Vocabulary
Christmas -
Day of the Defender of Motherland
Independence Day
National Reconciliation Day
Father Frost
Snow Maiden
to see the New Year in
sparkling champagne
to make merry
renewed
Jesus Christ
Bethlehem
wise men
worship -
frankincense
myrrh
Trade Union
summer cottage
ally
military parade
to lay wreath
eternal
inscription
to perish
newly-married couple
missing in action
Easter
resurrection
Christ is risen! !
expected answer
He is risen indeed! !
There are many national holidays in Russia, when people all over the country do not work and have special celebrations.
The major holidays are; New Year's Day, Christmas, Day of the Defender of Motherland, Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day, Independence Day and National Reconciliation Day.
New Year's Day is the first holiday of the year. It is very popular. There is a New Year tree in every house and in the streets. Father Frost and Snow Maiden present children and adults with the gifts. People see the New Year in at midnight on the 31st of December. They greet the New Year with wine glasses of sparkling champagne and say toasts "Happy New Year!", "Here is to you", etc. It's time for eating, drinking and making merry. People consider New Year's Day to be a family holiday.
Christmas is a renewed holiday in our country. It's celebrated on the 7th of January. The holiday is connected with the wonderful birth of Jesus Christ. On that day Jesus Christ Was born in Bethlehem. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came to worship him. They gave the child presents gold, frankincense and myrrh. That's why people nowadays give their friends and relatives Christmas presents.
Day of the Defender of Motherland is celebrated on the 23rd of February. We congratulate our fathers, grandfathers and young men with the little presents
and cards.
Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th of March. We congratulate all the girls, mothers and grandmothers with this holiday. Usually they get flowers, cards and presents. On the 8th of March all the boys and men try to be very polite, they help to cook meal and do everything about the house. Usually there are very good TV programmes. All of them are about love, spring and beautiful women.
May Day is celebrated two days. It is called now the Day of Spring and Labour. The members of the Trade Unions have their demonstrations on this day. Many people go to their summer cottages and spend this holiday there.
Victory Day is the greatest national holiday in our country. On the 9th of May 1945 the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Great Patriotic War ended for our peoples. We lost 30 million people during this war. Many veterans meet on this day. They also participate in the military parade on Red Square and lay wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is an Eternal Flame there and the inscription "Your name is unknown, but your deed is immortal". This is a monument to all those, who were perished during this war. We have a very nice tradition: the just married couple always puts flowers there. In such a way they show their respect and gratitude to the people, who were killed and missed in action. On the 9th of May there are very many people in the streets, squares, parks. Young people usually give flowers to the veterans and thank them for the victory. You can hear everywhere music and songs, which were popular during the war. A lot of guests from different countries of the world come to Moscow and other places to participate in the celebrations.
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Independence Day is a new holiday in our country. On the 12th of June, 1992, the first President of Russia was elected.
The 7th of November is the National holiday. In November 7, 1917 the Revolution was in Russia. Many years we celebrated this day as the Day of the Revolution. Now it's called the National Reconciliation Day. Different parties have their meetings and manifestation on this day. They express their points of view at the development of the situation in Russia.
Besides this holidays we also celebrate Easter. It is a very popular holiday in Russia in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. On the Easter day people greet each other by the words "Christ is risen!" And the expected answer is "He is risen indeed!". People also paint eggs and give them to one another as a symbol of eternal life.
Text 4. Moscow
Vocabulary
unique sights
to hold receptions
the Tsar Cannon -
the Tsar Bell -
marketplace
meeting spot for popular assemblies
tomb ,
dome ,
to extend -
to be demolished
notable feature ,
boulevard -
Gothic-influenced
Skyscraper
free-standing structure
broadcast tower -
recreation area
Botanical gardens
underground
There is a lot to see in Russia, but first of all foreign tourists visit the capital of our country, Moscow, its economic and cultural centre.
The first thing I would advise a foreigner to see and the most popular Moscow sight is the Kremlin. First, it is one of the most ancient sights of Moscow. Second, it has long been a symbol of Moscow, and a foreign guest can't fail to see it. It was builtas a fortress in the 15th-16th century under the supervision of Italian architects.The twenty towers on the Kremlin wall were builtin the 17th century for decoration. Among the ancient buildings Inside the Kremlin are the famous churches: the Archangel Cathedral with tombs of princes and tsars, theBlagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral with Andrey Rublyov's frescoes, the Uspensky cathedral, Granovitaya palata (Palace) where receptions wereheldby Russian tsars, and the Grand Kremlin Palace. Among other historical monuments of the Kremlin are the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, both of enormous size.
