What to do and to see in Russia

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ЛЕКСИКА

1) Прочитайте и переведите текст:

Apart from Moscow and St Petersburg Russia has a lot of places appropriate for any kind of travel: cultural urban trips, recreation and health travel, extreme and sport tourism, special interest tours etc.

Special interest tours are organized to Veliky Ustug and the residence of Father Frost, to Mishkin which is called the birthplace of Russian mice. The old town Sengiley in the Ulyanovsk Region is going to turn into the pancake capital of Russia in the nearest future.

Yasnaya Polyana and Mikhaylovskoe which inspired Alexander Pushkin and Leо Tolstoy are the destinations for literature lovers. More and more foreign tourists express interest in the thematic excursion called Last Mile of the Romanovs organized in Tobolsk. 119 National parks are a comparatively new form of environment protection in Russia. They are mostly located in the European part of the country. But ecological tourists can also enjoy the beauty of Russia nature all around the country. Karelia, Lake Seliger, Lake Baikal, Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka are the best natural attractions of the Russia. Seeing Optical Miracles of Lake Baikal is a great luck for tourists. Buryatia State University organizes special ornithological tours during which you can see unusual birds, animals and insects. Kungur Ice Cave is one of the biggest caves in the world purposely equipped for excursions. This unique natural monument is located in the Urals, between Perm and Yekaterinburg.

The Urals also offer good opportunities for skiing, mountaineering and hiking. Tourists can find good skiing in Siberia, in the North of Russia and Caucasus. The ski resort Krasnaya Polyana is quite a new and rapidly developing resort that has skiing slopes of various difficulty categories.

It is possible to find spa resorts all around Russia. The air is fresh,

transparent and smells of fir-trees and sea in Svetlogorsk. However, the most popular spa resorts are Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Anapa, Sochi, Gelendzhik, and Tuapse. Attending a dolphinarium in some of these cities can become a memorable entertainment.

Ice-diving in the Russian Arctic is considered to be one of the most extreme kinds of sport. Despite the severe conditions of diving in White Sea it remains one of the most popular places for diving in the country.

There are several anomalous zones in Russia: the Valley of Death in

Kamchatka, Arkaim town, Medveditskaya Chain, bottomless Lake Sobolkh in Buryatia. They attract scientists and adventurers. These people are also interested in the Valley of Geysers. All geysers there differ from each other: the geyser called Triple is remarkable for its grey-brown colour; the Sugar geyser looks like a huge lily flower; the Big geyser has the highest fountain and so on.

One of the most interesting sightseeing spots in the Amur Region is the socalled dinosaur cemetery near the village Kundur which attracts many followers of 120 cultural tourism to the region. Thousands of dinosaur bones were found there in 1990s.

In June 2008 Russian people chose seven miracles of Russia. They are Mount Elbrus, the Valley of Geysers, Lake Baikal, Weathering Stones in Komi, Petergof, the monument to Motherland on Mamai tumulus and St Basil‘s Catherdral. Everybody is welcome to see these wonderful attractions.

2) Ответьте на вопросы:

1. Are there many tourist destinations in Russia or few?

2. What special interest tours are organized in Russian cities?

3. What is offered to nature-lovers?

4. Where can tourists ski?

5. Where are spa resorts concentrated?

6. What extreme sports are promoted in Russia?

7. Does the country have anything in store for scientists and adventurers?

8. Why does Kundur attract tourists?

9. Who chose seven miracles of Russia?

10. What are these places?

3) Определите, верны или неверны следующие утверждения. Исправьте неверные:

1. Only Moscow and St. Petersburg attract tourists to Russia.

2. Russia has is a pancake capital.

3. The thematic excursion Last Mile of the Romanovs is becoming popular.

4. There are national parks all around the country.

5. Kungur Ice Cave is well-equipped for excursions.

6. People can ski in the Urals, in Siberia and in the Caucasus.

7. There are eight spa resorts in Russia.

8. You can enjoy diving in the North of the country.

9. Geysers in Kamchatka are similar to each other.

10. Seven miracles of the world were chosen in June 2008.

4) Опишите одно из семи чудес России, упомянутых в тексте, ответив на следующие вопросы:

1. What is its name?

2. Where is it situated?

3. Is it a natural or man-made object?

4. What is it like?

5. What special features does it have?

6. Have you ever seen it yourself?

7. Is it easily accessible?

8. How many tourists visit the sight?

9. Will it be difficult to develop this place? Why?

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