Vocabulary
area (N) – площадь
barley (N) – ячмень
border on (V) – граничить с
boundary (N) – граница
buckwheat (N) – гречиха
bulk (N) – большая часть
coal (N) – уголь
coastline (N) – береговая линия
copper (N) – медь
10. cradle (N) – колыбель
11. crude oil – сырая нефть
12. density (N) – плотность
13. deposit (N) – запас
14. distribute (V) – распределять
15. fresh water – пресная вода
16. fuel (N) – топливо
17. hydroelectric plant – ГЭС
18. inhabit (V) – населять; uninhabitable (A) – необитаемый
19. insufficient (A) – недостаточный
20. iron ore – железная руда
21. lead (N) [led] – свинец
22. mild (A) – мягкий
23. moss (N) – мох
24. oats (N, Pl) – овес
25. plain (N) – равнина
26. population (N) – население; sparsely populated – малонаселенный
27. rapid (A) – быстрый
28. raw materials – сырье
29. rye (N) – рожь
30. severity (N) – суровость
31. species (N) – (биологический) вид
32. supply (N) – запас
33. timber (N) – древесина
34. tin (N) – олово
35. wheat (N) – пшеница
4.1 Answer the following questions:
1 What country were you born?
2 Where do you live nowadays?
3 What holidays are the most popular in Russia?
4.2 Read the geographical names correctly, then complete the table that follows.
Russia [`rΛ∫ə], Finland [`finlənd], Estonia [es`təunjə], Latvia [`lætviə], Lithuania [liθju(:)`einjə], Belarus [`bjelərus], Ukraine [ju(:)`krein], Poland [`poulənd], Kaliningrad [kəli:nin`gra:d], Georgia [`dʒo:dʒjə], Azerbaijan [a:zə:bai`dʒa:n], Kazakhstan [ka:za:h`sta:n], Mongolia [moŋ`gouljə], China
- [`t∫ainə], Korea [kə`riə], the Baltic Sea [ðə `bo:ltik `si:], the Black Sea [ðə `blæk `si:], the Caspian Sea [ðə `kæspiən `si:], the Azov Sea [ði `a:zəv `si:], the Arctic Ocean [ði `a:ktik `ou∫(ə)n], the White Sea [ðə wait `si:], the Barents Sea [ðə `bærənts `si:], the Kara Sea [ðə `ka:rə `si:], the Laptev Sea [ðə `la:ptjəf `si:], the East-Siberian Sea [ði `i:stsai`biəriən `si:], the Pacific Ocean [ðə pə`sifik `ou∫(ə)n], the Bering Sea [ðə `beriŋ `si:], the Okhotsk Sea [ði ou`kotsk `si:], the Japanese Sea [ðə dʒæpə`ni:z `si:], the European Plain [ði juərə`pi(:)ən plein], the Ural Mountains [ði `juər(ə)l `mauntinz], Siberia [sai`biəriə], the West Siberian Plain [ðə west sai`biəriən plein], the Central Siberian Plateau [ðə `sentrəl sai`biəriən `plætou], the Far East [ðə `fa:r`i:st], Europe [`juərəp], Asia [`ei∫ə], the Don [ðə don], the Volga River [ðə `vo:lgə], the Ob [ði `ob], the Yenisey [ði jeni`sei], Ladoga Lake [`la:dəgə leik], Baikal [bai`ka:l], the Kama [ðə `ka:mə], the Angara [ði ΛngΛ`ra:].
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Country |
Ocean |
Sea |
River |
Lake |
Mountain System |
Territory |
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4.3 Some of these sentences are correct, but some need THE (perhaps more than once). Correct the sentences where necessary.
1 River Volga flows into Caspian Sea.
2 Next year we are going to Black Sea.
3 Baikal is deepest lake in world.
4 Ural Mountains are boundary between Europe and Asia.
5 Mount Narodnaya reaches 1,895 m. It’s highest mountain in Urals.
6 Atlantic Ocean washes Russia in north.
7 Mongolia borders on Russia in south.
8 Tim has travelled a lot in Siberia and in Far East.
9 Climate of Siberia is continental.
10 Angara which flows out of Lake Baikal, an enormous natural reservoir, is practically regulated by nature itself.
11 Some rivers (Pechora, Mezen and Northern Dvina) flow into Barents and White seas while others (Neva with lakes Ladoga, Onega and Ilmen situated in its basin) drain into Baltic Sea.
12 Although Caucasus has a warm climate, mountains are covered with snow the year round.
13 Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans.
14 Russian Plain takes an European part of Russia.
15 Arctic Ocean consists of two principal deep basins that are subdivided into four smaller basins by three transoceanic submarine ridges.
