The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. The country is
washed by 12 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the
south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and
Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States,
Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.
There's hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and
vegetation can be found.
There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West
Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the
country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain
chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.
There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe's biggest river, the Volga,
flows into the Caspian Sea.
Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. The
water in the lake is very clear.
On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic
in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is
temperate and continental.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other
mineral resources.
Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Russian National Government consists of
the President and his helpers, the Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister
and The Federal Assembly. The Head of the country is the President.
…………………..is the President now. The Prime Minister is ……… The
Federal Assembly consists of two houses: The Federal Council and the State
Duma.
The capital of Russia is Moscow. It's the largest political, scientific, cultural and
industrial centre. It's one of the oldest Russian cities.
There are a lot of opportunities Russia to become one of the leading countries in
the world. I'm sure that we, the younger generation, can do very much to make our
country strong and powerful.
Questions
1. Where is the Russian Federation situated?
2. What kind of climate does the country have?
3. What do you know about the political system of the country?
4. How many rivers are there in Russia? What are they?
5. Is Russia a very rich country?(about lakes and mineral recourses)
6. What kind of mineral recourses does Russia have?
7. What kinds of lakes are there in our country?
8. What do you know about mountain chains in Russia?
9. What do you know about the capital of our country?
10. What can you say about the sights in Moscow?
 British Traditions and Customs

British nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe. It is not a

secret that every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In
Great Britain people attach greater importance to traditions and customs than in
other European countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully
keep them up. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights
and measures.
Halloween is a day on which many children dress up in unusual costumes. In
fact, this holiday has a Celtic origin. The day was originally called All
Halloween's Eve, because it happens on October 31, the eve of all Saint's Day.
Another tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night.
On November 5, 1605, a man called Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the
Houses of Parliament where the king James 1st was to open Parliament on that
day. But Guy Fawkes was unable to realize his plan and was caught and later,
hanged. The British still remember that Guy Fawkes' Night. It is another name
for this holiday. This day one can see children with figures, made of sacks and
straw and dressed in old clothes. On November 5th, children put their figures on
the bonfire, burn them, and light their fireworks.
In the end of the year, there is the most famous New Year celebration. In
London, many people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve. There is
singing and dancing at 12 o'clock on December 31st.
A popular Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama,
which takes place every year. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national
festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new
poem in Welsh.

Questions
1. Why is the British nation considered to be the most conservative in
Europe?
2. What can you say about Halloween?
3. What is the origin of this holiday?
4. What can you say about Bonfire night?
5. Why was it called Bonfire night?
6. How do the British people celebrate this holiday?
7. How do the English people celebrate the New Year?
8. What do you know about the Edinburgh Festival?

Learning Foreign languages

More and more people realize that every educated person should know a
foreign language. The most popular language now is English. English is a world
language. It’s the language of progressive science and technology, trade and
cultural relation, commerce and business. It’s the universal language of
international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language of
diplomacy. Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are
printed in English and are read all over the world. 75% of the world’s mail and
60% of the world’s telephone calls are in English. Half of the world’s scientific
literature is written in English too.
English is spoken by more than 350 million people. It is the official language
of the UK, of the USA, of Australia and New Zealand. English is used as one of
the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish
Republic.
It’s also spoken as a second language by speakers in many parts of Asia and
Africa. The number of second language speakers may soon exceed the number of
native speakers. In Russia English is very popular: it is studied at schools, colleges,
universities, and sometimes even at nurse schools.
Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process
that takes a lot of time and patience. But to know languages today is absolutely
necessary for everyone. I want to know foreign language because I have always
been interested in foreign countries and their cultures. You know I think that who
doesn’t know a foreign language, doesn’t know his own language.

Questions

1. How long have you been learning English?

2. Do you learn English only at school?
3. Have you ever tried to learn English on your own (reading books, watching
educational programmes on TV, videos and films in English, listening to radio
programmes)?
4. Why are you learning English? Do you find it interesting? Hard? Useful?
How can it be useful?
5. Why do you think people learn foreign languages?
6. Is it difficult for you to learn English? Why?
7. Why do you learn English?
8. Where is English an official language?

BOOKS IN OUR LIFE

We cannot imagine our life without books. They play a very important part in
our life. Books are our friends. We start reading books, when we are very small.
Our mothers or grandparents read them for us.
 We learn very much from books. Books educate people. They develop our
imagination, make us think. They help to form our character and the world
outlook. Books help us in self-education and make our life more interesting.

People read for knowledge and for pleasure. There are different kinds of
books, for example: historical novels, books by classics. These are serious books.
They help us understand the life, they give us much new information.

Many people are fond of reading detectives, fantastic, humorous stories. We

read them for pleasure in our free time (spare time). As for me I prefer to read
adventure stories and detectives, full of interesting facts and with exiting gist.

My favorite book is «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn». It was written by Mark

Twain. He was a famous American writer. The plot is very interesting and
catching. The main character is a boy who got into many adventures. The author
showed the life of American children of that time. The book is very easy to read. I
liked it very much. And I advise everybody to read it.

Questions

1. Why can`t we imagine our life without books?

2. When do we meet books for the first time?
3. How do books educate people?
4. Can the books help you in formation of your character?
5. Why do people read books?
6. Can the books help you in your studies and how?
7. Why do we read serious books?
8. What kind of books do you enjoy reading?
9. What is your favourite book and why?
10. What kind of person would enjoy reading your favourite book?