Our University and my studies

TOPICS FOR ART STUDENTS

1. My Family

2. My Future Profession

3. My Home and My Room

4. My University

5. My Native Town or Village

6. Russia

7. Moscow

8. Bashkortostan

9. Ufa

10. Great Britain

11. London

12. USA

13. Washington and New York

14. Seasons and Weather

15. Traveling

16. Sports and Games

17. Cinema and Theatre

18. Artist`s Studio

19. Russian Painting

20. English Painting

21. My Favorite Russian Artist

22. My Favorite Foreign Artist

23. My Hobby

24. My Favorite Writer

My Biography

My name is

My surname (family name) is

I was born on the fourteenth of February, nineteen ninety one,

in the city of Ufa (in the town of X, village of Y, settlement of Z,

the Salavatsky district, in the Republic of Bashkortostan .

I am nineteen (years old)

My father`s name is…

He is 40 (forty) years old

He is a worker.

My mother`s name is….

She is 39 (thirty nine) years old

She is a teacher.

I have a brother and a sister

My brother is 14 (years old). He goes to high school.

My sister is 5 (years old) . She goes to kindergarten.

I went to school when I was 7 (seven)

I left school in 2000 (two thousand) and entered the University.

I study at the M.Akmulla Bashkir State Pedagogical University.

I am the student of the Arts Faculty, Fine Arts Department.

My hobby is…

I like (I am fond of…)…

I shall graduate from the University in 2015 (two thousand and fifteen)

I want to become…

 


Grandmother

Grandfather

Aunt

Uncle

Cousin

Reading

Music

Dancing

Singing

Movies

Drawing

Playing Games


Our house and my flat

I live in a block of flats (apartment house). Our block is in Pushkin street. It is in the centre of our town. There is a monument to Pushkin in this street. There are a lot of various shops and offices in our street. Our block is of modern design. This building has all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, gas, running water (hot and cold), and a telephone. There are twelve floors in it, that's why there is a lift in the building. There are a lot of flats in the block. The flats are not very large but they are very comfortable. In front of the block there are a lot of flowers and trees.

My family lives in a three-room flat. The number of our flat is forty-eight. Our flat is large and comfortable. It is on the third floor (on the fourth storey). It is very comfortable. There are three rooms in it: a dinning-room, a bedroom and a study. We have also a kitchen and a bathroom.

Our dining-room is a large square room. In the middle of it there is a big round table and some chairs. Over the round table, in the middle of the ceiling there is an electric lamp. In the corner there is a low table with a TV set on it. There is a bookshelf on the wall. The furniture in our dining-room is brown. The walls are blue. There are some pictures on the walls. They are pictures by old and modern Russian and foreign artists. There are some flowers on the window sills.

Now I'll tell you about our study. At the window there is a big desk. In the corner there is a sofa. I have a lot of Russian and foreign books, newspapers and magazines. They are in the bookcase. I am fond of my flat.

 

 

Our University and my studies

I finished high school and after the entrance examinations I entered M.Akmulla Bashkir State Pedagogical University (named after M.Akmulla). I am a first-year student. I study at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, the Fine Arts Department. There are thirty students in my group. My friend is the monitor of our group.

Our University is very large and has ten buildings. There are five institutes and seven faculties in it. There are six floors in the main building of our Institute. In front of this building there is a monument to the great poet and teacher Miftakheddin Akmulla.

There are a lot of classrooms and lecture-halls in our University. There is a dining-hall near the dean's office. We listen to lectures and have classes in Drawing, Painting, the Russian Language, the Bashkir Language, the English Language, Physical Culture and some other subjects. The reading-room and the library in our University are on the ground floor. First-year students prepare their homework, write, read and do their exercises. Final-year students work in the reading room at their graduation projects. The librarians help the students to choose the necessary books for their studies. There are fifteen desks and a blackboard in our classroom. On the walls of our classroom there are some portraits of great writers and scientists and artists. A lot of students from other towns and villages live in hostels (dormitories, halls of residence). By the end of the first term we take exams. I don`t want to fail my exams and credit tests. After we pass exams me have winter holidays (winter break) for two weeks.

