TEXT 10. Read and translate the text. Answer the questions below.

St. Petersburg

The beautiful city of St. Petersburg is built on water, which gives a magical and romantic atmosphere. Poets and writers often call it «The Northern Venice», «The Pearl of the Baltics». The city was born and grew up on 42 islands. Now they are linked by 363 bridges. It stretches along the Neva River.

It was the Tsar’s fancy to build a city on a swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great believed that the new city would provide a port for trade through the Baltic Sea giving Russia a «window on Europe».

In May, 1703 tsar Peter I founded a fortress on a small island called Zayachy. The fortress was named after saint Peter and it gave its name to the future northern capital of Russia.

Many famous European and Russian masters did their best while constructing the city. Palaces, cathedrals, buildings of rare beauty rose along straight avenues and streets, squares and parks.

The first monumental ensemble of the city, Peter and Paul fortress, attracts lots of tourists. The Cathedral of Peter and Paul fortress built by architect Tresini in 1712-1733 became the necropolis of Russian tsars.

St. Petersburg displays a remarkable richness of architecture. Its Winter palace, the Kazan and St. Isaac’s Cathedrals, Vorontsov and Stroganov Palaces are world famous.

Museums are city’s pride. One of the most famous museums, the State Hermitage, is situated here. Its collection boasts of tsars treasures, works of the world-known artists, and paintings from private galleries of Yusoupovs, Stroganovs, Sheremetevs, Shuvalovs and others. Some 2,5 million masterpieces of various epochs, countries and nations are located in more than one thousand halls.

St. Petersburg has played a vital role in Russian history. It was the scene of the February and October Revolutions in 1917 and was fiercely defended during World War II. It was renamed three times – Petrograd, Leningrad and, again, St. Petersburg. Now, the city plays an important role in Russian economy, culture and international cooperation.

Great Federico Fellini, who once visited St. Petersburg said, «I’m happy that I was born in Italy and worked in Rome, but, probably, I would be twice as happy if fate would let me have a nook in Russia, in St. Petersburg. I fell in love with this city. Somehow, I understand it».

Questions

1. How is St. Petersburg called by poets and writers?

2. Why was St. Petersburg a «window on Europe»?

3. How many times was the city renamed? What are the names?

4. What sights are there in the city?

5. Have you ever been to St. Petersburg? Do you agree with the opinion of Federico Fellini?

TEXT 11. Read and translate the text. Be ready to speak on the topic.

The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world covering more than a ninth of the Earth's land area. It is situated in the eastern part of Europe and the northernpart of Asia. The total area of the country is over 17 million square kilometers. The population of Russia is more than 140 million people.

It is washed by the Arctic Ocean in the North, the Atlantic Ocean in the West and the Pacific Ocean in the East. It is known to be washed by 12 seas: the White Sea, the Laptevs' Sea, the Barents Sea, the Baltic Sea, etc.

On the vast territory of Russia one can find forests, steppes, lowlands and high-lands, mountains and valleys. The main mountain chains are the Altai, the Caucasus, the Urals (the natural border between the European and the Asian parts of Russia).

There are over two million rivers in Russia, the Volga which flows into the Caspian Sea being the longest river in Europe. Most of the rivers are suitable for navigation, many of them produce electric power. Russia is rich in beautiful lakes as well. The famous Russian lake Baikal is considered to be the deepest and the most beautiful lake in the world. It is 1,620 metres deep, more than any other lake in the world. Thousands of tourists coming to Russia try to visit the lake, to see its picturesque scenery.

There are different types of climate in Russia. It varies from arctic in the North to subtropical in the South. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia has a market economy with enormous natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas. Oil, natural gas and timber account for more than 80% of Russian exports abroad. It also has deposits of coal, iron ores, gold, nickel, silver, etc. Three quarters of the country's minerals and fuels are concentrated in Siberia and the Far East. Recently, Russia has been described in the media as an energy superpower. The country has more higher education graduates than any other country in Europe.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. Moscow is the political, economic, commercial and cultural centre of Russia. It occupies the territory of about 1000 square kilometers. It is also the centre of political life in Russia.

According to the Constitution, Russia is a Federal Republic. The Head of the state is the President. The Federal Government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The legislative power is represented by the Federal Assembly which consists of 2 chambers - the Council of Federation and the State Duma. The executive power belongs to the Government with the Prime minister at the head. The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court. The state symbol of Russia is a three-coloured flag (tricolour).

Russia, as any other country in the world has its national and religious holidays. The main Russian national holidays are Victory Day, New Year's Day, Day of Fatherland's Defender, Women's Day, May Day, Day of Russia and Unity Day. The main religious holidays are Christmas, Easter and some others.