The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. It occupies most of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans. The oceans are: the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Pacific. The seas are: the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and others.

Russia borders on many countries, such as Mongolia and China in the south-east, Finland and Norway in the north-west, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and the Ukraine in the West, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the south-west, and so on.

The federation comprises 21 republics.

The land of Russia varies very much from forests to deserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. The main mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes on its territory. The longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena in Asia. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Baikal. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on earth, its depth is of 1600 meters.

The climate in Russia varies from arctic in the north to continental in the central part of the country and subtropical in the south.

Russia is a highly-industrialized-agrarian republic. Its vast mineral resources include oil and natural gas, coal, iron, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminium, gold and other non-ferrous metals. Russia has the world’s largest oil and natural gas resources. Three-quarters of the republic’s mineral wealth is concentrated in Siberia and the Far East.

Approximately 10 million people are engaged in agriculture and they produce half of the region’s grain, meat, milk and other dairy products.

The current population of Russia is more than 150 million people. The European part of the country is densely peopled, and most population live in cities and towns and their outskirts.

The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow, with the population of about 10 million people.

Russia is a presidential republic. It is one of the leading powers in the world.

IV. Read the text ‘The Russian Federation’ and answer the questions:

1. What territory does Russia occupy?

2. What oceans and seas is Russia washed by?

3. What countries does Russia border on?

4. What are the main mountain chains, rivers and lakes in Russia?

5. How can you characterize Russia’s climate?

6. What mineral resources does Russia possess?

7. What industries are developed in Russia?

8. What is the population in Russia?

V. Make sure you can translate the following text both ways – from English into Russian and vice versa.

What is the climate like in the Russian Federa­tion? It is difficult to answer this question. The country is very large, that is why there are all sorts of weather in different regions. It is very cold in the north most of the year; and it is rather warm in the south even in winter. The swimming season on the Black Sea coast lasts from May to November. In the European part of the country summers are quite hot, the sky is cloudless, the sun shines most of the time, although it rains once in a while. The first half of autumn is rather warm, too. From October to March the weather is cold. There are some very se­vere frosts in winter, and there is a lot of snow. In Siberia winter is quite cold, and severe frosts are common. Autumn comes earlier and summer later than in the European part of the country. The climate of Siberia is continental, so there are dry, hot summers and very cold winters. The winters in Moscow are colder than those in Lon­don. There is always a lot of snow in January and in February. There is also a lot of wind in winter. The average temperature is 10 - 11 degrees Centi­grade below zero in January. Winter is a good time for such sports as skiing, hockey and skating.

Какой же климат в Российской Федерации? Трудно ответить на этот вопрос. Страна очень большая, поэтому климат разный в различных ее регионах. Очень холодно на севере в течение все­го года и довольно тепло на юге даже зимой. Ку­пальный сезон на побережье Черного моря продолжается с мая по ноябрь. В европейской части страны лето обычно до­вольно жаркое, небо безоблачное, почти все вре­мя светит солнце, хотя изредка идут дожди. Пер­вая половина осени довольно теплая. С октября по март холодно. Зимой бывают сильные морозы и много снега. В Сибири зима очень холодная, привычны су­ровые морозы. Осень наступает раньше, а лето — позже, чем в европейской части страны. Климат Сибири континентальный, поэтому лето сухое и жаркое, а зима очень холодная. Зима в Москве холоднее, чем в Лондоне. В январе и феврале всегда много снега. Зимой очень ветрено. Средняя температура в январе 10—11 градусов ниже нуля по Цельсию. Зима — хорошее время для занятия такими видами спортa, как лыжи, хоккей, коньки.

VI. Say in English.

1. Россия расположена в восточной части Европы и северной части Азии.

2. Обширная территория России омывается Северным Ледовитым, Атлантическим и Тихим океанами.

3. Россия граничит с Монголией, Китаем, Финляндией и другими странами.

4. Россия располагает большим количеством месторождений полезных ископаемых.

5. Полезные ископаемые России включают нефть, газ, уголь, железо, золото и др.

VII. Speak about:

a) the geographical position of the Russian Federation;

b) the physical features of Russia;

c) the climate of Russia.

VIII. Read the text and answer the questions after it.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-31