Sports in the russian federation
Russian people have always paid much attention to sport. Sport keeps people fit and healthy and makes them better disciplined in their daily activities.
Numerous kinds of sports, both winter and summer, are popular in the Russian Federation. Millions of citizens of Russia engage in some sporting activities and even in competitions. "Physical training" is a subject on the curriculum of schools and universities. You can hardly find a school or a college without sports grounds. Sports facilities are available at any university or other higher education establishments.
Sports in this country have traditionally been divided into amateur and professional. The core of professional sports are sporting societies. Millions, from beginners to champions, are members of sporting clubs and societies. There is a number of national sports societies like the Spartak or the Dynamo which have their local branch clubs throughout the country. Youngsters from the age of 7 to 18 are trained in sports schools which are run by the major sports clubs. The schools cover a wide range of sports, from track-and-field and callisthenics to boxing.
Since their debut at the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, Russia has been a participant of all the Olympiads. Russian sportsmen and sportswomen have collected numerous gold, silver and bronze medals. Numerous Olympic and world records have been broken and are still held.
There are sports clubs at many enterprises and offices. Many of them are fee-paying now, but the membership fee is moderate. At these and other amateur clubs and keep-fit centres people go in for aerobics, yoga, body-building, swimming, skating, jogging.
Learn the vocabulary.
a competition - соревнование
to be available - иметься, предоставляться
the core of professional sports - основа профессионального спорта
a champion - чемпион
a local branch club - местное отделение
a youngster - молодой человек
to be run by smth. - управляться чем-либо
track-and-field - легкая атлетика
callisthenics - художественная гимнастика
a debut - дебют
a participant of smth. - участник чего-либо
keep-fit centre - оздоровительный центр
to go in for - заниматься (спортом)
aerobics - аэробика
yoga - йога
body-building - бодибилдинг
jogging - бег трусцой
3. Read and translate the text. Give Russian equivalents:
To pay much attention to sport, to keep people fit and healthy, to make smb. better disciplined in smth., one's daily activities, massive by any standards, to break Olympic and world records, to cover a wide range of sports, to be trained in sports schools, to engage in sporting activities.
4. Translate into English:
спортивное общество, членский взнос, собрать медали, удерживать рекорд, общенациональное спортивное общество, профессиональный спорт, любительский спорт, спортивные сооружения, спортплощадка, член спортивного клуба, платный спорт.
5. Answer the questions:
1. Why is sport so important?
2. What proves the popularity of sports in this country?
3. What the core of professional sports in this country?
4. How does the system of sporting clubs work?
5. What proves that Russia is an active participant of the Olympic movement?-
6. What sporting activities do people go in for at amateur clubs and keep-fit centres?
6. Translate into English:
1. Миллионы людей занимаются тем или иным видом спорта, так как спорт помогает им держаться в хорошей форме.
2. Спорт входит в программу школ и вузов.
3. Спортивные площадки и другие спортивные сооружения есть в любой школе или университете.
4. Основу профессионального спорта составляет сеть спортивных клубов и обществ.
5. Общенациональные спортивные общества имеют местные отделения в разных городах страны.
6. Детские спортивные школы управляются местными отделениями спортивных обществ.
7. Дети и молодые люди проходят подготовку в целом ряде видов спорта — художественной гимнастике, легкой атлетике, плавании, боксе и т. д.
8. Членские взносы в спортивных клубах при предприятиях и организациях умеренные.
9. В любительских спортивных клубах люди занимаются различными видами спорта, это помогает им быть в хорошей форме и быть более организованными в повседневных делах.
Retell the text
1. Read and translate the texts given below:
RUSSIA
The official name of our country is the Russian Federation as it consists of many territories, regions and republics. Russia is divided into 7 federal districts, which are headed by the presidential representatives. Russia is a multinational state, with more than 100 nationalities. The head of the state and Government is the President, elected for four years. Our present Constitution was proclaimed on the twelfth of December, in 1993.
Russia is one of the largest countries of the world. It lies both in Europe and Asia. Russia is bounded by many countries on land and it is washed by many seas and three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic. The largest seaports are Murmansk, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and others.
