II. Translate the following sentences into English. 1. Мой дом расположен в 10 минутах ходьбы от троллейбусной остановки

1. Мой дом расположен в 10 минутах ходьбы от троллейбусной остановки. 2. Наш дом находится на улице Ленина. Мы переехали сюда два года тому назад. 3. В нашей квартире есть все современные удобства: центральное отопление, газ, электричество, горячая и холодная вода, телефон, лифт, мусопровод. 4. Моя квартира состоит из трех комнат, кухни, ванной и холла. 5. Гостиная – самая просторная и удобная комната во всей квартире. 6. В гостиной на полу лежит толстый ковер. Посредине комнаты – раздвижной стол и 6 стульев вокруг него. Напротив гарнитура – раздвижной диван. Справа от дивана – кресло. Слева – торшер. 7. В гостиной находится сервант, диван, телевизор, два кресла и журнальный столик. На столе стоит ваза с цветами. 8. На окне – шторы, которые делают комнату очень уютной. 9. Моя комната – самая маленькая. В ней есть кровать, письменный стол и кресло. Над кроватью – книжные полки полные книг, журналов, газет. 10. Наша кухня – большая. На кухне есть газовая плита, холодильник, раковина, встроенные шкафы, стол и несколько стульев. 11. В шкафах с выдвижными ящиками мы храним кастрюли, сковородки, ложки, вилки, ножи. 12. В ванной хранятся различные предметы туалета. 13. На стене в коридоре находится вешалка и зеркало. 14. Окна комнаты выходят на 2 стороны: на юг и на запад. 15. Между окон стоял книжный шкаф, набитый книгами, а в противоположном углу – письменный стол, заваленный газетами и журналами. 16. Зимними вечерами я люблю сидеть в большом мягком кресле у камина при свечах. 17. Мы поддерживаем порядок в квартире.

UNIT 5

Russia

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Russia is situated on two continents: Europe and Asia. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas and 3 oceans. The Arctic Ocean washes Russia in the north. The Pacific Ocean washes Russia in the east. Russia is washed by the Black Sea in the south and by the Baltic Sea in the west. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, and the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

On the vast territory of the country there are different types of climate from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

There are two Great Plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain is the Urals. It separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. The longest river is the Volga. The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian Rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. They flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. 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. Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

Russia is among the world’s richest countries in natural and mineral resources which enabled the country to develop different industries. It is the biggest producer of coal, petroleum, natural gas, as well as iron ore, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminium, tin, gold and other non-ferrous metals. Russian’s chemical industry is well developed and the country’s enormous forests are capable of supplying all its wood and paper products. Energy is generated mostly by thermal plants using the country’s vast fossil-fuel reserves. About three-fifths of Russian’s farmland is used to grow crops; the remainder is given to pasture and meadow. The main product has always been grain – wheat, rye, barley and oats – along with such industrial crops as sunflower seeds, sugar beets and flax.

The population of Russia is more than 150 million people. It is densely peopled and most population lives in cities and towns and their outskirts. The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. Russian government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Each of them is controlled by the President who is the head of the state.

The legislative power is exercised by the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers, the Council of Federation and the State Duma. The members of the Federal Assembly are elected by general vote every six years. Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. The members of the Federal Assembly are engaged in making laws. A bill may be introduced in any chamber but it becomes law only if it is approved by both chambers and signed by the President. The President may veto the bill.

The President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he may sign international treaties, enforces laws. He may also appoint ministers, but the Federal Assembly is to approve them.

The supreme executive power belongs to the Government, or the Cabinet of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. The first action of the Prime Minister on appointment is to form the Cabinet.

The judicial power belongs to the system of courts. It consists of the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and other courts.

At present, the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated. There are a lot of problems in the national economy of the Russian Federation. The industrial production is decreasing. The prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is very high. People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants are going bankrupt. But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for Russia to become one of the leading countries in the world.