темы 7 класс

Russia

    The country I live in is called the Russian Federation. It is the largest country in the world.  Its total area is over 17 million square kilometers, with population of 200 million people. It is situated on 2 continents – Europe and Asia. Russia stretches from the Baltic Sea in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East and from the Northern Arctic Ocean to the deserts of Central Asia. There are ten time zones on the territory of Russia.

    There are many rivers in Russia. The largest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Yenisei and OB in Asia. Lake Baikal is the biggest fresh water lake in the world. The highest peak of our country is Mountain Elbrus, in the Caucasus mountain range. The Urals is the mountain chain which divides the European and Asian parts of Russia. Russia borders on fourteen countries. It is very rich in minerals resources, such as oil, natural gas, coal, iron, gold and others.

     The Russian Federation is a Presidential republic. The President is the head of the state and is elected every 6 years. He controls three branches of the government. The first branch is the President and his helpers. The second branch is the Federal Council. The Council has 168 members who are known as senators. The third branch of the government is the State Duma. It has 450 members who are known as deputies.

Russian history is very rich. I’d like to mention some important historical facts. The oldest Russian university was founded in 1755 by Lomonosov. In 1812 Russia fought with France.  The Great Patriotic War lasted from 1941 to 1945. The Olympic Games were held in Moscow in 1980.

   I can say that I’m a patriot if my country and I love it very much!

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Moscow

   Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its total area is about 900 square kilometers. The population is over 8 million people.

    The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has a lot of sights. You can see there St Basil’s Cathedral. It  was built in the 16^th century after the victory over the Kazan Kingdom. It has nine beautifully painted cupolas.

    There is also see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. It was built in 1818. Minin and Pozharsky were heroes of the war against Poland.  Near the monument you can see Lobnoye Mesto. The tsar’s  orders were usually read from it  and it was also used as a place of execution.

     The Spasskaya Tower with the Kremlin clock is one of the symbols of Moscow.

The State History Museum  has a rich collection of documents, drawings, pictures,  maps and materials about Russia’s great people.

The State Department Store is one of the largest department stores in the country. It is an impressive building with a glass roof. There are hundreds of shops inside.

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Russian holidays

    There are a lot of holidays in all the countries. Some of them are the same in most countries and some of them are different. I would like to speak about Russian holidays.

New Year in Russia is celebrated on the 31st of December. It is a traditional holiday when we say goodbye to the previous year and celebrate the new one. People decorate a Christmas tree and their houses, cook a lot of tasty food and wish each other a Happy New Year.

       Christmas is a Christian holiday which is celebrated in Russia on the 7th of January. It is a day when Jesus Christ was born. This day a lot of people go to church services.

     Maslenitsa is a holiday that marks the end of the winter and the beginning of spring and Lent (пост).  During this holiday people make pancakes, sing traditional songs, dance traditional dances, go visiting each other and burn the figure of Maslenitsa.

      The country Defender’s Day is celebrated on the 23^rd of February. This holiday is devoted to soldiers and officers and everyone else who ever defended the country or is in the Army. These people are sent special cards and given presents.

      Women’s day is celebrated on the 8^th of March. Men and young boys try to please their mothers, sisters and friends by giving them presents and flowers.

     Easter is a Christian holiday. People celebrate that Jesus raised from the dead and lives forever. People colour eggs and enjoy traditional Russian dishes. Churches hold special services on this day.

     The 1^st of May is a Day of Spring and Labour. Different demonstrations are held on this day and people have a day off.

     The Victory day is celebrated on the 9^th of May.  This patriotic holiday commemorates the victory of the USSR over the Nazi Germany. Every year in honour of this day in all cities across the country lots of cheerful parades and celebrations are held. People present flowers to veterans and lay them to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

     Russian Independence Day is celebrated on the 12^th of June. It is the day when Russia became an independent country, the Republic of Russian Federation after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. This is an official holiday. 

    The people’s Unity Day is celebrated on the 4^th of November. This day is marked by marches and demonstrations in central parts of Russian cities and towns. This day was chosen as four centuries ago at the beginning of November the Polish invadors were driven out of Moscow by Russian troops under citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky.

     The Constitution Day is celebrated on the 12^th of December. It is the day when the Constitution was adopted.

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Great Britain: the country of traditions.

          There are a lot of traditions, customs and festivals in Great Britain. The most famous traditions are St. David’s day, May Day, Swan Upping, Highland Games, Trooping the colour, Guy Fawkes Day.

      Trooping the colour is the ceremony when people celebrate Queen’s birthday. In fact the Queen has two birthdays. Her real birthday is on the 21^st of April, but her official birthday is on the second Saturday in June. On this day you can watch a big parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers in London. Thousands of Londoners and visitors watch Horse Guards’ Parade. And millions of people at home watch it on television.

    The State Opening of Parliament is held every autumn. Parliament controls modern Britain. But traditionally the Queen opens Parliament. She travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a gold carriage. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on a throne in the House of Lords and reads the Queen’s Speech. During this ceremony she wears a crown and the crown jewels.

     The 5^th of November is Guy Fawkes Day in Britain. All over the country people build bonfires in their gardens. On top of each bonfire is a guy. That is a figure of Guy Fawkes. He was one of conspirators who wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I and his ministers. However, the plot failed, Guy Fawkes was caught on the 5^th of November in 1605. The conspirators were executed. Since then Britain has celebrated Guy Fawkes Night.
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A.A. Milne

      Alan Alexander Milne is a children’s writer. He was born in London in 1882. His father was a headmaster of a small preparatory school.

    At first he became editor of the university’s journal in which he published some of his light humorous poems. Then he went to London hoping to earn his living as a writer. By and by London magazines began to publish his witty works and in 1905 he published his first book - a collection of humorous essays. At the age of 24 he was given a post of assistant editor of the famous magazine «Punch».

      In 1913 he got married. The following year when the war broke out he joined the Army, but at the front line he got ill and had to return home.

     Milne had one son – Christopher Robin. The Milnes bought him a teddy bear for his first birthday. The teddy bear was called Winnie.

     A.A. Milne wrote a lot of poems for Christopher Robin and about him. He also wrote 4 books about Winnie-the-Pooh and some other books.

     A.A. Mines secret for success was that he could get inside the mind of a child. He used his story-telling talents to describe how one boy so loved his teddy bear that for him the toy animal came alive.

    When Christopher Robin went to school the bear was put into a glass case with all other toy animals like Eeyore the donkey, and a little Piglet. Then when the war broke out the toys were «evacuated» to America. Now they belong to some American publishing houses.

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