*Institute of Professional Education and Information Technology

*Institute of Philological Education and Intercultural Communication

*Institute of History and Law

*Institute of Pedagogy

*Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography

*Faculty of Bashkir Philology

*Faculty of Fine Arts and Design

*Faculty of Physical Culture

*Faculty of Physics and Mathematics

*Faculty of Psychology

*Faculty of Social and Humanitarian Work

RUSSIA

The Russian Federation, or Russia, is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies a vast territory of Eastern Europe and part of Northern Asia which are separated by the longest mountain chain, the Urals. The total area of Russia is about 17 million square kilometers. Russia is washed by numerous seas and three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic. It borders on Norway and Finland in the north-west, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and the Ukraine in the West, Georgia and Azerbaidzhan in the south-west and Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China in the south. Russia has also a sea-border with the United States of America.

Russia’s land is noted for a great variety of scenery. There are two plains, Great Russian Plain and West Siberian Lowland on which the country is located. Nowhere else in the world one can find so many forests situated mainly in the north and known as taiga. There are also deserts, valleys and quite a number of mountains in the Urals and the North Caucasus. The longest river is the Volga in Europe but such rivers as the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena flowing in Asia are of great importance as well. Lake Baikal with the purest water on earth is a pearl of the country and is also the deepest lake in the world.

Due to the large territory of Russia there several types of climate in the country. In the north it’s arctic, in the south – subtropical and in the central part it’s temperate and continental.

The population of Russia is about 140 million people.

Russia’s industry is very well developed because the country is rich in such mineral resources as oil, natural gas, coal, iron, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminium, gold and other non-ferrous metals. A greater part of them is concentrated in Siberia and Far East. Russia’s agriculture is on a high level as well growing and exporting grain, meat and other products.

The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow with the population of approximately 140 million people.

Russia is a federal republic where President is the Head of State. The legislative powers are exercised by the State Duma.

MOSCOW

Moscow is the capital of Russia and its political, industrial, scientific, financial and cultural centre. It is the seat of President of Russia and the Russian Federal Government. The city is situated on the banks of the Moskva River. Its total area is about 900 square km. The population of the city is over 8 million people.

Moscow was founded in 1147 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky. The heart of Moscow is Red Square where masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture, the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral are situated. The Kremlin was built as a fortress. Its main tower, the Spasskaya Tower, is the symbol of the country. Now the Kremlin is the seat of President of Russia. But a part of it is open for tourists. On the territory of the Kremlin one can see four cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Congresses, the Tsar-Cannon and the Tsar-Bell, which are the biggest cannon and bell in the world.

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square was built in the mid-16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There is a legend, that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn’t want them to create another masterpiece. In Red Square one can also see the Lenin Mausoleum and a monument to Minin and Pozharsky who led the army that liberated Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612.

Not far from the Kremlin there is the world`s tallest Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour built in memory of the 1812 victory over Napoleon.

Moscow is the main cultural centre of Russia. It’s the seat of the Academy of Sciences. Moscow is the city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in it. Russia’s biggest University named after Mikhail Lomonosov is also situated in Moscow. Besides, there are numerous research institutions.

There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. The most widely-known are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow is famous for its theatres. The most famous one is the Bolshoi Opera House.

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its metro is a real masterpiece of architecture. There are a lot of parks and boulevards in Moscow.

UFA-1

 

The city of Ufa is situated in the Ural Mountains. It is the capital of the Republic of Bashqortostan, an autonomous region of the Russian Federation. Ufa was founded in 1574 by Ivan IV the Terrible as the first Russian town in the area called Bashkiria. It was built as a fortress upon a mountain near the rivers Belaya and Ufa. The Ufa flows into the Belaya. In Bashkir these rivers are called Aghidel (White river) and Qaraidel (Black River). The Belaya is the longest river in Bashqortostan. Its length is over 1400 km.

Ufa occupies the area of about 500 square km. Its population is more than one million.

Ufa is an industrial city. There are many plants and factories. There is an important petrochemical complex consisting of three oil refineries and a chemical plant.

