Reading Activities

Read and translate the text:

Ukraine

Ukraine is a sovereign state whose independence was declared on August 24, 1991. Before that it was one of the 15 republics of the former Soviet Union. Ukraine is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe, and it borders on other European countries: Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. Its territory is about 600,000 square kilometres. The population is about 46 million people. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. Among the biggest cities are Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhya, Donetsk, Odessa and some others.

The territory of Ukraine is mostly a treeless plain, called the steppe. There are the Crimean Mountains in the Crimean Peninsula and the Carpathian Mountains in the west. The main river in the country is the Dnieper which is the third longest in Europe. One of the oldest Ukrainian cities, Kyiv, is situated on both sides of this wide and powerful river. Another Ukrainian river, the Danube, connects Ukraine with 7 European countries. Other less important rivers are the Dniester, the Southern Bug, the Desna, the Pripyat, the Seversky Donets and about 70 thousand small rivers.

The country has a democratic political system. State power in Ukraine is divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative power is represented by Ukraine’s Parliament, called Verhovna Rada. The executive branch consists of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President and approved by the majority of the Parliament. The judicial power is represented by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.

The national symbols of Ukraine are the national blue and yellow flag and the trident. The national anthem is “Shche ne vmerla Ukraina” (“Ukraine has not perished yet”).

The strategic line of Ukraine’s foreign policy is to live in peace with the rest of the world community, to cooperate with other countries and participate in European and world structures through membership in the United Nations Organization and other international political, economic and cultural organizations.

Post-reading Activities

1. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.

1) Ukraine is an independent country.

2) August 24 is an Independent Day in Ukraine.

3) Ukraine is situated in the south-western part of Central Europe.

4) Ukraine borders on four European countries.

5) The territory of Ukraine is mostly a steppe.

6) There are the Crimean Mountains in the Crimean Peninsula and the Carpathian Mountains in the east.

7) The Dnieper is the longest river in Europe.

8) Kyiv is situated on the right-hand and left-hand banks of the Dnieper.

9) The Dnieper is a wide but not very strong river.

10) The Dniester connects Ukraine with 7 European countries.

11) The legislative power in Ukraine is represented by Verkhovna Rada.

12) The executive branch consists of the President and of the Parliament.

13) The Prime Minister is appointed by the majority of the Parliament.

14) The strategic line of Ukraine’s foreign policy is to avoid the world community.

2. Match the words with the similar meaning (synonyms).

1. sovereign a) society

2. state b) tendency

3. plain c) chief

4. main d) country

5. powerful e) steppe

6. wide f) independent

7. foreign g) strong

8. community h) to take part

9. trend i) abroad

10) to participate j) broad

2. Match the words with the opposite meaning (antonyms).

1. border a) south

2. square b) narrow

3. treeless c) centre

4. dependent d) east

5. former e) secondary

6. mountain f) future

7. west g) independent

8. north h) circle

9. main i) woody

10) wide j) plain