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Near the Kremlin is the huge Red Square, the most famous Russia's square. Originally it was a marketplace and a meeting spot for popular assemblies; it is still used as a parade ground and for demonstrations. On the west side of Red Square and along the Kremlin wall are the Lenin Mausoleum and the tombs of Soviet political figures; on the north side is the completely rebuilt Kazan Cathedral (constructed in the 17th century, razed by Stalin, and rebuilt in 1993); and at the southern end stands the imposing Cathedral of Basil the Beautified. The cathedral has numerous cupolas, each a different color, grouped around a central dome. In front of the cathedral stands a monument to Minin and Pozharski.
Near Red Square extends the old district of Kitaigorod. It is one of the oldest places in Moscow, once the merchants' quarter,later the banking section, and now an administrative centre with various government offices and ministries. Tverskaya Street (formerly Gorky Street), a main thoroughfare, extends from the Kremlin and is lined with modern buildings. Near the beginning of Tverskaya Street is Treatre Square, containing the world-famous Bolshoi and Maly treatres. Encircling the Kremlin and Kitaigorod is the Bely Gorod (white city), traditionally the most elegant part of Moscow and now a commercial and cultural area. In the Bely Gorod is the Christ the Saviour Cathedral; demolished in 1931, it was rebuilt in 1990s.
Notable features of Moscow are the concentric rings of wide boulevards. Post-Soviet Moscow has seen renewed construction, including the Triumph-Palace, which echoes Stalin's Gothic-influenced Seven Sisters skyscrapers and is the tallest building in Europe. The tallest free-standing structure in Moscow is the Ostankino Tower (1967), a broadcast tower and tourist attraction that rises 1,771 ft (540 m). Among Moscow's many cultural and scientific institutions are the University of Moscow (founded in 1755), the Russian Academy of Sciences, a conservatory (1866), the Tretyakov Art Gallery, the museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Oriental Cultures, the State Historical Museum, the National Exhibition Centre. Treatres include the Moscow Art Treatre, the world-famous Bolshoi, the Maly Treatre and many others. Numerous large parks and recreation areas include Gorky Central Park, the forested Izmailovo and Sokolniki parks, and Ostankino Park, with its Botanical gardens.
The ornate underground regarded by many asthe most beautiful underground in the world was opened in 1935.
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. -, , .
2. , , , , - -.
3. , . . , .
4. -, - , , 1990- .
5. , , , , .
6. .
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Answer the following questions:
1. When was Moscow founded? 2. Is there a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky in Moscow? Where is it? 3. When did Moscow become the capital? 4. In 1712 the capital was moved to St Petersburg, wasn't it? When did Moscow become the capital again? 5. Was ancient Moscow a big city? What's the total area of modern Moscow? 6. What's the population of Moscow? 7. What places of interest in the centre of Moscow do you know? 8. What do you know about St Basil's Cathedral? 9. What can you see on the territory of the Kremlin? 10. What are the most famous Moscow museums? (art galleries?) 11. What theatres in Moscow do you know? 12. What is your favorite place in Moscow?
Text 5. ST. PETERSBURG
Vocabulary
| the Neva the Hermitage Palace the Winter Palace the Russian Museum St Isaac's Cathedral the Peter-and-Paul Fortress the Admiralty swampy mouth () arm () to drop dead ruler empire to lay out | granite equal , to rename to suffer to lay siege to starvation shelling air raid to destroy to catch smb's eye , to attract , canal artistically bridge |
St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the "Window on the West". Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry. The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by the hundreds. But the work went on.
In 1917 St Petersburg, a city of great beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings became the capital. Under later rulers the new capital of the Russian Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought from western Europe to lay out the city in harmonious squares. Buildings were constructed of grey and rose-coloured granite. The Hermitage Palace and the Winter Palace, the homes of the tsars, were equal to any in Europe.
When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name, St Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin.
During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in, and people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.
Now St Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. The population of the city is over 5 million.
St Petersburg is indeed a wonderful city: at every turn there's something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, St Isaac's Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every corner of the world.
Petersburg's many museums house some of the world's most famous art collections. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures in the world.
The city is called the Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers, arms and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It's also famous for its beautiful white nights.
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Answer the following questions:
1. Have you ever been to St Petersburg? 2. Is St Petersburg as old as Moscow? 3. Who was the city founded by and when did it become the capital of the Russian Empire? 4. Peter I thought that Moscow looked provincial in comparison with the capitals he had visited and decided to build a magnificent city equal to any European capital. Did he succeed? 5. How many times has the city been renamed and why? 6. Did the city suffer a great deal during the Great Patriotic War? 7. What is St Petersburg famous for? 8. Have you ever been to the Russian Museum? (the Hermitage?) 9. What other places of interest in St Petersburg do you know?
10. Why is St Petersburg called the Northern Venice?
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Quotes about home:
- When you finally go back to your old home, you find it wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood.
By Sam Ewing
- Any old place I can hang my hat is home sweet home to me.
By William Jerome
- I'm going to buy some green bananas because by the time I get home they'll be ripe.
By Ryan Stiles
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