Текст 6 (The history of Belarus)

Belarus is a country with an ancient and rich history. The first people to inhabit the territory of Belarus appeared 40,000 years ago. Indo–European tribes, ancestors of Slavs and Balts, began to settle on the Belarusian land in the 3^rd–2^nd millennium BC. The Belarusian ethnic group began to form in the 6^th–8^th centuries. The oldest city of Belarus is Polotsk known since 862. At the end of the 10^th century, two principalities emerged, Polotsk and Turov, both dependent on Kievan Russia. From the 13^th to the 16^th centuries, the territory of contemporary Belarus became a center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, one of the largest feudal monarchies in Europe. Belarusian was the state language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Novogrudok (Grodno Region) was its capital. In the 14^th century, the capital moved to Vilnius. In the Medieval Period, the Belarusian land was known as Litva (Litvanie) while the name Belarus was seldom used and applied only to the north-eastern part of the current territory.

In 1569, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland united to form a confederation, Rzecz Pospolita. By the end of the18th century, Rzecz Pospolita was split, and the Belarusian territory annexed to the Russian Empire.

An independent Belarus was proclaimed (March 1918) after the collapse of the Russian Empire. After the Polish–Soviet war, Western Belarus was occupied by Poland, while the eastern regions became part of Soviet Russia (transformed into the Soviet Union in 1922). In 1939, the western territories also joined the USSR. From June 1941 to July 1944, Belarus was occupied by the Nazi troops. Belarus lost 2,200,000 people in World War 2, more than a quarter of its population. Soon after the war, Belarus was among the UN founders.

A new era in the history of Belarusian statehood began in 1991 when (after seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR) Belarus attained its independence. The USSR was dissolved and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) created. Minsk was chosen as a location for the central bodies of the CIS.

On March 15, 1994 the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus was adopted and Belarus was declared a unitary, democratic, social, and law–governed state.

Текст 7 (Minsk)

The history of Minsk reflects the history of Belarus like a mirror. First mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" in 1067, despite its difficult fate, it retained the spirit of a cultured city that values ​​its past and confidently moves into the future.

Minsk experienced a period of prosperity and decline, was both the rich capital of the principality and a provincial town. Wars swept through it like hurricanes, changing absolutely everything beyond recognition: from architecture to the national composition of the inhabitants. Walking around Minsk, one can only be surprised that only 100 years ago, on the site of the majestic Independence Avenue, there was a narrow street with small elegant apartment buildings, and the river of the same name flowed along today's Nemiga Street.

Today's Minsk is the largest city in Belarus, which is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year. Despite the youth of the architecture, there is a lot to see here.

The Town Hall is a symbol of the fact that the city has self-government, and its residents can independently solve their problems. Minsk received its town hall in 1600. In 1857, by decree of Nikolai I, the building was destroyed, and in 2004, thanks to the preserved drawings, it was restored. The exhibition halls of the Museum of the city of Minsk are located on the first floor of the building.

The recently opened Museum of the History of the World War 2 quickly became one of the most popular attractions in Minsk. 10 huge exhibition halls, the latest technical equipment, abundance of exhibits, including real planes and tanks - all this attracts tourists who want to learn the tragic history of Belarus, where every third inhabitant died during the Second World War.

Despite some distance from the center, the Minsk Zoo is very popular with local residents and guests of the city. In addition to aviaries [ˈeɪvɪərɪz], visitors can visit the exotharium, where the flora and fauna of South America are presented. Here, on the territory of the zoo, there is a dolphinarium. There is a dinosaur park next to the zoo.