1. deciduous a) area of soft wet land;

2. reservation b) rain, snow, sleet, dew, etc., formed by condensation of

3. contaminate water vapor in the atmosphere;

4. Varied c) visually pleasing, especially in being striking or vivid;

5. alternate d) person or animal that is a permanent resident of a

6. swamp particular place or region;

7. precipitation e) ground or a piece of ground, especially with reference

8. Inhabitant to its physical character;

9. terrain f) shedding all leaves annually at the end of the growing

10. picturesque season and then having a dormant period without leaves;

    7. sanctuary, area where by law it is forbidden to kill birds and animals;

    8. of different sorts, diverse;

    9. come one after the other, by turns; j) make dirty, impure or diseased.

Ex. 8. Insert prepositions where necessary:

Minsk Region is located . the middle of the republic. Its area is 39.9 thousand km². The center ... the Region is Minsk. The Region comprises 22 Districts, 24 towns, and 19 urban-type settlements. This is the only Region in Belarus not directly bordering. other states, but important transport corridors running . it offer good opportunities . maintaining beneficial economic relations . CIS and foreign countries. Machine-building and chemical industries account for the largest share . the output in the Regional industrial structure. In addition, agricultural processors are highly developed ... the Region. The Region ranks first in the republic . food, flour-milling, and cereal and mixed feed output. Mineral resources have been prospected and are being exploited in the Region. The most important . them are potassium and rock salts, and also peat, construction materials, chalk, slate coal, iron ores, mineral water, etc. The dairy and beef husbandry, pig husbandry, potato growing supplemented . flax growing and sugar beet growing in the southwest of the Region are developed.

Ex. 9. Substitute the words in italics by their synonyms: The Republic of Belarus (Belarus) is located in the eastern part of Europe. The territory of Belarus is 207.6 thousand square kilometers. It is a compact country. The longest distance, 650 km, is from West to East, and 560 km from North to South. By the size of its territory, the Republic occupies the 13^th place among the European countries and the 6^th among the

CIS countries (following Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). The Belarusian territory in Europe is slightly smaller than that of Great Britain and Romania, and more than 2.2 times bigger than Portugal and Hungary. On 01.01.2005, the population of Belarus constituted 9.9 million people. Representatives of more than 100 nationalities live in Belarus. The majority of the population is Belarusian, significant numbers of Russians, Poles, Ukrainians and other nationalities live in Belarus.

The highest point in Belarus is 346 meters. Averaging only 200 meters above sea level, the country is predominately gently rolling fields in the north and marshy lowlands in the south. More than half the land is used for agriculture. Some one-third is densely forested with large stands of spruce, pine, oak, and beech.

Ex. 10. Read the information below and think of the word, which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space:

In Belarus, about 30 types of mineral ... have been found (over 4,000 mineral fields and deposits). Of special significance . them are potassium salts: by their industrial reserves the country is among the . countries in Europe. The Republic . rich in non-ore minerals like granite, dolomite, marl and chalk, low-melting and .-melting clay, loams, sand and gravel materials, raw . for manufacture of natural paints (boggy iron ore, ochre, glauconite, etc.) and possesses a rather powerful raw material base for manufacture of construction materials. Peat reserves ... widely spread in Belarus.

Ex. 11. Prove whether the following statements are true or false using the information from the text:

1. Belarus is situated in Asia. 2. It borders on France. 3. Our native land is remarkably beautiful. 4. Most of the Belarusian territory is covered with mountains. 5. The aurochs live in the Belarusian Polesye. 6. The climate of Belarus is continental. 7. The nature of our country has suffered greatly from the nuclear catastrophe that took place in Chernobyl in 1976. 8. Belarus has always been considered a poor land with no other resources except peat. 9. All rivers of the republic belong to three sea basins of the Black, Baltic, and North Seas. 10. Belavezhskaya Puscha is a large province.

Ex. 12. Complete the statements below. Give extended answers: 1. The text is devoted to ... . 2. The text gives (presents, provides) information regarding . . 3. At the beginning of the text special attention is paid to . . 4. The text goes on saying that . . 5. Further the text contains a detailed description of . . 6. Besides some factual information is given concerning . . 7. In conclusion the text reads that . . 8. On reading the text we realise the fact that . . 9. Moreover we clearly understand that . .

Ex. 13. Work in groups. Find out from your partners:

• where Belarus is situated and what its area is;

• what countries Belarus borders on;

• what consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe are.

Ex. 14. Prove that:

• Belarus is remarkably beautiful;

• our country has many lakes and rivers;

• the nature of Belarus has suffered much.

Ex. 15. Explain why:

• after the Chernobyl catastrophe people had to leave their places and move to other villages and towns.

Ex. 16. Imagine that:

• a new pupil has come to your group from Russia. He knows very little about Belarus. Tell him what you know about your native country;

• you are preparing a report about your native country but you haven't enough information about Belarus. Ask your friend to help you. Role-play the dialogue with your partner.

Ex. 17. Write a short essay on one of the following topics:

• advantages and disadvantages of the geographical position of Belarus;

• your favorite place of visit in Belarus.