the Spasskaya Tower with a big clock. The Kremlin with golden domes and towers makes a strong impression on tourists.

Several skyscrapers decorate Moscow, including Moscow University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moscow is a scientific and cultural centre with a lot of institutes, universities, libraries, museums. The city leads a vast cultural life. It has a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, more than 40 drama and musical theatres, including the Bolshoi Theatre, the Art Theatre, the Maly Theatre, the Vakhtangov Theatre.

Moscovites are proud of their museums: the Tretyak-ov Gallery, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and many literary museums. Crowds of people visit Tretyakov Gallery admiring beautiful pictures of Russian painters. There are a lot of stadiums, swimming pools, courts and sport grounds in Moscow.

There are a lot of big plants and factories in Moscow that produce cars, lorries, home electrical appliances and so on.

Words

capital — столица prince — князь bank — берег monument — памятник outstanding — выдающийся architect — архитектор cathedral — собор masterpiece — шедевр ensemble — ансамбль palace — дворец fortress — крепость Bell tower — колокольня dome — купол skyscraper — небоскреб

Ministry of Foreign Affairs — министерство иностранных дел

scientific — научный vast — обширный

Questions

1. When was Moscow founded?

2. Who founded Moscow?

3. What is Moscow famous for besides that it is the capital of Russian Federation?

4. What are the places of interest in Moscow?

5. What are the world-famous theatres of Moscow?

6. What are the most famous museums of Moscow?

THE KREMLIN

The Kremlin is the heart of Moscow. It is the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow.

First it was a wooden fortress. Under Dmitry Donskoy the Kremlin was built of white stone. During the reign of Ivan III the walls of white stone were replaced by new red bri ck walls and towers. The Tsar invited Italian architects to construct the cathedrals. The Assumption Cathedral was built in 1475-^1479 and all Russian Tsars and Emperors were crowned there. The Archangel Cathedral was the burial place of the Russian Princes and Tsars. The An-nuiciation Cathedral was built in 1484. It is famous for the icons painted by Andrey Rublev and his apprentices. Ivan the Great is the Bell Tower, one of the most remarkable structures of the 16-th century. It rises in the certre of the Kremlin. It unites all the Kremlin Cathedrals into a majestic ensemble.

On the stone pedestal at the foot of the Bell Tower there is a Tsar-Bell — the largest bell in the world. Not far from it one can see a Tsar-Cannon.

Another fine example of Russian architecture is the Faceted Palace. It was built in 1487-91. -- One of the well-known Kremlin museums is the Armoury Chamber. It was built in 1851. The famous golden cap of Monomach, the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine II, made of gilt silver and many other precious historical items are exhibited there.

Words

Assumption Cathedral — Успенский собор Annunciation Cathedral — Благовещенский собор Faceted Palace — Грановитая палата Armoury Chamber — Оружейная палата Bell Tower — колокольня

Questions

1. When were the red walls constructed?

2. Where were the Russian Tsars and Emperors crowned?

3. Which Cathedral is connected with Andrey Rublev?

4. What is Annunciation Cathedral famous for?

5. What is exhibited in the Armoury Chamber?

RUSSIA

I live in Russia. Russia is my native country. The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies one seventh of the Earth's surface. It is situated both in Europe and Asia. The total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic oceans. Our neighbours in the south are China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west we have borders with Norway, Finland, Belarus and the Ukraine. There is no country in the world like Russia, with the steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There is a great number of rivers in Russia. The Volga, the longest in Europe river, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers — the Ob', the Yenisey and the Lena flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific ocean. The deepest lake in the world is Baikal. The water in the lake is so clear, that you can see the stones on the bottom. Because of the vast territory there are various types of climate in the country. The climate varies greatly in different regions.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a parliamentary republic with the strong power of the President who is the head of the state. The State Duma and the Council of Federation are the legislative branch of the government.

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

The national banner of Russia is a tricolour with white, blue and red stripes.

Words

native country — страна рождения, Родина

to occupy — занимать

surface — поверхность

highlands — возвышенности

to flow — течь

vast — обширный

copper — медь

legislative branch — законодательная ветвь (власти)

national banner — государственный флаг

stripes — полосы

Questions

1) What is the size of Russia?

2) What oceans is Russia washed by?

3) What are the neighbouring countries of Russia?

4) What are the main rivers of Russia?

5) What are the natural resources of Russia?

6) What does the national banner of Russia look like?

SPORTS IN GREAT BRITAIN

The British are known to be great sports-lovers, so when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of the games we play now have come from Britain.

One of the most British games is cricket. It is often played in schools, colleges, universities and by club teams all over the country. Summer isn't summer without cricket. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider anything unfair, they sometimes say «That isn't cricket».

But as almost everywhere else in the world, the game which attracts the greatest attention is football, or soccer. Every Saturday from late August till the beginning of May, large crowds of people support their favourite teams in football grounds. True fans will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. International football matches take place at Wembley.

Rugby is also very popular, but it is played mainly by amateurs. Next to football, the chief spectator sport in British life is horse-racing. A lot of people are interested in the races and risk money on the horse which they think will win. The Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world.

Britain is also famous for motor-car racing, dog-racing, boat-racing, and even races for donkeys. The famous boat-race between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge attracts large crowds of people.

A great number of people play and watch tennis. Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon are known all over the world. The innumerable tennis courts of Britain are occupied by people between the ages of 16 and 60 who show every degree of skill — from practically helpless to the extremely able.

The British also like to play golf, baseball, hockey, grass-hockey. Various forms of athletics, such as running, swimming, boxing are also popular. You can sometimes hear that there are no winter sports in England. Of course the English weather is not always cold enough to ski, skate, or toboggan, but winter is a good season for hunting and fishing.

Words

Wembley — стадион Уэмбли в Лондоне

the Derby — Дерби

Wimbledon — Уимблдон

cricket,— крикет

unfair — нечестный, несправедливый

to attract attention — привлекать внимание

crowd — толпа

to support — поддерживать, болеть

football ground — футбольное поле

fan — болельщик

amateur — любительский