Make up a monologue about your future profession.

Read and translate the following texts.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Knowledge of foreign language is especially important today because they are the main and the most efficient means of information exchange between the people of our planet. Students should learn English as a foreign language because today English is the language of the world. Over 350 million people speak it as a mother tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, in the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada and South African Republic. As a second language it is used in the former British and US colonies.

It is the major international language for communication in such areas as science, technology, business and mass media. English is used as one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization and other political organizations. It is the language of computer software, literature, education, modern music and international tourism.

Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But every educated person, every good specialist has to know English because it is absolutely necessary nowadays.

It is well known that reading books and magazines in the original, watching films and talking with the native speakers helps a lot. When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the country where this language is spoken.

WHY DO PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY LEARN FOREIGN LANGUAGES?

It is necessary to learn foreign languages. That's why pupils have got such subject as a foreign language at school. Everybody knows his own language, but it is useful to know foreign languages.

I learn English, because I understand that I can use it. For example, if I go to England I'll be able to speak English there. If I go to the USA, I'll speak English too.

I learn English because I want to read foreign literature in the original. I know and like such English and American writers as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll and others. I understand that I must learn English. If I know English well, I'll be able to go to the library and take books by English and American writers in the original.

I like to travel. But it is difficult to visit countries, when you don't know the language of these countries. If J know the language of the country, where I am going to, it will be easy to travel there. If I want to ask something, I can do it in English.

I like to read books. And I like to read newspapers, too. If I know, for example, English, I'll be able to read English newspapers and magazines. Knowledge of foreign languages helps young people of different countries to understand each other, to develop friendship among them. For example, we have a foreign exhibition in Moscow. If I know a foreign language, it is easy for me to visit this exhibition.

You can see a lot of advertisements, signboards, and names in the streets. They are in foreign languages. Very often they are in English. If you know English, you can read and understand them.

Now we buy many clothes from other countries. If you know English well, you can read something about the size of this or that thing. It is clear for you what it is made of.

There are a lot of films in foreign languages. If you know them, you can understand films without any help.

In short, I understand that I have to learn English in a proper way and I try to do it.

21. Answer the questions:

1. Why do we need to learn foreign languages?

2. How many people in the world speak English?

3. What English-speaking countries do you know?

4. In what areas is English mostly used?

5. What are the main difficulties for you in learning foreign languages?

 

 

ТЕМА №12. OUR COUNTRY

Практические вопросы

1.Российские города.

2. Российские праздники.

Задания для отработки практических навыков

Read the text.

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about 1/6 of the Earth surface. The country is situated in Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square km.

Our land is washed by 12 seas, most of which are the seas of three oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the south and in the west the country borders on fourteen countries. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a great variety of flora and fauna can be found as in our land. Our country has numerous forests, plains and steppes, taiga and tundra, highlands and deserts. The highest mountains in our land are the Altai, the Urals and the Caucasus. There are over two thousand rivers in the Russian Federation. The longest of them are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena and the Amur. Our land is also rich in various lakes with the deepest lake in the world, the Baikal, included.

On the Russian territory there are 11 time zones. The climate conditions are rather different: from arctic and moderate to continental and subtropical. Our country is one of the richest in natural resources countries in the world: oil, natural gas, coal, different ores, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and other minerals.

The Russian Federation is a multinational state. It comprises many national districts, several autonomous republics and regions. The population of the country is about 140 million people.

Moscow is the capital of our Homeland. It is the largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center of the country and one of the most beautiful cities on the globe. Russian is the official language of the state. The national symbols of the Russian Federation are a white-blue-red banner and a double-headed eagle.

The Russian Federation is a constitutional republic headed by the President. The country government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The President controls only the executive branch – the government, but not the Supreme Court and Federal Assembly.

The legislative power belongs to the Federal Assembly comprising two chambers: the Council of Federation (upper Chamber) and the State Duma (lower Chamber). Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. The executive power belongs to the government (the Cabinet of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister. The judicial power belongs to the system of Courts comprising the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and federal courts.

The foreign policy of the Russian Federation is that of international cooperation, peace and friendship with all nations irrespective of their political and social systems.

 

2. Answer the following questions:

1. Is Russia the largest country in the world?

2. What oceans wash the borders of the Russian Federation?

3. How many countries have borders with Russia?

4. Are Russian flora and fauna various?

5. What are the highest mountains in Russia?

6. What is Baikal famous for?

7. What is the climate in Russia like?

8. What is the national symbol of Russia?

9. What does the Federal Assembly consist of?

10. Who is the head of each Chamber of the Federal Assembly?

3. How well do you know your Homeland? What is (are):

• the biggest Russian lake?

• the longest Russian river (in European and Asian parts of the Russian Federation)?

• a city with subtropical climate?

• cities with arctic climate?

• agricultural regions?

• old historical cities?

• places of recreation and tourism?

4. Translate into English:

1. Общая площадь Российской федерации составляет более 17 миллионов километров.

2. В мире вряд ли есть еще одна страна с такой разнообразной флорой и фауной.

3. Озеро Байкал – самое глубокое озеро на земном шаре и служит предметом гордости россиян.

4. На территории Российской федерации существует 11 часовых поясов.

5. Россия является конституционной республикой с президентской формой правления.

6. Законодательная власть принадлежит Федеральному Собранию.

5. Learn the following words by heart:

to occupy – занимать

surface – поверхность

total area – общая площадь

to border on – граничить с

numerous – многочисленные

steppes – степи

taiga – тайга

highlands – горные возвышенности

the Urals – Уральские горы

the Caucasus – Кавказ

climate conditions – климатические условия

moderate – умеренный

ore – руда

ferrous and non-ferrous metals – черные и цветные металлы

state – государство

to comprise – включать, охватывать

banner – флаг, знамя

legislative – законодательный

executive – исполнительный

judicial – судебный

Federal Assembly – Федеральное Собрание

the Council of Federation – Совет Федерации

Supreme Court – Верховный суд

influential – влиятельный

foreign policy – международная политика