Ufa is a cultural centre. There are many research institutions and the Bashkir branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Thousands of students study at such higher educational institutions as the Bashkir State University, the M.Akmulla Bashkir State Pedagogical University, the Ufa Aviation State Technical University, the Bashkir State Medical University, The Ufa State Academy of Arts, the Bashkir State Agricultural University, the Ufa State Petroleum Technical University, and others.

There are such theatres as the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Bashkir (Academic Drama) Theatre, the Republican (Academic) Russian Theatre, the Ufa State Tatar “Nur” Theatre, the National Youth Theatre of RB, the Bashkir State Puppet Theatre and some others. Many fine paintings are exhibited at the Nesterov Museum and Gallery. There is also the National Museum of Bashqortostan and a lot of libraries. There are also many sports facilities.

There are many monuments, and the most famous ones are the Monument of Friendship and the mounted statue of Salawat Yulayev, the national hero of Bashqortostan. The monument on the steep hill overlooks the Belaya embankment.

 

UFA-2

 

Ufa, city in southeastern European Russia, is located on the western slopes of the Southern Ural Mountains. It is the capital of the Republic of Bashqortostan, an autonomous region of the Russian Federation. From 1922 to 1991, Ufa was the capital of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) of Soviet Russia. In 1991 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) broke apart, and Bashkortostan became a constituent republic of Russia.

Ufa was founded in 1574 on the orders of Ivan IV the Terrible as the first Russian town in the area called Bashkiria in 1586. It was built as a fortress upon a mountain at the confluence of the rivers Belaya and Ufa.

In Bashkir these rivers are called Aghidel (White river) and Qaraidel (Black River). The Ufa is a right tributary of the Belaya. The Dyoma river is a left tributary flowing into the Belaya in the southern part of the city of Ufa. The Belaya is the longest river in Bashqortostan. Its length is 1430 km (889 miles). The river Belaya is one of most popular of the Ural's rivers for rafting. Ufa stretches from the south to the north for more than forty kilometres. It occupies the area of about 500 square km. Its population is more than one million of inhabitants (as of 2002 census: 1,042,437).

Ufa is an industrial city in which mining and electrical equipment, refined petroleum, forest products, chemicals, synthetic rubber, and processed foods are manufactured. There is an important petrochemical complex comprising three oil refineries, a plant producing synthetic spirit and a chemical plant. There is also a large engineering plant and a lot of factories.

Ufa is a cultural centre. There are many research institutions and the Bashkir branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Thousands of students study at such higher educational institutions as the Bashkir State University, the M.Akmulla Bashkir State Pedagogical University, the Ufa Aviation State Technical University, the Bashkir State Medical University, The Ufa State Academy of Arts, the Bashkir State Agricultural University, the Ufa State Petroleum Technical University, and others.

There are such theatres as the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Bashkir (Academic Drama) Theatre, the Republican (Academic) Russian Theatre, the Ufa State Tatar “Nur” Theatre, the National Youth Theatre of RB, the Bashkir State Puppet Theatre and some others. Many fine paintings are exhibited at the Nesterov Museum and Gallery. There is also the National Museum of Bashqortostan and a lot of libraries. There are also many sports facilities.

There are many monuments, and the most famous ones are the Monument of Friendship commemorating Bashqortostan`s voluntary joining the Russian state in 1557 after the fall of the Khanate of Kazan, and the mounted statue of Salawat Yulayev, the national hero of Bashqortostan. Salawat Yulayev led the Bashkir rebels in the Pugachev Rebellion of 1773-1775. After the rebellion had been suppressed, the twenty-year old Salawat Yulayev was taken prisoner and brought to Ufa for interrogation and punishment. He was convicted to hard labour for life in a Baltic fortress where he died in 1800. The monument on the steep hill overlooks the Belaya embankment.

 

THE UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles lying off the north-western coast of Europe.

Its area is about 244, 000 square kilometers. The country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea which is between Great Britain and Ireland. The English Channel separates the British Isles from the European continent.

The UK consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

There are many mountains in Great Britain. The highest mountains are in Scotland, in Wales and in the north-west of England. The rest of the territory consists of flat plains in the east and of lowlands in the south. There are many rivers in Britain. The Severn is the longest river. The Thames on which London is situated runs into the North Sea.

