Arkhangelsk as a Cultural Centre

The cultural life of Arkhangelsk is rich and varied.   There are three theatres in the city. Arkhangelsk Puppet Theatre is one of the best in Russia. It is the “Golden Мask”-prize winner. The Regional Drama Theatre named afterM.V. Lomonosov is one of the oldest theatres in the North. The Youth Theatre is very popular in the city.   Such creative groups as Northern Russian Folk Choir, dance ensemble “Siverko”, Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra are well-known in Russia and abroad. Many festivals take place in Arkhangelsk. Among them there is an international jazz festival in autumn, the “European Spring” festival, а festival of folk art “The Northern Pearl” and an international festival of street theatres in summer.   Arkhangelsk has several museums. They are theRegional Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Stepan Pisakhov’s Museum and others. Not far from Arkhangelsk there is аn open-air museumof wooden architecture and folk art in Malye Korely.   Arkhangelsk is an educationalcentre. There are some institutes and universities in the city. The largest one is Northern Arctic Federal University. There are also many colleges and technical schools in Arkhangelsk. Among them there is the College of Culture and Art, the Pedagogical College, the Medical College.   Archangelsk has several large libraries. The Regional Library named after Dobrolubovs is the largest one.

varied – разнообразна   Puppet Theatre –кукольный театр   named after –названный в честь   Youth Theatre –молодёжный театр creative groups – творческие коллективы Сhamber Orchestra – камерный оркестр are well-known – хорошо известны abroad –за рубежом take place – происходить, иметь место among them –среди них “The Northern Pearl”- «Жемчужина Севра»   Regional Museum– краеведческий музей Museum of Fine Arts– художественный музей open-air museum – музей под открытым небом educational -образовательный     Regional Library- областная библиотека

Russia

The Russian Federation (Russia) is the largest countrу in the world. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometers. It is located in Europe and Asia. Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans. It borders on 14 countries.   The territory of the country is various. There are a lot of forests, rivers, lakes and mountains in Russia. There are various types of climate on the territory of Russia. In the north it is cold, even in summer. The central part of the country has a mild climate. In the south it is warm, even in winter.   Russia has rich natural resources. It has oil, gas, coal, gold, nickel.   The population of Russia is about 150 million people. The official language of the country is Russian. Moscow is its capital.   Russia is a federal republic. The head of the state is the President.   Russia has three national symbols – a flag, atwo-headed eagleand a hymn.

total area –общая площадь is located -расположена is washed by -омывается borders on –граничит с a mild climate –мягкий климат natural resources –природные ресурсы   state -государство eagle -орёл

Holidays in Russia

Vocabulary:

1. to celebrate – праздновать, отмечать праздники 2. variety - разнообразие 3. main kinds of – главные виды чего-либо 4. official status – официальный статус 5. all over the country – по всей стране

6. Christmas - Рождество 7. Independence Day – День независимости 8. Easter – Пасха 9. revival – зд., воскрешение 10. by statistics – по статистике 11. following – следующий

Russian people like to celebrate. Russia has a large varietyof holidays.

In general, there are three main kinds of holidays in Russia. They can be national (or official), professional and religious. Besides, there are folk holidays and holidays of folk art (festivals), personal holidays, sport and regional holidays. Some of them have long history and some of them are new.

National or official holidays are called so because they have an official status of days-off and are celebrated all over the country. The Russian people don’t work on these days. The national holidays are a New Year’s Day, Christmas, Women’s Day, Spring and Labour Day, Victory Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day and some others.

As for religious holidays, the most popular are Christmasand Easter. In Russia Christmas is celebrated on the seventh of January. In Europe and the USA it is marked on the twenty-fifth of December. On Christmas people celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. Easter is celebrated in spring. It symbolizes the Revival of Jesus Christ.

By statistics, the most popular holidays in our country include the New Year’s Day, personal birthdays and professional holidays. Followingare the Women’s Day, the May Day, the Victory Day.

As for me, my favourite holiday is a New Year’s Day with a New Year tree, presents and bells.