RUSSIAN FEDERATION (RUSSIA)

Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies about one- seventh part of dry land. It is situated in Europe and Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometers.
The country is washed by seas and oceans.
There are different types of climate on the territory of the country. It is very cold in the North even in summer. The central part of the country has mild climate: winters are cold, springs and autumns are warm or cool, summers are hot and warm. In the South the temperature is usually above zero all year round, even in winter. Summer is really hot, the climate is very favourable. The climate of Siberia is continental: summers are hot and dry, winters are very cold.
Some parts of our country are covered with mountains and hills.
There are many rivers in Russia, the longest rivers are the Volga in
Europe and the Yenisei and the Ob in Asia. The deepest lakes are the Baikal and the Ladoga.
The Russian Federation is very rich in mineral resources, such as oil, natural gas, coal, iron, gold and others.
Russia borders on many countries. Among them are Estonia, Latvia,
Finland, Poland, China, Mongolia, Korea.
Moscow is the capital of our country. It was founded in 1147. It is a wonderful city. There are many sights in Moscow. You can see many museums, art galleries, theatres, churches and monuments in our capital. People of our country are proud of the Moscow Kremlin. There are also many big beautiful cities in Russia.
The population of Russia is about 150 million people. 83 per cent of the population are Russians. 70 per cent of the population live in cities.

MOSCOW

Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in the world. Moscow is a modern city now. The population of the city is about 9.8 million people. Moscow is a political centre, where the government of our country works. Moscow was founded in 1147 by
Yuri Dolgoruky. The total area of Moscow is about nine hundred square kilometres.
We say that Moscow is a port of five seas, as the Moscow—Volga Canal links Moscow with the Baltic, White, Caspian and Black seas and the Sea of
Azov.
Moscow is an industrial centre too. There are many factories and plants in it. One of the best-known plants produces many lorries, and the other one produces cars.
The Bolshoi Theatre is one of the famous theatres all over the world. If you are fond of painting you can go to the Tretyakov Art Gallery or to the
Pushkin Fine Arts Museum and see a lot of interesting portraits and landscapes there. We say that the Tretyakov Art Gallery is a treasure-house of Russian art. Young people like to visit the Central Military Museum.
There are many tanks, guns and war documents there.
One can see the Kremlin and Red Square in the city. There are many fine buildings, wide streets, green parks, large squares, churches and monuments in Moscow.
It is necessary to mention such famous monuments as monuments to the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin and to the first Russian printer
Ivan Fedorov.
Visiting the capital a lot of foreigners from all over the world come to see these monuments.
One of the highest buildings in Moscow is the State Moscow University. It was founded in 1755 by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov.
Transport. Moscow is a very big city, and its transport must be comfortable and fast.
One can see a lot of cars, buses, trolley-buses, trams in the streets of our city. The Moscow metro began its work on the 15th of May, 1935. There were 13 stations at that time. Now it has 190 stations. Our metro is a beautiful and convenient one.
There are nine railway stations in Moscow and five airports around the city.
There are many stadiums in Moscow. The Central Stadium is in Luzhniki.
Many competitions and football matches are held there.
The Olympic village was built for the 22nd Olympic Games in Moscow in
1980. It is a big complex for sport games.
I live in Moscow and I am proud of this city.

