Russian Federation State System

The Russian Federation is set up by the Constitution of 1993 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia is a Presidential Republic. The President is elected for six years and is the head of the State. The President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he makes treaties, enforces laws and appoints ministers.

The Federal Government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. All of them are checked by the President.

The legislative power is represented by the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers. The Upper Chamber is the Council of Federation, the Lower Chamber is the State Duma.

The executive power belongs to the Government which is headed by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister forms his Cabinet.

The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and regional courts.

The State symbol of Russia is a three-coloured banner with three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one – the sky, and the red one – liberty. The hymn of Russia is The Patriotic Song by Mikhail Glinka. The National emblem is a two-headed eagle which is the most ancient symbol of Russia.

Russian is the state language of Russia. It is spoken throughout the whole territory of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile each Republic within Russia has its own national language.

Vocabulary

collapse – крах judicial – судебный

elect – выбирать Upper Chamber – верхняя палата

Supreme Commander-in-Chief – Lower Chamber – нижняя палата

Верховный главнокомандующий Constitutional Court –

make treaty – заключать договор Конституционный Суд

stripe – полоска two-headed eagle – двуглавый орел

enforce law – проводить в жизнь закон appoint – назначать

meanwhile – между тем executive – исполнительный

legislative – законодательный

Answer the questions.

1. Who is the head of the State?
2. For how long is the President elected?
3. What is the structure of the Federal Government?
4. Is the legislative power represented by the Federal Assembly?
5. What chambers does the Federal Assembly consist of?
6. Whom does the executive power belong to?
7. Who is the head of the Government?
8. What is the judicial branch of power represented by?
9. What is the State symbol of Russia?
10. What is the National Emblem of Russia?

Moscow – the capital of Russia

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is one of the largest cities in the world. It was founded in 1147 by the prince Yuri Dolgoruky. It stands on the banks of the Moskva river. About eight million people live in the city.

Moscow is famous for its historical and architectural monuments that were built by outstanding architects. The Red Squire is the central and the most beautiful squire in Moscow. It is the place of parades and meetings. There is a Cathedral of St. Basil built in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture.

The heart of Moscow is Red Squire. It has more historical associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin Tower, the Spasskaya Tower with a big clock, has become the symbol of the country. On the terrirtory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congress, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and the bell in the world. St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in the mid-16^th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. The Kremlin with golden domes and towers makes a strong impression on tourists. There are a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow.

Moscow is a scientific and cultural centre with a lot of institutes, universities, libraries, museums, cinemas, clubs, concert halls, more than 40 drama and musical theatres, including the Bolshoi Theatre, the Art Theatre, Sovremennik, the Maly Theatre, the Vakhtangov Theatre. The best-known of the theatres is the Bolshoi Opera House. Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in it.

Moscovites are proud of their museums: the Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and many others. Crowds of people visit the Tretyakov Gallery admiring beautiful pictures of Russian painters. There are a lot of stadiums, swimming pools, courts and sport grounds in Moscow.

Arbat is one of the most popular sights for tourists. It is a street for pedestrians only in downtown Moscow. Arbat has in fact become the first stage for many musicians and actors. There are also street artists who can draw your portrait in no time. Many Russian artists, composers and poets had lived in this street including Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov and Sergei Rachmaninov.

Answer the questions.

1. When was Moscow founded?
2. Who founded Moscow?
3. What are the places of interest in Moscow?
4. What are the world-famous theatres of Moscow?
5. What are the most famous museums of Moscow?
6. What is there on the territory of the Kremlin?
7. What is the population of Moscow?

Choose one of the variants to complete the sentences.

1. Moscow was founded 8 centuries ago by … .

a) Ivan the Terrible b) Peter the Great c) Prince Yuri Dolgoruky

2. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, … .

a) is the tallest tower in the world

b) has become the symbol of the country

c) was destroyed during Napoleon’s occupation

3. St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in the mid-16^th century in memory … .

a) of the people killed during the Great Patriotic war

b) of the victory over Napoleon

c) of the victory over Kazan

4. Arbat is a … .

a) new theatre b) street for pedestrians c) picture gallery

5. The best-known of the Moscow theatres is … .

a) the Vakhtangov Theatre b) Sovremennik c) the Bolshoi Opera House

3) Put in the missing words according to the text.

1. On the terrirtory of the Kremlin you can see old …, the Bell Tower of … the Great, the

Palace of …, the Tzar-… and the Tzar-Bell.

1. … was built in the … century in memory of the victory over Kazan.
2. There are … higher educational institutions in Moscow.
3. Crowds of people visit … admiring beautiful pictures of Russian painters.
4. Arbat has become the first stage for many … and … .

St. Petersburg

Russia has much to be proud of: talented people, musicians, painters, and scientists, many great and grand cities and towns, which have always been a great attraction to many tourists from abroad.

St. Petersburg is one of such cities – the city of Russian glory, situated on the Neva River. It is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Peter the Great dreamt of building the fleet and starting trade with many countries, thus he wanted to open “the window to the west”. In 1703 Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg. Thousands of people were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city. When the work was finally finished, amazing and beautiful city with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings appeared and became the capital. In 1917 after the Great October Revolution it was given the name Leningrad. The Great Patriotic War brought much suffering to all Russian people and cities, especially to Leningrad, as the siege was laid to it by the Fascists in 1941. Daily shelling destroyed parts of the city, its masterpieces – architectural and historical monuments, thousands of people were killed. It took years to rebuild and restore the city.

Now it is the city with the population of 5 million people. It is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. It is no more the capital of Russia, but very often it is called the second capital of our country.

St. Petersburg is a wonderful city indeed. It is famous for the Russian museum, the Winter Palace, the Admiralty building, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress. Some of the world’s famous art collections are housed in Petersburg’s many museums. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of paintings in the world.

The city is called Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It’s also famous for its beautiful white nights.

Answer the questions

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