Text 10. General facts on the British Isles

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TEXT 7. OREL

Orel is an ancient town. At first it served as a fortress to defend the southern borders of the Russian State against the raids of the Crimean tatars. There are a few legends about the name of the town. These legends go away in the past. Once a tsar, standing at the place where the Orlik falls into the Oka, saw an eagle high in the sky. He ordered to build a fortress there. And he gave the name Orel to it. In 1566 the fortress was built. Historians think that the name of the town came from the river Orel, now the Orlik.

In the middle of the 18 century Orel becomes a commercial centre. The development of industry begins from 19th century. Steelmanufacturing, machinenbuilding and food processing factories were the first ones. Soon the railway was built, which ran through the regions connecting Moscow and the southern areas of the country.

When 1941 the Great Patriotic War broke out, Orel played an important strategic role. The battle in the Orel-Kursk direction which was crowned with the victory of the Soviet troops influenced the course of the war and predetermined the defeat of the nazis. The first salute in the history of the Great Patriotic War was fired on the 5-th of August, 1943 in honour of the victory at Orel and Belgorod.

Orel is a great cultural centre. It is the birth place of Ivan Turgenev, Leonid Andreev, Ivan Bunin. Seregey Esenin and Leo Tolstoy often visited Orel. The names of Nikolay Leskov, Feodor Tyutchev, Afanassi Foeth are also connected with our town. There are many monuments to honour these great people. The monument to Turgenev was opened in 1968. Its sculptor was G.P. Bessarabsky.

There are many museums in Orel: the Writers Museum, the Leskov Museum, the Museum of Arts, the Regional Study Museum. The Regional Study Museum has exhibitions illustrating the Orel’s history and shows the world of birds and animals of our region. Many tourists visit Orel every year.

TEXT 8. MOSCOW

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history.

Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon's occupation, but by the mid-19th century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again.

Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is over 8 million.

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more historic associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congresses, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world.

There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in Moscow include the All-Russia Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art and many others.

Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are also very popular. Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in it, including several universities.

Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life in the country.

TEXT 9. RUSSIA

Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies half of Europe and one third of Asia. The vast territory of Russia lies in the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. When the residents of the Far East hurry to work in the morning, the residents of Moscow hurry to the evening shows.

Russia borders on the twelve countries on land: in the West it borders on Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belorussia, the Ukraine; in the South it borders on Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, the Korean People’s Democratic Republic. 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 and others.

Russia is rich in water resources. It has a number of lakes and rivers. The largest river in the European part of the country is the Volga, and the largest river in the Asian part of the country is the Lena. Lake Baikal is the largest fresh-water lake in the world.

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.

Russia is one of the richest countries in the world in natural and mineral resources. It has deposits of oil, gas, coal, iron, gold and many others.

The climate of Russia differs from one part to another. In the South-West the weather is usually mild and wet; northern Asia is the coldest place; but in the middle of the country the climate is moderate and continental.

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.

Russia is a producer of heavy machines, agricultural machines, aeroplanes, lorries and cars, tractors, trench-diggers, refrigerators, railway carriages, ships and boats, TV and radio sets and a lot of other things.

The largest cities in Russia are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh. The largest seaports are Murmansk, Vladivostok, Kaliningrad, Novorossijsk. The Black Sea is a very popular place for people who prefer to spend their holidays at the seaside.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. Head of State in this country is the President. The government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The President controls each of them.

The British Isles lie off the north-west coast of continental Europe. They are made up of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Independent Irish Republic) and some 5,000 smaller islands. The total area of the British Isles is 121,000 square miles (320,000 square kilometers). The British Isles are surrounded by seas on all sides and are separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. Their strategic position facing both the Old World and the New was a very important factor in the early development of Britain with an economy based on world trade.

The climate of the British Isles is strictly influenced by the warm current of the Gulf Stream flowing across the broad and deep Atlantic Ocean and is very mild. The westerly winds are warm and laden with moisture. The temperature on the British Isles seldom reaches extremes of hot or cold. The summer is not very hot and winter temperature seldom falls below zero. It is often foggy and rainy. Britain is famous for the rapid changes in the weather, that’s why it is one of the favorite subjects for discussion when Englishmen meet.

In Britain the higher lands are found in the north and west. There are no high mountains in Britain. Much of the country consists of gently sloping hills, broad valleys and rivers which flow out into the sea. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland (4,406 feet or 1,340 metres).

The chief rivers are the Severn and the Thames. Scotland’s longest river is the Glide and Ireland’s the Shannon. The largest lake is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. Owing to the various bays and inlets no point of British Isles is more than 75 miles (120 kilometers) from tidal water.

The seven great urban areas, whose centers are the cities of London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool and some others contain 40 per cent of the whole population. The population of Greater London is over 12 million. On the other hand the north-west of Scotland and the Scottish islands are among the most sparsely populated areas in Europe.

TEXT 11. LONDON

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million.

London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world. Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey. Few people live here, but over a million people come to the City to work. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it is a museum.

Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of London. Westminster Abbey has more historic associations than any other building in Britain. Nearly all English kings and queens have been crowned here. Many outstanding statesmen, scientists, writers, poets and painters are buried here: Newton, Darwin, Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling, etc.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as "Big Ben". Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen. The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs, and theatres are situated there. There are splendid houses and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy people. Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square.

On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Not far away is the British Museum – the biggest museum in London. It contains a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc., and is famous for its library.

The East End is the poorest district of London. There are a lot of factories, workshops and docks here. The streets are narrow, the buildings are unimpressive. The East End is densely populated by working class families.

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