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
The United Kingdom is situated in the north-west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west and the North Sea on the east.
The U. K. includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
I
Great Britain, the largest island in Europe, contains England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom has an area of
244,000 square kilometres (94,249 square miles). The capital of the country is London. English is the official language.
The population of the U. K. is nearly 60 million people. The population lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. Four out of every five people live in towns. Over 46 million people live in England. Over 3 million — in Wales. A little over 5 million — in Scotland. About 1.5 million— in Northern Ireland. London's population is over 7 million people.
The British nation consists of the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the
Irish. There are many people of all colours and races in the United
Kingdom.
The climate of Great Britain is mild. It is not too hot in summer or too cold in winter. It often rains in England. Rain falls in summer and in winter, in autumn and in spring. Snow falls only in the north and west of the country. The surface of England and Ireland is flat, but Scotland and
Wales are mountainous. Many parts of the country have beautiful villages.
There are many rivers in Great Britain. The main river is the Thames. Many ships and barges go up and down the river. The longest river is Severn. It is 350 kilometres long.
There are many universities, colleges libraries, museums and theatres in the country. The most famous universities are Cambridge University, Oxford
University, Glasgow University.
The U. K. is a parliamentary monarchy. The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.
The United Kingdom has some mineral resources. Coal and oil are the most important of them. The United Kingdom i one of the world's most industrialize» countries. The main industrial centres are Sheffield,
Birmingham and Manchester. The largest cities of the country are London,
Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin.
Agriculture takes an important sector in economy of the country. The
British people grow wheat, fruit, vegetables oats.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The USA is one of the largest countries in the world. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent. The area of the USA is over nine million square kilometres. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and by the Atlantic Ocean. The most northern part of the USA is Alaska,, the largest state, separated from the rest of the country by Canada.
The population of the United States is nearly 250 million people, most of the people live in towns. People of different nationalities live in the
USA.
The official language of the country is English. The capital of the country is Washington. It was named in honour of the first President,
George Washington.
As the USA is a large country, the climate is different in different regions. Foi example, the Pacific coast is a region of mild winters and warm, dry summers, but the eastern continental region is watered with rainfall. The region arounc the Great Lakes has changeable weather.
There are many mountains in the USA For example, the highest peaks of the
Cordilliers in the USA are 6,193 and 4,418 metres.
The main river of the country is the Mississippi. But there are many other great rivers in the USA: the Colorado in the south and the Columbia in the northwest. There are five Great Lakes between the USA and Canada.
The USA produces more than 52 per cent of the world's corn, wheat, cotton, tobacco.
There are many big cities in the coun try. They are Washington (the capital of the country). New York (the city of contrasts, financial and business centre of the USA), Boston (there are many colleges and universities in it), Chicago (one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA), San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit (one of the biggest centres of the automobile industry).
The USA has an Academy of Sciences. There are many scientific institutions, museums, libraries, theatres and other interesting places in the country.
The USA is a highly developed industrial country. The USA is rich in mineral resources, such as aluminium, salt, zinc, coppers, and others. The country is rich in coal, natural gas, gold and silver, too. It holds one of the first places in the world for the production of coal, iron, oil, natural gas.
Such industries as machine-building, ship-building are highly developed in the country.
American agriculture produces a lot of food products: grain, fruit, vegetables.
The USA is a federal republic, consisting of fifty states. Each of these states has its own government. Congress is the American Parliament which consists of two Chambers.
The president is the head of the state and the government. He is elected for four years.

NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand is a very interesting country. It has got total area of
269,000 square kilometers. It is situated to south-east of Australia in the
Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (North Island and South
Island) and some smaller ones. Nearly 3.5 million people live in the country. The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. It is a financial centre too. The city was founded in 1840 and has been the capital since 1865. The official language Is English.
The climate of New Zealand is moist. New Zealand is rich in minerals.
There are some main industries in the country, for example, iron and steel industry. The country has gas and petroleum. There are many mountains in
New Zealand. The highest is Mount Cook (3,764 metres or 12,349 feet).
There are many rivers and lakes in the country. The chief rivers are the
Waikato and the Wairu. You have heard about the native animals in the country. One of them is the kiwi. This interesting bird lives in the wet parts of the thick bushes. In the day-time the bird does not go out. It comes out only at night to find food. Kiwis cannot fly. Many years ago kiwis were hunted for food. Now the government does not permit the hunting the kiwis. The kiwi is now the symbol of New Zealand people. Small children are often called kiwis.
New Zealand is independent state, but formerly it is a part of the British
Empire. The head of the state is the Queen. New Zealand is self-governing state. The Parliament consists of one House only, the House of
Representatives. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.
New Zealand has got heavy industry. There are many plants in the country.
Paper and rubber industries are developed too. New Zealand exports wool, meat, butter.
There are some big cities such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dune- din, Nelson. Auckland and Wellington are the main ports of the country.
There are some educational and cultural institutions in Wellington. They are the University of New Zealand, Victoria University College and others.
Victoria University was established in 1897.
New Zealand is a very interesting and beautiful country.

THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal state. It has got six states:
New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia,
Tasmania and two internal territories. The official language is English.
Australia is situated in the south-west of the Pacific Ocean.
The area of this country has got 7,687,000 square kilometers. Australia is the largest island in the world and it is the smallest continent. The Dutch were the first Europeans to visit Australia. In 1770 the English captain
James Cook discovered the east coast of Australia.
Nearly 20 million people live in Australia.
Australia's climate is dry and warm. Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere and that's why there is summer, when we have winter and there is winter, when we have summer. It is interesting to know that January is the hottest month in Australia.
Australia is separated from many countries. The animals in Australia have a lot of original, and they are interesting, for example, dingoes (wild dogs), koala bears, kangaroos.
The kangaroo and koala have got the pouch in which they carry their cubs.
There are many birds in the country, too. One can see parrots and cockatoos. The emu is the most interesting bird in Australia. It is big and can't fly.
There are many rivers and lakes in the country.
Australia is an industrial country. It has coal, nickel, zinc, gold.
Several factories and plants work in the country. Australia is one of the most important producers of metals and minerals. It exports wool production, meat, fruit, sugar.
The capital of the country is Canberra. The city became the capital in
1927. Federal Government works in Canberra in the government buildings. It is interest ing to know that there are no industrial plants in Canberra.
The population of Canberra is about 300,000 people.
There are many sights in the city. They are the Building of the Australian
Academy of Sciences, the Australian National University and others. There are two big industrial cities in Australia: Sydney and Melbourne.
The habited part of the country is situated near ocean. Melbourne, Sydney,
Brisbane and others are the ports of the country.
Australia is a part of the British Empire. Formerly the head of the state is the Queen, but in fact Australia is independent, self-governing state.
The Parliament consists of two Houses.
There are many universities, theatres and museums in Australia.

YOUTH PROBLEMS

All people have problems. Some of them have many problems, the others have one or two problems only.
Young people have as many problems as the grown-ups. It is possible to solve some problems but sometimes we can not solve this or that problem.
The first problem is to choose a good friend. I know the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed." I agree with it, that's why I try to make friends with gay and true persons.
I want to have a friend who understands me. It will be simple and interesting to speak to him or her.
I think that young people have problems with their parents. What are they?
Sometimes we have different tastes. I like the proverb "There is no accounting for tastes." For example, I go to the shops with my mother. She likes this dress but I like that one. My mother wants me to buy this dress.
But I am sure, that dress is much to my taste.

My parents want me to be a teacher as they are skilled teachers but I have a taste for music, and my dream is to be a composer.

Where can we go? What can we do if we have free time? My friend Nastya lives in the village. Her village is far from Moscow. It takes her three hours to go to Moscow. She says that there is nowhere to go and there is nothing to do in her village. There are no clubs, museums, cinemas, parks there. If she wants to go to Moscow it'll take her a lot of money. She can't afford it.

It is a problem to get a good education.

It is necessary to pay for a good education. I think it is difficult to learn English, for example, without additional classes.

I can't enter the Institute without good knowledge. To get it it is necessary to pay for it and have heavy expenses.
Many good teachers leave schools because they haven't got enough money.
Persons without special experience can't teach the pupils well.
I am sure that all teenagers want to have a lot of money to dress well, to go to the theatres, to visit foreign countries, ito eat what they want, to buy books-How can they solve all these problems?
They have to earn money. I think it is possible to do it. Some boys wash cars, the others sell newspapers, some of my friends help old persons. Many of my friends have load of care.
We have some problems but we are sure that we solve them in a proper way.
I think that the young people in other countries have many problems too. I have a pen-friend in Italy. He usually writes that his parents make him to do a lot of house-work. It is stange for us, but my friend Jack from London has his biggest problem — his freckles.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF
My name is Kostya. My surname is Laznev. I was born in Moscow on the 23rd of June in 1981. I am a tall thin boy. My hair is dark and short. My face is oval, my nose is straight. My eyes are large and brown. My friends say that I am a good-looking boy. I like to dress well. I usually wear black trousers, light shirts, clean boots.
I have a dream to enter the Institute.
I worked hard at school. We studied many subjects such as History,
Russian, Physics, Geography and others. I was fond of English and Physics.
And I was good at them.
I think that I am honest, serious and polite.
I want to get a good education and find an interesting and useful work. I have a hobby. I like to sing songs. My father likes to sing songs too. He knows many good songs and we usually sing songs together.
Nowadays young people don't like classical music. They prefer pop music.
My parents invite me to some very good concerts of classical music. It is great. I am very grateful to my parents because now I begin to understand how wrong I was going only to pop concerts.
I am proud of my mother and father. They are musicians. We like to spend our free time together. We often go to the museums, to the Concert Halls, to the theatres.
I want to say that I respect my parents.