The warm current of the Gulf Stream keeps Britain warm in winter and cool in summer. So, the climate is basically mild. Snow never lies for long, however, there is much rain and fog instead.

The population of the UK is about 59 million people.

Great Britain was originally an agricultural and sheep-farming country. Now it’s a highly-developed industrial country. It exports machinery, vessels, motors and other goods. The chief industries are shipbuilding and textile.

Great Britain is also a country of long-lasting traditions, customs and rich culture. The education received in such universities as Oxford or Cambridge is recognized as one of the best in the world.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen being the head of State. However, her powers are limited by the Parliament which consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The main political parties are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

LONDON

London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the economic, political and cultural centre. London is the largest city in Europe with a population of about 10 million people. It is also the chief port of the United Kingdom. London is situated upon both banks of the Thames. Many bridges cross this river.

London can be divided into four main parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.

The City is the oldest part of London. It is the financial centre of the UK. There are biggest banks, companies and offices. The Royal Exchange and the Bank of England are here, too. Only a few thousand people live there but more than half a million come to the City in order to work.

The West End is the centre of London where only wealthy people can afford to live. Hotels, supermarkets, best cinemas, theatres and concert halls can be found in this part of the city. It also has many beautiful parks, full of trees, flowers and grass. The most famous one is Hyde Park with its Speaker`s Corner.

Westminster is the administrative centre of London where most of government buildings are situated. Westminster Palace is the seat of the Houses of Parliament. On one of its two towers there is the largest clock of the country known as Big Ben. The official residence of the Queen is Buckingham Palace which was built in the 18th century.

The most famous masterpieces of architecture are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Tower of London was founded as a fortress after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Now it is a museum.

Westminster Abbey is a fine Gothic church. British monarchs are crowned and also buried in it. Famous people such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and many others are buried there too.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of the largest in the world, was designed by Christopher Wren in the 17th century. He was buried there. Admiral Nelson is also buried in this cathedral.

There are many museums and picture galleries. The National Gallery is in Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square was named in memory of the battle of Trafalgar won by Admiral Nelson.

The British Museum is famous for its exhibits and the largest library.

Masterpieces of modern art can be found in the Tate Gallery

The East End of London is the industrial area of London inhabited mostly by the working people. This district is full of factories, workshops, slums and docks.

 

The USA

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world with the population of about 280 million people. The total area of the country is about 9.8 million square kilometers.

Its territory covers the southern part of North America and extends from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska which is separated from Russia by the Bering Strait and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

There are lowlands and mountains in the US among which the highest ones are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. America’s most important rivers are the Mississippi which is one of the longest rivers in the world, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. There are the well-known Great Lakes located on the border with Canada.

The climate of the country differs a lot. The climate of Alaska is arctic, that of the central part is continental and the south with its hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico has a subtropical climate.

The USA is one of the most developed industrial countries. It is rich in coal, oil, iron and other minerals which form a solid base for the development of America’s industry. The United States is one of the leading countries in the world economy in such industries as mining, metallurgy, electronics and space engineering, chemicals, textiles, leather and footwear. As for agriculture the US has the developed animal husbandry and arable farming.

Though mainly European and African in origin, there are people of nearly all races and nations in the US.

The US is a federal Union of 50 states and a District of Columbia where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The US Constitution divides the government into three branches: the executive branch headed by the President, the legislative one exercised by the Congress and the judicial branch. The Congress includes the Senate and the House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON

Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is located in the District of Columbia which got its name in honour of Columbus, the discoverer of America. Washington, D.C. is situated on the banks of the Potomac River between two states, Maryland and Virginia. The city was founded in 1791 by George Washington, who became the first American President, and since that time the city has been the federal capital.

The population of Washington of nearly 1 million people.

The Capitol is the seat of American Congress. It’s the highest building in Washington as there is a law restricting to build anything higher than the Capitol.

The official residence of the President of the USA is the White House It is the oldest capital’s building.

