This museum has a fabulous collection of Russian porcelain, antique …, pottery and glass.
2. Match English words and combinations with the Russian equivalents.
3. Translate the following sentences into English using the words and combinations from Vocabulary.
1) Они были взволнованы великолепной панорамой города, которая открывалась со смотровой площадки (viewing point) в самом центре.
2) В этом музее можно найти информацию об одной из выдающихся персон в культурной жизни нашей страны.
3) Усадьба расположена в живописном окружении, рядом с прудом, в 16 км от города.
4) Фонтан на центральной площади города символизирует единство нескольких наций, которые когда-то входили в состав нашего государства.
5) Тур по памятным местам дает посетителям возможность увидеть самые незабываемые места города.
6) В прошлом месяце в музее изобразительных искусств выставляли напоказ редчайшие картины художников-импрессионистов и нам дали возможность увидеть эти прекрасные полотна.
7) Эта сокровищница древнерусской культуры и искусства была упомянута в летописях, которые хранятся в Историческом музее Москвы.
8) Во время экскурсии по городу мы познакомились с памятниками архитектуры и предложили друзьям посетить несколько музеев на их выбор.
Creative Tasks
Look at the information about the Richards family below and prepare an itinerary for a weekend break in Moscow for the whole family.
Mr. and Mrs. Richards and their two boys aged 13 and 15 are planning to spend a weekend in Moscow. They will arrive at the airport on Friday evening at 20.30 and leave at 21.45 on Sunday.
Mr. Richards is interested in the 16th century history and painting. He prefers bus trips, but will tolerate walking on foot.
Mrs. Richards enjoys river trips and theatre performances and she is very fond of religion.
The boys find art and culture very boring. Their main interests are boats and sport. They enjoy walking on foot and breathing fresh air, especially in the evening.
Unit 2. Russia. Saint Petersburg
Historical Review
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city’s other names were Petrograd (1914–1924) and Leningrad (1924–1991). It is often called just Peterburg and is informally known as Piter.
It was founded by Tsar Peter I of Russia on May 27, 1703. Unlike some cities, it was not created by a process of gradual graceful development but was forcibly constructed, stone by stone, under the force and direction of Peter the Great, for whose patron saint the city is named. World-class architects participated in the building of the city and today it remains an imperial city of golden spires and gilded domes, of pastel palaces and candlelit cathedrals. St. Petersburg is a fascinating place which dazzles the eye of a visitor with numerous architectural landmarks, museums, palaces, parks, wide avenues, spectacular bridges and stylish monuments. Born in the heart of an emperor, St. Petersburg is Russia’s adopted child. So unlike the Russian cities that came before it, St. Petersburg – with its strict geometric lines and perfectly-planned architecture – is almost too European to be Russian. And yet it is too Russian to be European.
The history of the city is closely connected with uprisings, assassinations of Tsars, power takeovers and several revolutions that influenced not only Russia but the whole world.
The Revolution of 1905 initiated here and spread rapidly into the provinces.
During World War I, the name St. Petersburg was seen to be too German, so the city was renamed into Petrograd. In 1917 the February Revolution, which put an end to the Russian monarchy, and the October Revolution, which ultimately brought Vladimir Lenin to power, broke out in Petrograd. The city's proximity to the border and anti-Soviet armies forced the Bolsheviks under Lenin to transfer the capital to Moscow on March 5, 1918. In general St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1713–1728, 1732–1918).
After Lenin’s death the city was renamed into Leningrad.
For decades Leningrad was glorified by the Soviet propaganda as "the cradle of the revolution" and "the city of three revolutions", many spots related to Lenin and the revolutions, such as the cruiser Aurora, were carefully preserved. Many streets and other toponyms were renamed accordingly.
During World War II, Leningrad was besieged by Nazi Germany and co-belligerent Finland. The siege lasted 872 days from September 1941 to January 1944. The Siege of Leningrad was one of the longest, most destructive and most lethal sieges of major cities in modern history. It isolated the city from most supplies except those provided through the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga, and more than a million civilians died, mainly from starvation. Many others were eventually evacuated or escaped by themselves, so the city became largely depopulated. For the heroic resistance of the city and tenacity of the survivors of the Siege, in 1945 Leningrad became the first city in the Soviet Union awarded the title Hero City.
Now St. Petersburg is Russia’s second largest and Europe’s fourth largest city (by city limit) after Moscow, London and Paris. The city has 5.4 million inhabitants, and over 6 million people live in its vicinity.
St. Petersburg is situated on 44 islands in the Neva River’s delta and is famous for its embankments, museums and, of course, for its magical summer White Nights, which begin at the start of June and last to the middle of July.
Among cities of the world with over one million people, St. Petersburg is the northernmost. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a major European cultural center, an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has been Russia’s political and cultural centre for 200 years. And sometimes it
