TEXT 1. Read and translate the text. Answer the questions below.

Tourism in Russia

Most of the tourism in Russia is centered on the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as these cities are the most famous attractions of Russia.

Tourists are attracted by a very rich cultural heritage and rather tumultuous history of Russia. Popular tourist destinations in the major cities include the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow; St. Issac’s Cathedral, the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Russian Museum, the canals and waterways on the river Neva in St. Petersburg.

The Russian countryside tends to be quite rural and undeveloped. Big pieces of tundra, taiga, woodlands, and steppe stretch across vast expanses of the Eurasian continent.

In the countryside, there are many little towns with old castles. Some notable cities and towns, which have their own rich cultures and traditions, include Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea coast, Novgorod, Tver, Nizhni Novgorod, Ekaterinburg, Rostov and Kazan.

Tourists are also drawn to the cruises on the big rivers like Volga, Lena or Yenisei as well as journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian railway, the third-longest continuous service that stretches from Moscow to its eastern terminal of Vladivostok at the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. Other destinations include the golden Ring region towns of Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Rostov, Suzdal.

Russian cuisine is rich and varied. Some of the most famous dishes include borshch, schi, sirniki, okroshka, pirozhki, blini, pelmeni and shashlyk. Russia is also famous for its caviar, though severe overfishing has threatened the fisheries that provide the source of this delicacy.

Despite these attractions, travelling in Russia presents many challenges for foreigners, such as weather and the language barrier.

Questions

1. What are the centres of Russian tourism?

2. What are the most famous attractions of Moscow and St. Petersburg?

3. What can you say about the Russian countryside?

4. What do you know about national Russian cuisine?

5. What challenges for foreign tourists are there in Russia?

TEXT 2. Read and translate the text. Name 7 reasons to visit Russia.

Seven Wonders of Russia

As a response to Europe’s «Seven Wonders of the World» list, which didn’t include any Russian sights, Russia organized a national contest to select the seven most beautiful destinations the country has to offer. Almost 26 million people went online and voted for their favorites since the contest started in autumn 2007.

The «Seven Wonders of Russia» contest had several stages, after the first one 49 national locations were chosen and after the second one only 14 remained. Finally the people chose the places they thought best represented their country’s beauty. Officials hoped this event would raise attention to the need of protecting the country’s historical, natural and cultural treasures. Here are the Seven Wonders of Russia:

The Baikal Lake

This lake is situated in Southern Siberia and considered to be the deepest lake in the world as well as the biggest freshwater tank on the Earth. It is also known as the «Blue Eye of Siberia». Research has shown Lake Baikal is more than 25 million years old, which makes it the oldest lake in the world. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Valley of the Geysers

The landmark is located on the Kamchatka peninsula and comprises about ninety living geysers and many other thermal springs. It was discovered by Tatiana Ustinova, a local scientist, in 1941 but serious exploration of the area began in 1972. In the 1980s The Valley of Geysers was presented as one of the main attractions of the Kamchatka peninsula, in an attempt to raise tourist awareness. The valley is difficult to reach, with helicopters providing the only feasible means of transport. The place is in the list of UNESCO World’s Heritage.

Mamayev Kurgan

Mamayev Kurgan is a place of great significance for the Russian people. This dominant hill, overlooking the city of Volgograd (former Stalingrad) saw some of the fiercest battles of World War II. The huge memorial statue of the Motherland was built on top of Mamayev Kurgan in 1967. The monument is in Guinness Book of World Records as the highest monument at that time. The woman symbolizes Russia and is two times higher than Statue of Liberty with 85 meters high.

Peterhof

The place was built to the order of Peter the First in the beginning of 17-th century and is situated nearby Saint-Petersburg. Often referred to as the Russian Versailles the palace and park of Peterhof are considered to be the top tourist attraction in the whole Russia. Versailles was indeed Peter the Great’s inspiration when he decided to build an imperial palace and many say Peterhof is even more beautiful than the famous French complex. Peterhof is an immense, luxurious estate, known as the capital of Russian fountains; the Grand Cascade, built in front of the Grand Palace, is one of the largest fountain ensembles in the world. The Upper Garden and Lower Park are also cultural masterpieces and the magnificent Grand Palace was remodeled by the famous architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

5. Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Also known as The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat is considered the most beautiful cathedral in Russia and one of Europe’s most beautiful holy places. It was constructed during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and a legend says the architect was blinded after finishing his creation, so he couldn’t build anything as beautiful again. Built in the middle of the Red Square, in Moscow, St. Basil’s Cathedral commemorated Ivan IV’s victory over the Kazan Khanate.