There are memorials dedicated to the three American Presidents. They are the Washington Memorial built in honour of the first President, the Lincoln Memorial devoted to Abraham who was the author of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Jefferson Memorial devoted to the third President who published the Declaration of Independence.

Tourists often visit the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Natural History and the Library of Congress which holds nearly five million books.

NEW YORK CITY

New York is the biggest and most important city of the United States. New York is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the North-East of the country, in the state of New York at the mouth of the Hudson River. It is the financial and media capital of the world, the center of the American cultural life. The “Big Apple” is nickname of the city. New York, with the population of 16 mln people, is the second largest city and the biggest sea port in the world. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers and then seized by the English. It consists of 5 large boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. Manhattan is an island. It is 13 miles long and 2 miles wide. It is the center of American finance, advertising, art, theatre, publishing, fashion.

There are a lot of places of interest in New York. The most famous of them is the Statue of Liberty, given to the USA by France in 1886. It is the largest statue in the world. New York is a city of contrasts. There are many skyscrapers and low buildings. The Empire State Building used to be the first, but now it is only the third tallest building in the world. It is a 102- storied building. Avenues and streets are numbered. Avenues run north and south but streets run east and west. Broadway is the longest street in the world. It is 12 miles long. Broadway is the center of theatres, entertainments and night life. The Metropolitan Opera is the world famous opera house. There are a lot of museums and art galleries in New York. The Metropolitan Museum in Times Square is the richest art museum in the world. The Central Park is the largest park in the world. Wall Street is the center of finance, banks and stock exchanges. New York is a city of immigrants, an ethnic melting pot. There are many Italians, Irish, Chinese as well as the largest Jewish population of any city in the world. The most famous ethnic districts are Harlem, Little Italy, Chinatown and Brighton Beach. Brooklyn Bridge over the East River joins Manhattan and Brooklyn. The United Nations Building is also on the bank of East River. New York is the center of education and science. It can boast of Columbia University, New York Public Library and many other institutions. There is a subway in New York.

MY FAVOURITE ENGLISH WRITER (DICKENS)

Charles Dickens is one of the greatest English writers.

Charles Dickens was born at Portsea on the 7th of February in 1812. Charles’s father was a clerk. The boy showed the imagination and dramatic talent from his early childhood. His parents loved to hear him recite poetry and act scenes from plays and novels. When Dickens was ten, his family moved to London. Very soon Charles had to go to work as his father was put in prison for debt. Charles was paid very little money and for two years he never had enough to eat. The experience of his poverty and starvation was reflected in his novels when he became a writer.

When Dickens’s father left prison he sent his son to a private school. After that Charles became a clerk in a lawyer’s office and in his spare time studied shorthand. At the age of 19 Charles became a reporter for a newspaper. When Dickens turned 25 he wrote a sketch and signed it Boz which was accepted by a magazine. Later he wrote more sketches and readers were charmed with their humour. Thus was born his famous Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club and from that time on Dickens devoted himself to literature.

Among the most famous of his books are Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, Dombey and Son, Little Dorrit, Hard Times and The Old Curiosity Shop. Despite the sparkling humour of his novels Dickens never succeeded in being completely happy. Family troubles, worry over his children and overwork exhausted the great writer and in 1870 Dickens died. He was only 58. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

 

SEASONS AND WEATHER

 

There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every season lasts about three months.

Spring begins in March and ends in May. In spring the days become longer. The sun begins to shine more brightly. It gets warmer. Snow melts. Sometimes it rains. The first spring flowers and grass appear everywhere.

Summer begins in June and ends in August. Summer is the warmest season of the year.

It gets light early in the morning. It gets dark late in the evening. In summer we have the longest days and the shortest nights. The sun shines brightly. It is the warmest season. It often rains. Trees and grass are green. We can swim and bathe. We can play tennis and football.

Autumn begins in September and ends in November. The days become shorter. It gets colder. The leaves of the trees get yellow and red. They fall to the ground. They look beautiful. There appear dark clouds in the sky. The weather is often windy and rainy.

Winter begins in December and ends in February. It is cold in winter. It often snows. It gets dark early in the evening. It gets light late in the morning. In winter we have the shortest days and the longest nights. In winter we can skate and sky.