16 Russia is a country of thick forests and wide valleys, of high mountains and bare deserts.
17 Resort towns are a feature of North Caucasus region, including Sochi (on Black Sea), Pyatigorsk, and Mineralnyye Vody.
4.4 Read the text through and match these headings with the passages:
Climate / Natural Resources / Flora / Population / Geographical Outline
Russia
1) With the area of 6,592, 800 square miles (17,075,300 sq km), Russia is the world’s largest country, almost twice the size of either China or the United States. It covers more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area.
Russia has an extensive coastline of over 37,000km (22,991mi). Russia has the longest border of any country on the Earth. In the west it borders on Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland through the Kaliningrad Region. In the south our country borders on Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea.
Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans. It confronts the Baltic Sea in the west. The Black, Caspian and Azov Seas wash Russia in the south. The Arctic Ocean and the White, Barents, Kara, Laptev, East-Siberian Seas are in the North. The Pacific Ocean and the Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese Seas wash the country in the east.
Russia is a country of thick forests and wide valleys, of high mountains and bare deserts. Russian’s main regions are the Russian (or the East European) Plain, the Ural Mountains, the West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the Far East. The Russian Plain takes the European part of Russia. The Urals form the eastern boundary of it. It is held that the Urals separate Europe from Asia. The Urals stretch for about 2,100km from north to south. The highest peak, Mount Narodnaya, reaches 1,895m. The most important rivers in the European part of Russia are the Don and Volga. The Volga is the most famous, because it is the longest river in Europe. The Volga River, which flows to the Caspian Sea, is one of great historic, economic, and cultural importance to Russia. It has become the cradle of such ancient Russian cities as Vladimir, Tver, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod. In Western Siberia the greatest rivers are the Ob and Yenisey. They flow along the most extensive lowland in the world. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Baikal. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on the Earth. It contains a fifth of the world’s fresh water supplies, more than all five of the Great Lakes of North America combined. Truly unique on the Earth, Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world.
2) Russia’s population density is 8.4 people per square kilometre (22 per square mile), making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Russia ranks eighth in the world in the size of its population. The current population is about 143 million people. The great majority of the population of Russia is Russians. Russia is inhabited by sixty other nationalities, and about twenty-five of these minorities have their own autonomous republics within the Russian Federation. The population in Russia is unequally distributed. The bulk of the people live in the European part of the country. Siberia is insufficiently populated, though its economic development was rapid in the second half of the 20th century. The northern part of Russia is practically uninhabitable because of the length and severity of its winter.
3) There are different types of climate on the territory of Russia. Great ranges of temperature are typical. It is very cold in the north even in summer. The central part of the country has mild climate: winters are cold, springs and autumns are warm or cool, and summers are hot and warm. In the south the temperature is usually above zero all the year round, even in winter. Summer
is really hot. The climate there is very favourable. The climate of Siberia is continental: summers are hot and dry, sometimes humid, winters are very cold.
4) Different climatic regimes are mirrored in Russian’s flora. A treeless tundra with mosses and grasses extends along the entire Arctic coast. In the south it gives the way to taiga. Southwards taiga is replaced by a zone of mixed forest which in the south transfers into mixed forest-steppe and finally into steppe.
Russia has the world’s largest forest reserves, which supply timber, pulp and paper, and raw materials for woodworking industries.
Because of the severity of the Russian environment, less than one sixth of the land is used as farmland for growing wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, buckwheat and doing farming.
5) Russia has the richest deposits of mineral resources in the world. The development of the Russian economy is determined by its natural resources. It is one of the world’s biggest producers of coal, crude oil, and natural gas, as well as of iron ore, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminum, tin, etc. Extensive pipeline systems link producing districts to all parts of Russia and across the border to many European countries. Much of the country’s fuel is converted to electricity, but about a third of the electricity is produced by hydroelectric plants. The largest of these are on the Volga, Kama, Ob, Yenisey and Angara rivers. Russia’s heavy industries are well-developed. They produce much of the nation’s steel and most of its heavy machinery. Russia’s chemical industry is also well-developed.
4.5 Match the words and word-combinations in A with their synonyms in B:
A B
1 border a) reserve, reservoir, stock
2 to border on (countries) b) to rate, to classify
3 to be obvious c) to spread, to scatter
4 bare d) not much, not enough
5 to stretch e) to occupy, to live in
6 extensive f) boundary, frontier, borderline
7 supply g) to be apparent, to be clear
8 unique h) majority, greater part
9 to rank i) variety
10 to inhabit j) quick, swift
11 to distribute k) good, satisfactory
12 bulk of l) treeless, open
13 insufficiently m) damp, moist
14 rapid n) great, huge, immense, spacious
15 range o) to extend, to spread
16 favourable p) marsh, bog
17 humid q) incomparable
18 swamp r) to be next to
4.6 Give the English equivalents for the following:
Простираться, занимать территорию, густые леса, граничить со многими странами, широкие долины, быть недостаточно населенным, обширная низменность, экономическое развитие, основная масса населения, широтные климатические зоны, благоприятный климат, быть неравномерно распределенным, запасы пресной воды, диапазон температур.
