Ex. 35. a) Read the text once again and say if the writer likes St Petersburg

b) What words does the writer use to describe the following features?

1. the cemetery _______________

2. the architecture _______________

3. the distances _______________

Ex. 36. Look back at the text and underline sentences which make comparisons.

Ex. 37. Would you say the text contains.

a) a lot of facts b) mostly the writer’s impressions.

Ex. 38. Compare this text to the previous one.

The most European of all Russian towns and cities will celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2003. St Petersburg was founded by the most famous Russian Tsar Peter I (the Great) and named in honor of the apostle Peter (the keeper of the keys to the gates of Paradise) under whose protection was the Emperor himself.

Tsar Peter is one of the key figures in the history of Russia. A real reformer, a man with tremendous will and energy, extremely intelligent but at the same time cruel and merciless Tsar could handle oars and ship cordage, knew how to hammer iron, built shipyards, ruled the state. He managed to transform the patriarchaiс Moscovy into the European Russia. In his various innovations, the Tsar was extremely severe: on pain of punishment, he forced the boyars (noblemen) to shave their beards and to wear European-style clothes, ordered New-Year's fir-trees dressed up all around the country, and raised drinking coffee to the rank of a state necessity. His stature matches his other talents – the Russian Emperor stood six feet six inches tall.

In the City Emblem of St Petersburg there are two anchors: for the sea and the river. Peter the Great believed that anchors were the keys for Paradise. That is how he wanted to call his new city initially.

The Venice of the North, Northern Palmira Paradise, The City of White Nights, Petropolis, Petrograd – all these are different names of the largest northern city in the world. From 1921 to 1991 it was called Leningrad, after the name of the first communist leader of Russia, Vladimir Lenin.

Ex. 39. Fill in the adjectives from both texts. Then try to find synonyms for each adjective.

1. _______________ will and energy 8. _______________ scene

2. _______________ beauty 9. _______________ Moscovy

3. _______________ past 10. _______________ names

4. _______________ spot 11. _______________ destination

5. _______________ tsar 12. _______________ innovation

6. _______________ architecture 13. _______________ light

7. _______________ leader 14. _______________ break

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