Conversational topic Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk is the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast (region) and seventh among Russian cities with a population of over a million. It is located in the center of Eurasia, on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains, 1,879 km away from Moscow. The city of Metallurgists Russians has many jokes about Chelyabinsk, which implies that its inhabitants are rather rough. This is not surprising, as many people there work in production since Chelyabinsk is a major industrial center, including metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, and metalworking, instrument manufacturing, and chemical, light, and food industries. However, the primary product of the city is metal (high-quality alloys and stainless steel), including zinc and various heavy machinery and pipes. Today, the city has about 150 large plants. City between Siberia and Europe It is interesting to note that, from the geological point of view, half of Chelyabinsk is located in Siberia, since it stands on sedimentary rocks, while the other half stands on the granite typical for the Urals. The two parts are divided by the Miass River and connected by Leningradsky Bridge, which may be used by residents to travel from Europe to Siberia and back several times a day. Modern City Chelyabinsk was founded in 1736 at the site of the Cossack fortress Chelyaba. Chelyabinsk's coat of arms bears a camel to remind that a trade route to India once passed through the city. Today, ancient buildings remain in the center only, and there are cobbled pedestrian streets. The rest of Chelyabinsk has Soviet-era buildings, though there are also modern business and shopping centers, hotels, and high-rises. Green City In spite of Chelyabinsk primarily being an industrial city, it has many parks and much landscaping. For example, a real forest is located right in the center of the city and forms part of Gagarin Central Recreation Park. One more popular place in the city is Aloе Pole (Scarlet Field) Park with hundreds of red tulips blossoming in spring. City of Culture Residents of Chelyabinsk not only work hard but also enjoy the culture. There are many museums, such as the Geological Museum containing samples of all minerals produced in the Urals. The city has a philharmonic orchestra, a circus, a jazz center, an opera house, and a drama theater. Annually, Chelyabinsk hosts various cultural events, such as the Camerata Chamber Theater Festival and International Organ Festival. In summer, the amateur singer festival gathers performers from all of Russia on the banks of Lake Ilmen in Chelyabinsk Oblast. In autumn, the "Incorrect Cinema" Festival screens art house films. City of Sports The city hosts various sports events, such as the 2012 European Judo Championship, when its guests praised the high level of organization. Also, Chelyabinsk has a tradition of conducting a New Years' sports training session for youth. During this, high school and university students compete in six street sports. City Where a Meteorite Fell In 2013, the world heard the news of the meteorite (more precisely, only fragments of it) falling on Chelyabinsk. The impact was accompanied by a series of explosions that caused broken windows in several houses. This happened on February 15 and attracted much attention to the city. However, what amazed the world most was the reaction of the Chelyabinsk inhabitants – instead of running away in fear, many rushed right toward the meteorite, using their phones to shoot videos of the impact and commenting.

 

Unit 6

Conversational topic Moscow

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Moscow was founded 9 centuries ago by Prince Jury Dolgoruky. It was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1147, though the settlement had been there for some time before. Moscow was fortified and became a market town in the late 12th century. The original settlement was founded where the Kremlin now stands. Moscow is located in the heart of European Russia. The city is situated on low hills on the banks of the Moskva River.

Now Moscow is the largest metropolitan area in Russia with the population of about 10 million people and one of the largest cities in the world. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometers.

Moscow is one of the world’s scientific and art centers. It is the seat of the Academy of sciences of Russia, the home of many colleges, thousands of schools, lots of research institutes. There are more than 100 museums and exhibition halls, dozens of theatres, hundreds of cinemas and libraries. Moscow is rich in beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments.

The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. The Pushkin Museum is situated in Volkhonka street. It has a fine collection of European painting and sculptures. The Tretyakov Gallery is famous for its unique collection of Russian art. Its founder, Pavel Tretyakov, began collecting the finest works of Russian artists in 1856. Thirty - six years later he presented the whole collection to the city of Moscow.

The collection of the Historical Museum covers the Russian history from ancient times to the end of the 19th century. This museum is situated on the north side of Red Square.

The heart of Moscow is Red Square. The cathedrals, palaces towers and buildings of the Kremlin are remarkable museums containing unique exhibits associated with Russian history. The Czar Bell and the Czar Cannon are the sights that attract many tourists as well. There are many towers in the Kremlin. The Spassky Tower is the tallest tower and it has become one of the symbols of Moscow.

Red Square is one of the most beautiful squares in the world. In the 17th century the square was called «red» which means «beautiful» in old Slavic. Here ceremonies and national celebrations take place. St. Basil’s Cathedral is on the south side of the square. The Cathedral was built in the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible. The Russian masters Posnik and Barma built this architectural masterpiece.

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky is situated in front of the Cathedral. It is devoted to the victory of 1612 war against the Polish invaders. The monument was sculptured by Ivan Martos in classical style.

Not far in the Alexandrovsky Garden is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier made of marble. It is a holy place in Moscow. A perpetual flame burns on the tombstone which has the following inscription: «Your name is unknown but your heroic deed is immortal».

Teatralnaya Square is the center of Russian theatrical culture, with the famous Bolshoi Theatre, the Maly Theatre, which is the oldest and largest drama theatre in the country and with the Children’s Theatre built in 1921.

The monument to A.N. Ostrovsky is in front of the Maly Theatre, and the monument to Karl Marx is the center of the square opposite to the Bolshoi Theatre.

But the most beautiful is the monument to Pushkin. It is situated in the center of Pushkinskaya Square opposite to «Russia» cinema. There are always many people around, some of them bring flowers to the monument.

Moscow is famous for its monuments. You can find here monuments to outstanding writers, poets, scientists.

Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in it, including several universities. There is a 32-storey building of Moscow University in the South-West of Moscow. The University was named after M. Lomonosov and there is the monument to him in front of it. The University was constructed in 1949-53. Later in the 70-ties several new buildings were added. The city also contains the Russian State Library, with one of the largest and richest archives in the world.

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

 

Vocabulary

to mention - упоминать

to be fortified - быть укрепленным

metropolitan area - район, где расположен город

unique - уникальный

masterpiece - шедевр

holy place - святое место

perpetual flame - вечный огонь

to be famous for - славиться чем-либо

to be named after - носить имя

opposite to - напротив

 

I.    Answer the questions

1.    When was Moscow founded?

2.    What is the total area of modern Moscow?

3.    What is the population of Moscow?

4.    How can you characterize the city’s role as a cultural centre?

5.    Is Moscow rich in monuments? What monuments in Moscow do you know?

6.    What is Teatralnaya Square famous for?

7.    What is situated on Red Square?

8.    What do you know about St. Basil’s Cathedral?

9.    What can you see on the territory of the Kremlin?

10.  Where is Moscow University situated?