 |
5. Read a dialogue and discuss with your partner the sights of Novocherkassk.
|
|
|
|
5. Read a dialogue and discuss with your partner the sights of Novocherkassk.
- Hello, Peter. You are here already.
- Hello, Vic. I don’t like to be late.
- By the way, is it your first visit to Novocherkassk?
- Yes, I am for the first time here. Your city is very beautiful, I like it.
- Oh, thank you, it’s very pleasant to hear that. And now I would like to show you some sights of our town.
- Thank you so much. I like this square and the cathedral.
- It is this square and the cathedral that the Don Cossacks began construction of their capital with in 1805.
- Oh, the cathedral is very large and majestic. And could you tell me what monument is next to the cathedral?
- This is a monument to Yermak. He was the Cossack ataman almost 400 years ago and he is known for conquering Siberia.
- It’s very interesting. My gratitude cannot he expressed in words.
- It was no bother. It was a pleasure. If you wish to learn more you can go to the Museum of the Don Cossack History. I would also recommend you to visit the Research Institute of the Don Cossack History and Development of the Cossack Regions at Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI). You will learn a lot of astonishing facts about the life and culture and military campaigns of the Cossacks. By the way, it was Leo Tolstoy who said that the whole history of Russia had been written by the Cossacks…
- If you only knew how grateful I am! Let’s go there.
- With great pleasure.
7. Read about the founder of Novocherkassk Matvei Ivanovich Platov and discuss his life with your partner.
Matvei Ivanovich Platov (8 (19) August 1753– 3 (15) January 1818) was a Russian general who commanded the Don Cossacks in the Napoleonic wars and founded Novocherkassk as the new capital of the Don Province. Don Cossacks are generally described as proud and freedom-loving people establishing a string of settlements on the banks of the Don River. Matvei Platov was a Cossack too, spending nearly half a century fighting Russia’s enemies and scoring many a grand victory over the French, Turks and the Tatars.
Matvei Platov was born in a Cossack village (stanitsa) Pribilyanskoe in 1751. His parents could only afford sending their son to an elementary school. The boy was very agile and became a good rider, shooter and a fencer. When Matvei was 13 years old his father took him to a Cossack regiment. Learning the military arts, Matvei Platov was making great progress and by the time he was 20 he had already been promoted to regiment commander. A meeting with the greatest Russian military commander Alexander Suvorov determined Platov’s future. Under Suvorov’s expert guidance the young colonel made his grade fighting against the Turks and was soon promoted to the rank of a cavalry general.
In 1800 M. I. Platov was promoted to the supreme commander of the Don Cossack Army and was sent to Novocherkassk. There he was appointed ataman of the Don Cossacks by Alexander I. In 1805 he ordered the Cossack capital to be moved from Starocherkasskaya to a new location, known now as Novocherkassk. Taking up his new position Matvei Platov initiated some reforms to boost his men’s moral and to demand the fathers train their sons military arts.
|
|
|
During 1806-1807 Platov commanded a Cossack corps and fought against the French at the battles of Eylau, Guttstadt and Friedland, receiving the orders of St. George (2nd class), of St. Alexander Nevsky, and the Prussian orders of the Black Eagle and of the Red Eagle. In 1808-1809 he was active against the Turks, receiving for it the Order of St. Vladimir (1st class). On 11 October 1809 Platov was promoted to General of Cavalry. Soon after the end of the campaign he returned to the Don region and continued the reorganization of the local Cossack administration.
During the war with Napoleon (1812-1814), General Platov commanded Cossack cavalry regiments. It was Platov who contributed so heavily to the Russian victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. That was the best military campaign he had ever fought. Addressing his Cossacks, Platov said: “We must show the enemy that it is the honor and glory of Russia we think about, not our lives. ” Matvei I. Platov became a hero starting out as ordinary soldier he had since moved up the ranks to become a Cavalry General and, in appreciation of his contribution to the Russian victory over Napoleon, he was granted a Count’s title.
Matvei Platov was equally popular in Paris and London where people admired the gallant hero from the Don. The British presented an expensive diamond-studded sword and the Oxford University awarded him an honorary degree. Matvei Platov had simple habits and remained forever true to the Cossack traditions. He was always friendly with everyone and knew all his subordinates by their names.
Matvei Ivanovich Platov died on the 3rd of January in 1818 and was buried in the Novocherkassk Cathedral.
