The Tsar-Bell
At the foot of the Campanile of Ivan Veliky stands the famous Tsar-Bell cast by Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail in 1735.During the fire of 1737, the bell cracked in many places, and a piece weighing 11.5 tons broke off. The whole bell weighs 200 tons. In front of the Bell-Tower is the extensive Ivanovskaya Square (now Kremlin Square).
T
he
Tsar-Cannon
The Tsar-Cannon is a rare monument to the skill of Russian masters. Cast by the iron-master Andrey Chokhov in 1586 it has: a calibre of 890 mm, a barrel 5 m 34 cm long, weight 40 tons.
Sobornaya Square
T
he
main square of the Kremlin is Sobornaya Square or Cathedral Square
(1776-1788), designed by Christopher Konrad. The former Senate, now
the residence of the Russian Government. After the fire of 1737 it
was rebuilt by Ukhtomsky in 1754. Its frontage is lined with cannon
captured from Napoleon's Army during its streat from Moscow in 1812.
The Mausoleum
T
he
Mausoleum was built in 1924. First it was wooden. Then it was built
of darked granite and black labradorite in 1930 (architect A.
Shchusev). Not long ago, everybody could watch the ceremony of the
changing of the guards in front of the Mausoleum. It was built as a
tomb for the leader of the Soviet State — V. Lenin.
The State History Museum
I
t
was built in 1874-1883 (architect V. O. Sherwood and A. P. Popov).
The initiators of this museum were the famous historians: A. S.
Uvarov and I. E. Zabelin. The museum faces Red Square. Tens of
thousands of exhibits in its halls show the history of the peoples
of our country from the pre-historic times of the primitive communal
system to present days.
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (or Pokrovsky Cathedral)
I
t
was erected on the order of Ivan IV (the Terrible) to commemorate
the victory over the Kazan Khanate (a feudal state in the Central
Volga Region). It was designed by the Russian masters Postnik and
Barma. The cathedral is built of brick in traditional Russian style.
It has seven domes, each of a different colour. The inner gallery
also contains amazing wall and ceiling paintings (stylized flower
patterns of unique shapes and bright colours). This Cathedral is a
masterpiece of Russian Architecture. There is a legend that says
that Ivan the Terrible asked the builders if they could build
anything finer than they had already done. When they answered that
they could, he ordered that they be blinded so that there would
never hi anything more beautiful in the world than the Cathedral of
Vasily the Blessed.
Present continuous
1. Дополните предложения, поставив глаголы, данные в скобках, в настоящее длительное время:
1 Listen! Pat is playing the piano. (play)
2 They __________________a new hotel in the city centre at the moment. (build)
3 Look! Somebody _____________________in the river. (swim)
4 “You ______________________on my foot.” “Oh, I’m sorry.” (stand)
5 Hurry up! The bus ________________ . (come)
6 “Where are you, George?” “In the kitchen. I _________________a meal.” (cook)
7 (on the telephone) “Hello. Can I speak to Ann, please?” “She _____________________a shower at the moment. Can you phone again later?” (have)