Moscow places of interest

There are many places of interest in Moscow. The city is famous for its historical monuments, museums, art galleries and theatres. The Historical Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the Tretyakov State Picture Gallery are world famous. Moscow is proud of the Bolshoy, Maly and Art theatres. The Kremlin — the oldest historical and architectural centre — is the heart of Moscow. At first it was a wooden fort. Under Dmitry Donskoy the Kremlin was built of white stone. During the reign of Ivan III the walls of white stone were replaced by redbrick walls and towers. The Tsar invited Italian architects to construct the cathedrals. The Russian Tsars and Emperors were crowned in the Assumption Cathedral. The Archangel Cathedral was the burial place of the Russian Princes and Tsars. The Annunciation Cathedral is famous for the icons painted by Andrew Rublev.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower is one of the most remarkable structures of the 16-th century. It rises in the centre of the Kremlin. On the stone pedestal at the foot of the Bell Tower stands the Tsar-Bell - the largest bell in the world. Not far from it one can see the Tsar-Cannon.

One of the well-known Kremlin museums is the Armoury Chamber. The famous golden cap of Monomach, the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine II, and many other precious historical items are exhibited there.

Vocabulary

Assumption Cathedral — Успенский Собор Annunciation Cathedral — Благовещенский Собор Faceted Palace — Грановитая Палата Armoury Chamber — Оружейная Палата

My native town kazan

My native town is Kazan. I am proud to be its citizen. Kazan is rich in its history. It was founded 1000 years ago.

Kazan is situated on the bank of the Volga River . There are more than 3 mil. people there.

The Kremlin is the oldest historical and architectural centre. It is the heart of Kazan. At first it was a wooden fort then it was rebuilt of brick.

Right in center, near Kazan Kremlin stands Kazan National Museum. Kremlevskaya street is the main street in Kazan.

Today Kazan is one of the largest industrial cities of Russia. The trade mark of Kazan can be seen on furniture, optical tools, medical instruments and metal con­struction parts.

Kazan is a city of science. It has many research cen­tres, universities, colleges. The city has rich cultural tradi­tions. Kazan is famous for its tatar meal such as tchak-tchak, peremyatch,

Kazan land is proud of Musa Dzhalil's poet­ry, Vasilyev's paintings, folk songs .

In Kazan you can visit the Opera and the Ballet Theatre, the Puppet Theatre, the Philharmonic Society, Fine Arts Museum,

Kazan parks are beautiful and restful. Best known of all is Gorky park.

LONDON

London was founded in the first century by the Romans. Today London consists of the City, the West End, the East End.

The City is the heart of the business and financial life of the country. The most striking building in the City today is St. Paul's Cathedral. People say that the Cathedral is the finest Renaissance church in Europe. About half a million people work there.. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks and offices.

All the historical places and famous parks are in the West End. Here you will see West­minster Abbey, at which all British kings and queens are crowned. It dates back to 1049. Many famous people are buried in the Abbey, among them Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Kipling. The West End includes the shopping area of Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus and the fashionable Covent Garden; it hosts museums and galleries, among them are the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, Portrait Gallery and the British Museum. In the West End there are the Houses of Parlia­ment with its famous Big Ben, Buckingham Palace. This is the part where the rich live.

To the east of the City is the Port of London. The East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce. The streets, here, are narrow and dirty, the houses are overcrowded. That is the world of poverty, unemployment and disease.

London is very attractive for tour­ists. It's very old and full of historical places, full of cus­toms and traditions. Englishmen themselves are a mixture of past and present, of the old-fashioned and the very modern. The capital has 14 bridges, the fa­mous London Bridge being the biggest among them.