Read and learn the following words.

occupy - занимать surface - поверхность vast - огромный, обширный; бескрайний area - площадь, территория; район be located on - быть расположенным plain - равнина border on - граничить maritime - морской variety - разнообразие scenery - пейзаж vegetation - растительность desert - пустыня mountain - гора; горный valley - долина separate - отделять, разделять; отдельный moderate - умеренный freshwater - пресноводный pure - чистый; без примесей natural resources - природные ресурсы frequently - часто reserves - запасы producer - производитель possess - владеть; обладать timber - древесина nuclear - ядерный currently - в настоящее время population - население comprise - составлять indigenous - коренной, местный density - плотность enormous - огромный, обширный despite - несмотря на distribution - распространение homogeneous - однородный

according to - согласно чему-л. adopt - принимать government - правительство consist of - состоять из legislative - законодательный bicameral - двухпалатный make up (of) - быть частью, составлять approve - одобрять treaty - международный договор executive - исполнительный judiciary - судебный veto - вето; накладывать вето bill - законопроект appoint - назначать officer - чиновник, должностное лицо; служащий elect - избирать popular vote - всеобщее голосование judge - судья; судить overturn - отменять (решение, постановление); опровергать (теорию) deem - книжн. полагать, считать blossom - цветение; расцветать Enlightenment - просвещение polymath - эрудит innovation - нововведение; инновация; новая идея notable - примечательный; выдающийся, известный destination - направление; пункт назначения unique - уникальный ancient - древний medieval - средневековый generation - поколение

Read and translate the following text.

RUSSIA

1. My home country is called the Russian Federation, or Russia. It is the largest country in the world. It occupies almost one-seventh of the earth's surface. Its vast territory lies in the eastern part of Europe and in the northern part of Asia. Its total area is just over 17 million square kilometres. Russia is located on two plains, the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Plain.

2. Russia borders on many countries such as China, Mongolia, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the south and in the south-east, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania in the north, and Poland, Belarus, Ukraine in the west. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait. The country is washed by three oceans (the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Pacific) and twelve seas (the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Azov Sea and others).

3. There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. The land of Russia varies very much from forests to deserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. Mountain ranges are found along the southern borders, such as the Caucasus and the Altai, and in the eastern parts, such as the Verkhoyansk Range. The more central mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

4. The climate of Russia is varied, from arctic and subarctic in the north, continental and moderate in the centre, to subtropical in the south.

5. Russia is a land of long rivers and deep lakes. The longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena in Asia. The largest lakes are Baikal, Ladoga and Onega. Perhaps, the most notable lake is Lake Baikal. It is the deepest freshwater lake (1,600 metres) in the world and its water is the purest on Earth.

6. Russia is extremely rich in natural and mineral resources. In recent years, it has frequently been described in the media as an energy superpower. The country has the world's largest natural gas reserves, the 8th largest oil reserves, and the second largest coal reserves. Russia is the world's leading natural gas exporter and second largest natural gas producer, while also the largest oil exporter and the largest oil producer. It possesses the world's greatest hydropower resources and timber reserves. Russia was the first country to develop civilian nuclear power and to construct the world's first nuclear power plant. Currently the country is the 4th largest nuclear energy producer.

7. The population of Russia is about 150 million people. Ethnic Russians comprise 81% of the country's population. The Russian Federation is also home to 160 different other ethnic groups and indigenous peoples living within its borders. Though Russia's population is comparatively large, its density is low because of the country's enormous size. The European part of the country is densely populated and most people live in cities, towns and their outskirts.

8. The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow with the population of more than 12 million people. Moscow is famous for its historical and architectural monuments, museums, art galleries and theatres. It is a political, administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of the country.

9. Russian is the official state language. Despite its wide distribution, the Russian language is homogeneous throughout the country. Russian is the second-most used language on the Internet after English, one of two official languages aboard the International Space Station and is one of the six official languages of the UN.

10. According to the Constitution of Russia adopted in 1993, the country is a federation and semi-presidential republic, wherein the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The federal government consists of three branches:

Legislative: Legislative power belongs to the bicameral Federal Assembly of Russia, made up of the 450-member State Duma (the Lower Chamber) and the 166-member Federation Council (the Upper Chamber). It adopts federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse and the power of impeachment of the President.

Executive: The President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the Government of Russia (Cabinet) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies. The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term.

Judiciary: The Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the President, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional.

11. Science and technology in Russia blossomed since the Age of Enlightenment, when Peter the Great founded the Russian Academy of Sciences and Saint Petersburg State University, and polymath Mikhail Lomonosov established the Moscow State University, paving the way for a strong native tradition in learning and innovation. In the 19th and 20th centuries the country produced a large number of notable scientists and inventors.

12. Russian culture has a rich history, strong traditions and influential arts, especially when it comes to literature, philosophy, classical music, ballet, architecture, painting, cinema and animation.

13. Most popular tourist destinations in Russia are Moscow and Saint Petersburg, great cultural centers, recognized as World Cities. Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, shows a unique mix of Christian Russian and Muslim Tatar cultures. Veliky Novgorod, Pskov and the cities of Golden Ring have at best preserved the architecture and the spirit of ancient and medieval 'Rus'. The most famous natural tourist destination in Russia is Lake Baikal, named the Blue Eye of Siberia, Kamchatka with its volcanoes and geysers, Karelia with its many lakes and granite rocks and Altai with its snowy mountains.

14. Russia has always played an important role in the world and the younger generation must do very much to make Russia strong and powerful.