VIII. Put in the missing words according to the text

1. Red Square… in the very centre of Moscow. 2. The monument to Minin and Pozharsky … in memory of the Russian victory over the Polish invaders in 1612. 3. The History Museum … by Vladimir Sherwood. 4. Red Square… in the 15-th century as a trading centre. 5. Big parades and demonstrations … in front of Mausoleum. 6.The Cathedral of the Mother of God of Kazan … in 1936.

THE KOMI REPUBLIC

I. Words to learn:

to be situated birds he highest peak

territory climate resources

to be bounded river industrial enterprise

to be famous lake population

unique nature mountains the seat of the government

natural wealth fur-bearing animals capital

to be rich in mushrooms and berries

II. Read and translare the text.

The Komi republic is situated in the North-East of European part of Russia. The territory of the republic is 416,800 square kilometres. The Komi Republic is bounded by the Archangelsk and the Kirov regions, the Perm and Tyumen regions and Komi-Permyattsky National Area.

The republic is famous for its unique nature and natural wealth. The forests cover the vast territory of the republic and are rich in fur-bearing animals such as foxes, hares, elks, sables, bears and others. More than 200 species of birds live in the forests of Komi. There are a lot of mushrooms and different kinds of berries.

The climate is continental with long and severe winters and short and cool summers.

There are a lot of rivers in Komi, but they are shot. The main rivers are the Pechora, the Vychegda, the Mizen. They are used as means of water transport and they are rich in fish such as the salmon, the sig, the grayling and others. There are no large lakes in the republic, but tourists like to visit small ones in the taiga.

There are no high mountains in the republic. The highest summits of the Timan mountain range are less than 500 metres. The Urals are very old and covered with forests. The highest peak is the mountain Norodnaya (1895 metres).

The Komi Republic has large resources of minerals. Coal from Vorcuta and Inta, oil from Ukhta and Usinsk, timber, natural gas and furs all play important role in the republic’s economy. The main industrial enterprises of the republic are the Syktyvkar Timber Industrial Complex, Lukoil – Ukhta Refinery, Vorkutaugol, the Usinsk Severnaya Neft, Severgasprom and others.

The population of the republic is 1, 137,000 people (2001year) of more then 100 natinalities. 74% of the population lives in towns. There are 9 towns in the republic: Ukhta, Vuktyl, Pechora, Usinsk, Inta, Vorkuta, Sosnogorsk and Yemva. Syktyvkar is the capital and the seat of the government of the Komi Republic. It is situated on the banks of the Sysola river.

The state emblem of the Komi Republic includes symbolic images of a bird, a human being and an elk. The bird of prey is the symbol of power, the human head represents the solar goddess Zarnie-An', the life-giving mother of the world. The image of the elk signifies physical might, nobleness and beauty.
The combination of the two colors, gold and red, is the symbol of sun, of maternity and birth.

The flag of the Komi Republic is blue, green and white. The blue color signifies the sublimity and the extent of northern lands. The green strip is the symbol of hope and corresponds the endless woodlands. The white strip signifies the whiteness of the snow, the simple and severe beauty of the North.

III. Agree or disagree.

1. The Komi republic is situated in the North-East of European part of Russia.

2. The republic is famous for its unique nature and natural wealth.

3. The Komi Republic is bounded by the Archangelsk and the Kirov regions.

4. The climate of the republic is subtropical.

5. Coil, oil, timber, natural gas and furs all play important role in the republic’s economy.

6. There are no lakes in the republic.

7. Vorkuta is the capital of Komi republic.

8. The flag of the Komi Republic is blue, green and white.