I. Listen, read the text and then answer the questions:
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 Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan,
Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west the country borders on Norway, Finland, the
Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. 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 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. The world’s deepest lake (1,600 metres)
is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more
water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if
you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.
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.
Our country has a multiparty system.
The largest and most influential political parties are the "Unity”, the
Communist party, the "Fatherland-All Russia”, "The Union of the Right Forces”,
"The Apple”, Liberal-Democratic and some others.
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.
- Is Russia the largest country in the world?
- Where is the Russian Federation situated?
- What is the total area of the country?
- What oceans wash the borders of the Russian Federation?
- How many countries have borders with Russia?
- Are Russian flora and fauna various?
- What are the highest mountains in Russia?
- What is Baikal famous for?
- What is the climate in Russia like?
10. What mineral resources is the
Russian Federation rich in?
11. What is the national symbol of
Russia?
12. What does the Federal Assembly
consist of?
13. Who is the head of each Chamber of
the Federal assembly?