Other important lakes are the Ladoga Lake and Onega Lake.
Russia ranks ninth in the world in the size of its population. The great majority of the population of Russia are Russians. Russia is inhabited by sixty other nationalities. The population of Russia is unequally distributed. The bulk of the people live in the European part of the country.
There are various types of climate on the territory of Russia. Continental climate, with cold winters and mild or warm summers prevails. The harshness of the Russian climate limits the amount of arable land to about one-seventh of the total area.
Different latitudinal climatic regimes are mirrored in Russia’s flora. A treeless tundra with mosses and grasses extends along the entire Arctic coast. In the south it gives way to taiga. This coniferous forest growing on swampy ground covers more than half of the country. In European Russia, towards the south the taiga is replaced by a zone of mixed coniferous and deciduous forest which in the south transfers into mixed foreststeppe and finally into the almost treeless, grass-covered steppe.
Russia has the richest deposits of mineral resources in the world. It is one of the world’s biggest producers of coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as of iron, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminium, and tin.
The development of the Russian economy is determined by its natural resources. Russia’s heavy industries are well-developed. They produce much of the nation’s steel and most of its heavy machinery, such as steam boilers, grain-harvesting combines, automobiles, locomotives, and machine tools. Russia’s chemical industry is also well-developed. Light industry is not so highly-developed and centers mainly on the production of textiles.
Task 1. Find answers to the following questions in the text.
1. Where is Russia situated?
2. What is Russia washed by?
3. What are Russia’s main regions?
4. What can you tell about each region?
5. What are the most important rivers in Russia?
6. What is the deepest lake in Russia?
7. What can you say about the population of Russia?
8. What types of climate are there on the territory of Russia?
9. Is Russia’s flora rich?
10. What can you say about Russia’s natural resources?
11. Is Russia’s industry well-developed?
Task 2. Try to define the key notes of the text after answering the questions and write a summary.
Task 3. Speak about Russia according to the following plan.
1. Russia’s physical features.
2. Climate.
3. Population.
4. Flora.
5. Industry.
V. Read and translate the text B.
The Russian Federation was set up by the Constitution of 1993. After its destruction the Soviet Union was broken up into independent Russia and 14 other new, sovereign nations.
Under the Constitution of 1993 Russia is a presidential republic. It is headed by the President who is elected for a four-year term. The President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he makes treaties, and enforces laws, appoints the prime minister, cabinet members, and key judges. The President can override and in some cases dissolve the national parliament, the bicameral Federal Assembly.
The government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Each of them is checked and balanced by the President. The legislative power is vested in the Federal Assembly. It consists of the Council of Federation (upper house) and the State Duma (low house). The members of the State Duma are elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The Council of Federation is not elected. It is formed of the heads of the regions. Each Chamber is headed by the Chairman. Legislature is initiated in the State Duma. But to become a law a bill must be approved by the Lower and Upper Houses and signed by the President. The executive power belongs to the Government. The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and regional courts.
Today the state Russian flag is three colored. It has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one stand for the sky, and the red one signifies liberty. It was the first state symbol to replace the former symbols in 1991. The hymn of Russia is created by Alexandrov and Mikhalkov. Now the national coat of arms is a two-headed eagle. It is the most ancient symbol of Russia.
Russian is the official, but not the only language which people speak in the country. Members of more than 60 other ethnic groups who live in Russia speak their own languages. The people of the Altaic group speak mainly Turkic, and Mongolian languages. The members of the Uralic group speak Uralic languages. The representatives of the Caucasus group speak various languages of the North Caucasus region of Russia. The people of Paleosiberian groups speak variety of languages of far-eastern Siberia.
Task 1. Find answers to the following questions in the text.
1. When was the RF set up?
2. Who is the head of the RF?
3. What are the branches of the Russian government?
4. What are Russia’s state symbols?
5. What is the official language of the RF?
Task 2. Extract the most important information and retell the text.
VI. Try your hand in interpreting.
A. 1. Западный берег этого острова омывается теплыми водами Тихого океана. 2. Я не думаю, что спорт занимает у тебя слишком много времени. 3. Большая река отделяет северную часть города от южной. 4. Мы наблюдаем стремительное развитие российской тяжелой, легкой и химической промышленностей. 5. Климат во Франции не суровый, а мягкий. 6. Суровость российских зим ограничивает площадь пахотных земель. 7. Китай занимает первое место в мире по численности населения. 8. Большинство студентов нашего университета – спортсмены. 9. Россия одна из немногих стран, у которых в недрах есть практически все минеральные ресурсы. Она богата углем, нефтью, природным газом, железной рудой, медью, цинком, никелем, оловом, свинцом, алюминием. 10. Если вы посмотрите на карту РФ, то в ее восточной части вы увидите Камчатский полуостров, Курильские и Сахалинские острова. 11. Эта река образует естественную границу между двумя странами. 12. Шотландия – это страна с холмистыми возвышенностями и хвойными лесами. 13. Гора Народная является самой высокой вершиной для скалолазов в Уральских горах. Ее высота достигает 1895 метров. 14. Наш новый