Файл: Л.С. Пасынков Россия - независимое государство (английский язык).pdf

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Note: You may use the information below.

Peter Tchaikovski / an outstanding Russian composer/ composed the ballet «Swan Lake», the overture «Romeo & Juliet», etc.

Leo Tolstoi /the writer, whose social and moral ideas spread to all parts of the world /the author of «War and Peace», «Anna Karenina», «The Death of Ivan Ilyich», «The Kreutzer Sonata».

Fedor Dostoevsky /the great Russian novelist/ the author of «Crime and Punishment», «The Idiot», «The Brothers Karamazov».

Nikolai Lobachevsky /a great Russian mathematician and the creator of non-Euclidean geometry /so called «Copernicus in Geometry».

Mikhail Lermontov /a poet and thinker/is famous for the masterpieces: poems «The Demon», «Mtsuri», lyrics, his novel «A Hero of our time», and his play «Masquerade».

Konstantin Melikov /an outstanding Russian architect/the author of the project of Moscow reconstruction /the designer of the monument to Christopher Columbus in Santo Domingo/.

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 educational 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 Dinamo 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

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2. Pre-reading task.

Talk about sports, using the following questions. What can you say about it properly?

a)Why is sport so important for the daily activities of people?

b)What proves the popularity of sports in this country?

c)What is the core of professional sports in this country?

d)How does the system of sporting clubs work?

e)What proves that Russia is an active participant of Olympic movement?

f)What sporting activities do people go in for at the amateur clubs and keep-fit centres?

3. Reading task.

Read the text, check whether you were right or wrong and try to find the answers to your questions.

4. Fill in the table with the tense forms you met in the text above and translate them.

Consult the dictionary if necessary.

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.Спортплощадки и другие спортсооружения 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.

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6.Детские спортивные школы управляются спортивными общества-

ми.

7.Дети и молодые люди проходят подготовку во многих видах 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 организованными в повседневных делах.

RUSSIAN CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Every country has traditions. Some of them are connected with holidays, some reflect everyday life of people. There are some national holidays in Russia when people all over the country do not work. These are New Year, Women’s Day, May Day, Constitution Day, the Day of Sovereignty of Russian Federation. The most memorable date to every Russian citizen is the Victory Day which is celebrated on May 9 to commemorate the Victory of the Soviet people over the Nazi Germany.

Now people celebrate religious holidays, Christmas and Holy Easter first of all. On Christmas people celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Easter is in spring. This holiday symbolises the Revival of Jesus Christ. It has no fixed date but is held on the first Sunday after the date of the first full moon occurs on or after March 21. On this day people greet each other and exchange painted eggs.

Besides, there are many professional days in our country: Teacher’s Day, Miner’s Day, etc.

The gayest holiday is New Year. It is loved by everybody: adults and children. On the New Year night future seems brighter to people. In every house there is a fir-tree, decorated with toys. According to tradition, a few minutes before the New Year begins the Head of State appears on TV and addresses the people with a New Year’s greeting. Good wishes are heard everywhere. When the chimes of the Kremlin clock strike midnight, people fill their glasses with sparking champagne and say Happy New Year to each other. On this day there are always very interesting TV programmes, many films and cartoons.

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This holiday is the most popular with the children. New Year’s performances are held for children in the kindergartens and schools, concert halls and theaters.

Another popular holiday in Russia is Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8. This is the day, in some way, of paying tribute to women. On March 8, men give women flowers and presents, and do all the domestic chores around the house and in the kitchen. Schoolchildren give flowers to their teachers and present concerts.

On big holidays residents of Russian villages still like to perform traditional khorovods (a kind of round dance) and chastushki (folk chanted rhymes) and ride on troikas. There are many villages in Russia famous for their specific crafts: painted boxes in Palekh, wooden tableware of Khokhloma, and toys in Dymkovo.

Traditional Russian cooking includes porridges, pancakes, various aspics, chicken and fish soup, pirozhki, and kvass, pelmeny.

Russian people are proud of their traditions and try to keep them up.

1. Practise the reading of the following words and phrases looking at their translations for understanding.

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1. Pre-reading task.

Think about the important events we celebrate in our country. What are they? Do we have special food? Do you meet in a special place? Do you have parties? Do you give or receive presents? Do different groups of people celebrate different events?

2.Reading task.

a)Reading for the gist.

Read the text quickly and write the name of the celebrations in the correct month.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

a) Reading for the specific information.

Read the text and fill in the chart.