I HAVE A DREAM TO BE A DOCTOR

There are many interesting and noble professions. I want to become a doctor.
I like this profession and I am eager to get a medical education and work at a hospital.
It is a good tradition in our family. My mother is a doctor, my grandfather is a doctor and I want to be a doctor, too.
When I was a little boy my grandfather worked at a hospital and I spent some time at the hospital with him. He is a surgeon and works in a surgical department.
Day by day he takes care of his hospital patients, he treats them well.
He is very attentive. Every day he comes into wards asking patients, "What do you complain of?"
He wants all people to be able-bodied and he tries to treat his in- patients in a proper way.
To operate on persons is his main task. He is a kind and skilled surgeon.
Every day he comes into an operating-room and operates on his in-patients.
After each operation he takes care of his in-patients. Day by day he helps them to recover and he is glad when he can say, "My in-patient is quite recovered."
Sometimes he advises his in-patients to go to sanatoriums after leaving the hospital. He instructs them in detail what they can do and eat after their operations.
My grandfather tells me a lot of true stories about doctors, their profession, their aid for people.
I respect my grandfather. I like his profession and I have a dream to be a doctor too.

SPORT AND A HEALTHY MODE OF LIFE

Sport is very important in our life. It is popular among young and old people.
Many people do morning exercises, jog in the morning, train themselves in clubs, in different sections and take part in sport competitions.
Other people like sports too, but they only watch sports games, listen to sports news. They prefer reading interesting stories about sportsmen. But they don't go in for sports.
Physical training is an important subject at school. Pupils have got physical training lessons twice a week. Boys and girls play volley-ball and basket-ball at the lessons. There is a sportsground near our school and school-children go in foi sports in the open air.
A lot of different competitions are held at schools, a great number of pupils take part in them. All participants try to get good results and become winners. Sport helps people to keep in good health. If you go in for sports, you have good health and don't catch cold.
Children and grown-ups must take care of their health and do morning exercises regularly.
There are some popular kinds of sports in our country: football, volley- ball, hockey, gymnastics, skiing, skating. Athletics is one of the most popular kinds of sports. It includes such kinds of sports as running, jumping and others. Everybody may choose the sport he (or she) is interested in.
There are summer and winter sports.
My favourite sport is swimming. I go to the swimming-pool twice a week.
But I prefer to rest by the lake or the river and swim there.
My friend Kostya goes in for boxing. He is a good boxer and he is a brave and courageous boy. His hobby helps him in his everyday life.

Sports in Great Britain
National sports in Great Britain... It is a very interesting question, because many kinds of sport have taken the origin in England.
The Englishmen love sports, they are called sports-lovers in spite of the fact that some of them neither play games nor even watch them. They only like to speak about sports.
Some kinds of sport are professional in England.
Many traditional sporting contests take place in England, for example, cricket. It is played from May till September. This game is associated with
England. There are many cricket clubs in this country. English people like to play cricket. They think that summer without cricket isn't summer.
Cricket is the English national sport in summer. If you want to play cricket you must wear white boots, a white shirt and white long trousers.
There are two teams. Each team has eleven players. Cricket is popular in boys' schools. Girls play cricket too.
Football. It has got a long history. Football was played by the whole village teams in the middle ages in England.
Now football is the most popular game in Britain. It is a team game.
There are some amateur teams but most of the teams are professional ones in
England. Professional football is a big business. Football is played at schools too.
Rugby football. You can see a ball in this game, but it is not round. It is oval. This is a team game. There are fifteen players in each team. It is a popular game in England. There are many amateur rug-by football teams in this country.
If we speak about football we can mention an American football too. It is a game that is played between two teams of players using an oval ball that can be handled or kicked. The captain of the team must be the oldest or best player.
Table tennis or ping-pong. Englishmen heard about table tennis in 1880.
Then the International Table Tennis Association was formed and the international rules were worked out.
Many people like to play table tennis. This game is played by men and women.
There are some tennis clubs in England, but if you play there it is necessary to pay money for it.
Englishmen like playing tennis but many of them prefer to watch this game.
Wimbledon. It is the centre of lawn tennis. Some years ago Wimbledon was a village, now it is a part of London. The most important tennis competition takes place there every summer.
Englishmen pay much attention to swimming, rowing and walking. Usually the
Oxford—Cambridge Boat Race takes place at the end of March or at the beginning of April. It is an interesting contest between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It is usually held on the Thames River. The first such race was held in 1820. There were a lot of people watching this race.
There are some racing competitions in England. They are motor-car racing, dog-racing, donkey-racing, boat-racing, horse-racing. All kinds of racings are popular in England. It is interesting to see the egg-and-spoon race.
The runner, who takes part in this competition, must carry an egg in a spoon. It is not allowed to drop the egg.
We must speak about the Highland Games in Scotland. All competitors wear
Highland dress. There are such competitions as putting the weight, tossing the caber and others. The English are great lovers of sports.

LEARNING 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. English is used not only in England, but also in other parts of the world.
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 I 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.

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