1. Practice the pronunciation of the following words:

Europe, Russia, Trypillians, Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns, Kyivan Rus, Lithuania, Poland, Austrians, Galicia, legislative, Christianity, executive, millennium.

2. Read the following dates and figures:

603,700, 2000 B.C., 300,000, 375, 270 A.D, 988, 14^th century, 1648, 1654, 1775, 1667, 1790’s, from 1772 until 1918, 1800’s, 1990, August 24, 1991.

3. Study the words and phrases for active use:

to be located бути розташованим

human beings людська істота, людина

millennium тисячоліття

steppe степ

to invade вторгатися, вдиратися

rule правління

apogee апогей

decline занепад

discontented незадоволений

uprising повстання

alliance союз, альянс

to lay the foundation закладати основу

legislative законодавча

executive виконавча

judicial судова

heritage спадок, спадщина

to be inhabited бути населеним

4. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian:

1. During the first millennium B.C., the steppe hinterland was occupied successively by the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians.

2. During the tenth and eleventh centuries the territory of Ukraine became the centre of a powerful state in Europe, Kyivan Rus, laying the foundation for the national identity of Ukrainians.

3. With Yaroslav’s death, Kyiv entered a long period of decline and by the middle of the 14^th century Ukrainian territories were under the rule of the Golden Horde, Lithuania, and the kingdom of Poland.

4. By the mid 16^th century the Cossacks had developed a military organization of a peculiarly democratic kind, with a general assembly (rada) and elected officers, including the commander-in-chief, or hetman.

5. Nowadays Ukraine is a republic under a mixed semi-parliamentary semi- presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

V. Read and retell the text:

Located in Eastern Europe, Ukraine is the second largest country on the continent after Russia. It has an area of 603,700 square kilometers. Its capital is Kyiv.

Ukraine is a sovereign state with its own territory, higher bodies of state power and government, national emblem, state flag and anthem. The country is inhabited by Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Byelorussians, Moldavians, Poles, Bulgarians and other nations. There are 24 administrative regions and the Crimean autonomous republic in Ukraine. It borders on Poland, the Russian Federation, Byelorussia, Moldova, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

The Ukrainian word Ukrayina is from old east Slavic oukraina borderland, from ou by, at and the Slavic root kraj edge, region. In particular, in Ukrainian krayina means simply country. On the other hand, ou means in in Ukrainian, so it can mean inner country.

Human beings have lived in the Ukrainian region for about 300,000 years. One of the earliest cultures was that of the Trypillians, who lived in the soutwestern Ukraine from about 4000 to 2000 B.C. During the first millennium B.C., the steppe hinterland was occupied successively by the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians. The region was invaded by Germanic tribes from the west in 270 A.D. and by the Huns, an Asian people, in 375.

During the tenth and eleventh centuries the territory of Ukraine became the centre of a powerful state in Europe, Kyivan Rus, laying the foundation for the national identity of Ukrainians. Rus reached its apogee in the reigns of Volodymyr the Great and his son Yaroslav. Under Volodymyr’s rule, the state became a political, economical and cultural power in Europe. In 988 Volodymyr became a Christian and made Christianity the state religion. With Yaroslav’s death, Kyiv entered a long period of decline and by the middle of the 14^th century Ukrainian territories were under the rule of the Golden Horde, Lithuania, and the kingdom of Poland.

In the 15^th century many discontented peasants joined the bands of independent soldiers that became known as Cossacks. By the mid 16^th century the Cossacks had developed a military organization of a peculiarly democratic kind, with a general assembly (rada) and elected officers, including the commander-in-chief, or hetman. Their center was Sich, an armed camp. In 1648, a Cossack named Bohdan Khmelnytsky led an uprising that freed Ukraine from Polish control. In1654, Khmelnytsky formed an alliance with the tzar of Russia against Poland. In 1775 the Zaporizhian Sich was destroyed by Russian troops.

Ukraine was divided between Poland and Russia in 1667. In the 1790’s Russia gained control of all of Ukraine except Galicia, which Austria ruled from 1772 until 1918.

Russia favoured its language and culture over those of the Ukrainians and other peoples. The Austrians, however, allowed the Ukrainians greater freedom than did the Russians. As a result, Galicia became a major centre of Ukrainian culture during the 1800’s.

With the Russian and Austrian empires’ collapse following World War I and later WWII, Ukrainian national movement for self-determination appeared again.

In 1922 Ukraine became a part of the Soviet Union. But that was only in 1990 that Ukraine’s parliament passed a declaration of state sovereignty and then declared its independence (August 24, 1991).

Nowadays Ukraine is a republic under a mixed semi- parliamentary semi- presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The president is elected by popular vote and is formally the head of state.

Ukraine has its own original culture and art. Over the last years people of Ukraine display a keen interest in the history and artistic heritage. There is a new approach to the development of culture, arts, and languages. Ukraine pursues the policy of peace and establishes new relations with various countries throughout the world.

Ukraine is one of the founding members of the United Nation Organization and participates in the work of many international organizations.