On the base of http: //www. vor. ru/English/whims/whims_019. html
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
1. Look at the following words and try to remember them:
| 1) to stretch - 2) expanse - 3) to bound - 4) variety - 5) to vary - 6) barren - 7) valley - 8) latitude - 9) compulsory - 10) to include - 11) to determine - 12) tin - 13) arable - 14) wheat - 15) rye - 16) barley - 17) oat - 18) access - 19) branch - 20) legislative - 21) executive - 22) judicial - 23) to be vested in- 24) bill - | простираться пространство граничить разнообразие менять(ся), изменять(ся) бесплодный, бедный долина широта обязательный включать определять олово пахотный пшеница рожь ячмень овес доступ, подход ветвь законодательный исполнительный судебный осуществляться кем-либо законопроект |
2. Read and translate the text about The Russian Federation:
Russia, also called the Russian Federation, is the world’s largest country stretching over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. Russia has the longest border line in the world. 14 countries are the neighbors of Russia. Russia is bounded on the west by Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (with Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus and the Ukraine, on the south by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. It also has maritime boundary with the USA, Sweden, Turkey and Japan. It faces 13 seas and three oceans, the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Arctic Ocean on the north and the Pacific Ocean on the east.
|
|
|
The history. The history of Russia is long and complex. The medieval state of Rus was formed in the 9th century followed by adopting Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire that defined Russian culture for the next centuries. By the 18th century, the state had greatly expanded to become the Russian Empire, which was the third largest empire in history, stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east.
After the Russian October Revolution (1917) and the followed it civil war, in 1922 the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic with other 14 national Republics became the largest and the world's first constitutionally socialist state, the USSR, for the 69-year period. On December 25, 1991, the USSR was dissolved into 15 post-Soviet states. The Russian SFSR reconstituted itself as the Russian Federation and is recognized as the continuing legal personality and a successor of the Soviet Union.
The land. Stretching across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and displays a variety of landforms and environments. Russia’s climate is markedly continental with cold winters and mild or warm summers, depending on latitude. Russia’s climate is markedly continental with cold winters and mild or warm summers, depending on latitude. The land of Russia varies from thick forests to barren deserts, from high peaked mountains to deep valleys. Mountain ranges are located along the southern borders, such as the Caucasus, containing Mount Elbrus (Russia's and Europe's highest point at 5642 meters), and the Altai in the eastern parts. The Ural Mountains form the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia and run for about 2, 100 kilometres. Russia has thousands of rivers and lakes, providing it with one of the world's largest surface-water resources. The Russian Plain contains Russia’s most economically important rivers, chief among them are the Don and the Volga. The main Siberian rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Baikal. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on the earth.
The people. The population of Russia is about 146 million people. The great majority of the population are Russians, but there are also170 other nationalities. Russia ranks ninth in the world in the size of its population. Russian is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the national republics the right to establish their own languages in addition to Russian.
The country comprises 85 federal subjects. Russia’s most important cities are Moscow (the capital of the country with the population of about 10 million people), St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), Kazan, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd.
Education is free at all levels and compulsory between the ages of 7 and 17. The educational system includes primary schools and general, technical or vocational secondary schools. University admittance is determined by the competitive examination.
The economy. Russia is rich in natural and mineral resources. It is one of the world’s biggest producers of coal, petroleum and natural gas as well as of iron ore, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminium and tin. Russia’s heavy industries are particularly extensive and produce much of the nation’s steel and most of its heavy machinery, such as steam boilers, grain-harvesting combines, automobiles, locomotives and machine tools. Russia’s chemical industry is also well developed, and the country’s enormous forests are capable of supplying all its wood and paper products. Energy is generated mostly by thermal plants using the republic’s vast fossil-fuel reserves. Light industry centers on the production of textiles. The hardness of the Russian climate limits the amount of arable land to about one-seventh of the total territory. The main product has always been grain, chiefly wheat, rye, barley, oats, and such industrial crops as sunflower seeds, sugar beets and flax. The fishing industry is extremely important owing to Russia’s access to the waters of three oceans.
|
|
|
Government and social conditions. Russia is a presidential republic. The federal government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Each of them is checked and balanced by the President. The legislative power is vested in the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers. The Upper Chamber is the Council of Federation, the Lower Chamber is the State Duma. Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. Legislative may be initiated in either of the two Chambers. But to become a law a bill must be approved by both Chambers and signed by the President. The President may veto the bill. The members of the Federal Assembly are elected by popular vote for a five-year period. The executive power belongs to the Government which is headed by the Prime Minister. The first action of the Prime Minister on appointment is to form the Cabinet. The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the regional courts.
Today the state symbol of Russia is a three-colored banner. It has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one stands for the sky and the red one symbolizes liberty. A new national emblem is a two-headed eagle. It is the most ancient symbol of Russia. All these symbols have been approved by the Federal Assembly.
On the base of https: //www. britannica. com/place/Russia
https: //wikitravel. org/en/Russia
3. Find in the above text the English equivalents to the following Russian word combinations:
граничить с чем-либо; морская граница; изменяться от чего-либо до чего-либо; средневековое государство; гражданская война; законный представитель; часовой пояс; суровость климата; горные хребты; наземные водные ресурсы; субъекты федерации; природные ресурсы и полезные ископаемые; тяжелое машиностроение; в зависимости от; традиционная граница; огромные леса; большая часть населения; официальный язык; запасы ископаемого топлива; стать законом; возглавляться кем-либо; система образования, наложить вето на законопроект; Совет Федерации; Верховный суд; быть одобренным кем-либо; национальный символ; трехцветный флаг; двуглавый орел.
|
|
|