4.7 Match the adjectives in A with the corresponding nouns in B:
Adjectives Nouns
1 important a) water
2 high b) population
3 bare c) city
4 fresh d) resources
5 ancient e) ground
6 swampy f) lakes
7 current g) lowland
8 cultural h) deposits
9 natural i) deserts
10 extensive j) mountains
11 rich k) importance
12 deep l) rivers
4.8 Are these statements true (T) or false (F)? If the statement is false, correct it.
1 Russia stretches over an enormous area of Eastern Europe.
2 Russia is washed by twenty seas and four oceans.
3 The current population in Russia is about 130 million people.
4 The Urals form the northern boundary of Russia.
5 The population in Russia is equally distributed.
6 There are diverse types of climate on the territory of Russia.
7 The climate of Siberia is temperate.
8 Its mineral resources determine the development of the Russian economy.
9 It is one of the world’s biggest producers of coal, oil and natural gas.
10 There is no official language in the country, because Russia is multinational.
11 Baikal is the largest salt water lake.
4.9 Translate into English:
1 Россия является одной из самых больших стран мира.
2 Россия занимает огромную территорию.
3 Россия соседствует со многими странами.
4 Россия занимает восьмое место в мире по численности населения.
5 Большая часть населения живет в Европейской части страны.
6 Сибирь недостаточно заселена.
7 Россия имеет самые богатые запасы природных ресурсов в мире.
8 Россия – самый большой производитель угля, нефти и природного газа.
9 Тяжелая промышленность России хорошо развита.
10 Официальным государственным языком страны является русский язык.
11 Москва – столица России.
4.10 Complete the following sentences using the information from the text:
1 Russia borders on many countries…..
2 Russia covers almost twice the territory of…..
3 The Russian Plain takes on…..
4 The Urals form…..
5 The most important rivers in the European part of Russia are…..
6 The largest lakes are…..
7 The current population is…..
8 Russia is inhabited by…….
9 The northern part of Russia is…….
10 Russia has the richest…..
11 The development of the Russian economy…….
12 Russia is one of the world’s biggest producers……
13 Russia’s heavy industries produce……
14 The head of the country is…..
15 Moscow is…..
4.11 Answer the following questions:
1 Where is Russia situated?
2 What is Russia washed by?
3 What countries does the Russian Federation border on?
4 What is lake Baikal noted for?
5 What are the most important rivers in Russia?
6 What is the deepest lake in Russia?
7 What types of climate are there on the territory of Russia?
8 What can you say about the population of Russia?
9 How large is the population of Russia?
10 Is Russia rich in natural resources?
11 Is Russia’s industry well-developed?
12 What is the official language of the Russian Federation?
13 What is the capital of Russia?
4.12 Study the factfile:
Official name: Russian Federation
Capital: Moscow
Population number: about 143 mln
Natural Regions: the East European Plain the West Siberian Plain
the Central Siberian Plateau the Far East
Mountain Systems: the Altai, the Caucasus, the Cherskiy,
the Pamir, the Sayan, the Tian Shan, the Ural
The highest Peak: Elbrus – 18,481 feet (5,633 metres)
Major Rivers: the Amur, the Angara, the Irtysh, the Lena, the Ob, the Volga,
the Yenisey
Major Lakes: Baikal, Ladoga, Onega
Natural Zones: Tundra (along the Arctic coast), taiga (north and central half of the country), forest, forest-steppe, steppe
Climate: Long bitter winters and short summers (tundra)
Long severe winters, short springs and summers (taiga)
Long cold winters, hot moist summers (forest)
Cold winters and hot dry summers (steppe)
Major Agricultural Products: Crops, sugar, beets, wheat, potatoes, barley, rye, oats, cabbage, tomatoes, sunflowers.
Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry, fish, seafood
Major Mined Products: Coal, oil, natural gas, iron ore, salt, bauxite, lead, tin, manganese, zinc, copper, nickel, molybdenum, gold, etc.
Major Manufactured Products: Iron, steel, cement, mineral fertilizers, chemicals, food products, wood products, machine tools, food processing equipment, chemical equipment, oil and gas equipment
Currency: 1rouble = 100kopecs
4.13 Read the factfile and answer the questions below:
1. Which fact do you find the most surprising?
2. Which fact arouses the most optimism?