Russia can be divided roughly into two main regions - the highlands and lowlands. A long mountain range, the Urals, forms the natural border between Europe and Asia. But the highest mountain chains are situated in the south and the south-east of the country. They are: Caucasus (between the Caspian and the Black Seas) and the Sayans in Asia. They have peaks four and a half miles high. But there are also lowlands several hundred feet below sea level. There are steppes and deserts in the south, plains and forests in the midlands, tundra and taiga in the north.
There are a lot of rivers and lakes in Russia. Twenty-two rivers are more than one thousand kilometers long. The longest rivers are: the Volga, the Lena, the Ob, the Yenisey. The largest lakes are Baikal, Ladoga, Onega and so on.
The climate of our great country is varied. In the south-west the weather is usually mild and wet, Northern Asia is one of the coldest places on the earth, and in the deserts of the south the heat is unbearable. But in the middle of the country the climate is moderate and continental. The climate on the Black Sea is subtropical.
Russia possesses the richest natural resources in the world: coal, zinc, gas and oil, iron ore, copper, silver ore, gold, clay, chalk. Coal, gas, oil and iron ore are the main sources for the development of industry.
Russia is one of the highly industrialized countries in the world. The largest industrial centers are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Izhevsk, Rostov-on-Don and many others. Machinery, airplanes, railway carriages, ships, TV and radio sets, steel goods of all kinds, chemicals, glass, leather and textile goods are produced in our country. These products are sent to all parts of Russia and to other countries.
Agriculture is also a very important activity in Russia. Sheep-farming, cattle-farming and dairy-farming are the main branches of our agriculture. Vegetables and fruit, wheat and other grain crops are grown in the most parts of the country. A lot of modern machines are used to get better harvests, especially in the southern parts of the country.
Russia is a great center of culture and science. Our scientists, writers, poets, artists and political leaders are known all over the world: Lomonosov, Peter the Great, Derzhavin, Pushkin, Repin, Serov, Aivazovsky, Kapitsa, Sakharov, Kurchatov, Solzhenitsin and many others.
Russia is an important educational center as well. There are lots of universities, institutes, technical schools in all parts of this country. A great number of Russian scientists graduated from such famous universities as Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, Novocherkassk State Technical University and others.
Millions of tourists come to Russia to visit our famous places of interest: Hermitage, Tretyakov Gallery, the Kremlin, Chaikovsky museum, Chekhov places, numerous ancient Russia churches and cathedrals.
2. Learn the vocabulary.
Europe - Европа
Asia - Азия
roughly - приблизительно
a range, a chain - цепь, гряда
unequal - неравный
a peak - пик
a steppe - степь, вершина
a desert - пустыня
a plain - равнина
dairy-farming - молочное хозяйство
grain crops - зерновые культуры
to bound - граничить
highlands - высокогорье
lowlands - плоскогорье
midlands - внутренняя часть страны
pure - чистый
varied - разнообразный
unbearable - невыносимый
moderate - умеренный
clay - глина
chemicals - химические препараты
leather - кожа
territory - край
landscape - ландшафт
3. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the official name of our country?
2. How many nationalities live in Russia?
3. Who is the head of the state and the government?
4. What was proclaimed on the 12-th of December, 1993?
5. What do you know about the borders of Russia?
6. Do you know the main rivers and lakes of Russia?
7. Can you give the characteristic to the weather of our country?
8. Russia possesses the richest natural resources in the world, doesn’t it? Can you call them?
9. What are the largest industrial centers in our country?
10. What does our country export to other countries?
11. What branches of agriculture are well-developed in Russia?
12. Russia is a great center of culture and science, isn’t it?
13. Call the names of great Russian scientists, poets, writers, composers, artists.
14. What attracts millions of tourists to Russia?
4. Choose the word that best completes each sentence:
1. Russian Federation (contributes, contains, consists of) many republics with their own Presidents and Parliaments.
2. Our present Constitution was (promoted, proclaimed, prohibited) on the twelfth of December, in 1993.
3. Russia (lives, leaves, lies) both in Europe and Asia.
4. In the middle of the country the climate is moderate and (contemporary, continuous, continental).
5. These (products, proverbs, properties) are sent to all parts of Russia and to other countries.
6. A lot of (modest, modern, moderate) machines are used to get better harvests.
7. From year to year Russia (achievement, agriculture, application) is developing to produce more food for the people.