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Imagine you
are telling your foreign guest about Russia. What main points
(geography, political system, economy, culture) would you touch
upon ?
The first thing I
am going to tell my foreign visitor about is the geography and
climate of Russia, as the geographical position and climate of a
country influence the country's economy; the second reason is
that they influence lifestyles and the health of its people, as
well as the national character. The Russian Federation, or
Russia is the largest country in the world. Its vast territory
lies in the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of
Asia. The country is washed by three oceans (the Arctic, the
Atlantic, the Pacific) and twelve seas (the White Sea, the
Barents Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the
Caspian Sea, the Azov Sea and others). Russia borders on many
countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania in the
north, China, Mongolia, North Korea and others in the
south-east, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine in the west, and others.
The land of Russia varies very much from forests to deserts,
from high mountains to deep valleys. Mountain ranges are found
along the southern borders, such as the Caucasus and the Altai,
and in the eastern parts, such as the Verkhoyansk Range. The
Caucasus contain Mount Elbrus, Russia's and Europe's highest
point at 5,633 m. The more central Ural Mountains, a north-south
range that forms the primary divide between Europe and Asia, are
also notable. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes in
the country. Notable rivers of Russia in Europe are the Volga,
Don, Kama, Oka and the Northern Dvina, while several other
rivers originate in Russia but flow into other countries, such
as the Dnieper and the Western Dvina. In Asia, important rivers
are the Ob, Yrtysh, Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Amur and Kolyma. The
largest lakes are Baikal, Ladoga and Onega. Baikal is the
deepest fresh-water lake in the world and its water is the
purest on Earth. The climate of Russia is varied, from arctic
and subarctic in the north, continental in the centre, to
subtropical in the south.
The Russian
Federation is extremely rich in natural and mineral resources.
It has deposits of oil, gas, iron, gold, non-ferrous metals and
many other minerals.
The second thing
I am going to speak about is Russia's economy as I believe
economy is a foundation of any country's life.
The economy of
Russia is going through a transitional period from the centrally
planned socialist economy to a market economy. After the
collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the greater part of
industries were privatized, agriculture and land underwent
partial privatization later and are still undergoing it. After
the crisis of 1997 and the depreciation of the rouble followed
by sharp deterioration in living standards for most of the
population, Russia's economy faced recession. The economy
started recovering in 1999, partially because of high export
prices on oil and gas which Russia is rich in. Russia is still
heavily dependent on export of oil, gas and timber, while its
industrial and farming sectors are still weak as compared with
those of the developed countries, but the rate of economic
growth of the country is very high. If the rate is the same
within a period of several years, Russia will be the second
largest European economy after Germany.
The third point I
am going to touch upon is Russia's political system.
The current
population of Russia is about 143 million people. The capital of
the Russian Federation is Moscow, with a population of about 11
million people.
Russia is a
parliamentary republic. Head of State in the country is
President, directly elected for a four-year term, who has
considerable executive power and is head of the executive branch
of the government. The government consists of three branches:
legislative (the Federal Assembly, consisting of the Federation
Council and the State Duma), executive (the government, or the
Cabinet of Ministers) and judicial (the system of courts,
including the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and other
courts). The national flag of Russia is a white-blue-and-red
banner. The national language of the Russian Federation is
Russian. The Orthodox Church is the dominant religion in Russia.
And finally, I am going to speak about Russian culture.
Russian culture
abounds in names which are famous all over the world. Actually,
there is no field in science or arts where Russia failed to
contribute to the world's intellectual and artistic
treasure-houses, (see 'Outstanding People')
Translate the
following sentences into English.
1. Считается, что географическое положение и климат оказывают
влияние на экономику, стиль жизни страны и национальный
характер.
2. Обширная территория России омывается тремя океанами и
двенадцатью морями и граничит со многими странами.
3. Ландшафты (land) разнообразны, от лесов до пустынь, от
высоких гор до глубоких долин и включают большое количество
горных цепей, в том числе Кавказ с самой высокой точкой Европы —
горой Эльбрус, Уральские горы, Алтай и т. д.
4. В России много больших рек и озер, в том числе Байкал, самое
глубокое и чистое пресноводное озеро в Европе.
5. После распада Советского Союза Россия проходит через
переходный период — от социалистической экономики, основанной на
централизованном планировании, к рыночной экономике.
6. Большая часть отраслей промышленности России уже
приватизирована, а сельское хозяйство все еще проходит
приватизацию.
7. Кризис и обесценивание рубля привели к резкому падению уровня
жизни большей части населения, Россия переживала экономический
спад.
8. Хотя Россия до сих пор сильно зависит от экспорта нефти, газа
и леса, а ее промышленный и сельскохозяйственный сектора слабы,
темп экономического роста очень высок.
9. Россия — парламентская республика, в которой главой
государства и исполнительной власти является президент,
избираемый прямым голосованием на четырехлетний срок.
10. Законодательная власть представлена Федеральным Собранием,
состоящим из Совета Федерации и Государственной Думы,
исполнительная власть представлена президентом и советом
министров, судебная власть состоит из Конституционного суда,
Верховного суда и других судов.
11. В культуре России очень много известных имен, поскольку
Россия внесла большой вклад в мировую интеллектуальную и
художественную сокровищницу.
1. The
geographical position and climate are believed to influence the
country's economy, lifestyles and the national character.
2. Russia's vast territory is washed by three oceans and twelve
seas and borders on many countries.
3. The land varies greatly from forest to deserts, from high
mountains to deep valleys and has a lot of mountain ranges
including the Caucasus with Europe's highest point Mount Elbrus,
the Ural Mountains, the Altai and so on.
4. Russia has a lot of great rivers and lakes including Baikal,
the deepest and the purest fresh-water lake in the world,
5. After the collapse of the Soviet Union Russia has been going
through a transitional period from the centrally planned
socialist economy to a market economy.
6. The greater part of Russia's industries have already been
privatized, and agriculture is still undergoing privatization.
7. The crisis and depreciation of the rouble resulted in sharp
deterioration in living standards for most of the population,
Russia was facing recession.
8. Though Russia is still dependent on export of oil, gas and
timber and its industrial and farming sectors are still weak,
the rate of economic growth is very high.
9. Russia is a parliamentary republic with President, directly
elected for a four-year term, as Head of State and head of the
executive branch of the government.
10. The legislative branch of the government is represented by
the Federal Assembly consisting of the Federation Council and
the State Duma; the executive branch is represented by President
and the Cabinet of Ministers, the judicial branch consists of
the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and other courts.
11. Russian culture abounds in famous names, as Russia has
contributed greatly to the world's intellectual and artistic
treasure-houses.
Из пособия "ЕГЭ. Английский язык.
Устные темы" Занина Е.Л. (2010, 272с.) - Part
one. English examination topics. Forms 9/11.
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