National symbols of the Russian Federation
Appearances and Personality
They say that appearances are important. On the one hand, this is true; on the other hand, this is not quite right. A handsome man or a pretty woman can have very unpleasant traits of character and the opposite. However, there are exceptions, of course!
When we speak about somebody's figure, face, hands, feet we mean his or her appearance. A person may be tall, middle - sized or short, thin or plump. A face may be round, oval or square. In summer some people may have freckles on their faces. Old people have wrinkled faces.
People's hair may be long or short, thin or thick, good or bad, straight or curly. If it is long it is often plaited. Its colour may be black or fair, chestnut or red. Old people have grey hair.
Eyes may be large or small. They may be of different colour, grey, green, black, or hazel (brown).
Cheeks may be rosy or pale (if a person is ill), plump or hollow (if a person is very ill). Some people have dimples in their cheeks when they smile.
Character is an interesting and complicated part of personality. All people are different. Some are jolly, easy-going and friendly, others are melancholic, reserved and distrustful; some are active and sociable, others prefer to stay at home and enjoy loneliness and silence.
All people can show a variety of emotions, be cheerful or sad, happy or unhappy. But at the same time, people can be divided into two groups, depending on their general outlook – positive or negative. We usually call them optimists and pessimists. Optimists are disposed to feeling happy and self-confident, while pessimists – to feeling unhappy and focusing on problems.
My Family
I am Alex Smirnov. Alex is my first name and Smirnov is my surname. I am fifteen years old. I want to tell you a few words about my family. My family is large. I have got a mother, a father, a sister, a brother and a grandmother. There are six of us in the family.
My mother’s name is Olga. She is a teacher of biology. My Mum works at the college. She likes her profession. She is a good-looking woman with brown hair and green eyes. She is forty-four but she looks much younger. She is tall and slim.
My father’s name is Boris. He is a programmer. My Dad knows all about the computers. He is an experienced specialist. My father is a broad-shouldered tall man with fair hair and grey eyes. He is forty-six. My father often sings. When we are at home and have some free time, I play the guitar and we sing together.
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My parents have been married for twenty-six years. They have much in common but they have different views on music, books and films. My father likes horror films and my mother likes “soap-operas”. My father is fond of football. My mother is not interested in sports. But my parents have the same opinion about my education and upbringing.
My parents are hard-working people. My mother keeps house and takes care of me and my father. My father and I try to help her with the house work. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy our flat.
My grandmother is a pensioner. She lives with us. She does not work because she is often ill. My Granny is very kind. She is fond of knitting.
My sister Helen is twenty-five. She is married and has a family of her own. She works as an accountant for a small business company. Her husband’s name is Nick. He is a scientist. They have got twins: a daughter and a son. They go to a nursery school.
My brother Alexander is eleven. He is a schoolboy. He wants to become a doctor.
I want to become a radio-assembler. I think I take after my father. I am tall, fair-haired. I always try to be in a good mood. My hobby is playing the computer games.
I have got a lot of relatives. We are on friendly terms with our relatives and often visit them.
My Flat
We live in a new nine-storeyed block of flats in …
Our flat is on the fifth floor. It is very comfortable and well-planned. We have all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, gas, cold and hot running water and a telephone. There are three rooms in our flat: a living room and two bedrooms. There is a kitchen, a bathroom, a hall and a balcony in our flat.
The largest room in our flat is the living room and we use it as a dining room and as a sitting room. In the middle of the room there is a big table and six chairs round it. Opposite the window there is a wall unit with lots of books and a TV-set. There are two comfortable armchairs and a small coffee table in the right-hand corner.
My room is the smallest room in our flat, but it is very cozy and light.
There is a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, an armchair and several bookshelves in my room. There is a thick carpet on the floor. The walls in my room are light brown and there are some big posters on them.
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I like my room very much. I think there is no place like home.
My Native Town
There are many beautiful cities and towns in the world. But there is no place like home. I love my native city. I was born here and live with my parents. It’s not the capital, but it is a wonderful place to live.
Serpukhov is much smaller than Moscow, but it is nice and very beautiful. Serpukhov is situated not far from Moscow. My city is old and modern at the same time. It is old because it was founded in the 14th century. In 1339 Ivan Kalita presented this settlement to his son Andrey.
The population of Serpukhov is about 127 thousand people.
The main streets are Sovetskaya Street and Voroshilov Street. Voroshilov Street is one of the widest streets in our town. A lot of cars and buses run fast along it.
In Serpukhov there are a lot of places of interest and every year our town is visited by many tourists from different countries. The most valuable monuments of architecture have been preserved here.
Serpukhov is a cultural centre. You can visit Serpukhov Drama Theatre and see interesting performances and concerts there. Serpukhov Historical Museum has an impressive collection of sculpture and paintings. The museum is situated in the old mansion of noblemen Morayevs.
You can rest in the parks of Seipukhov, such as Komsomolskiy, Pitomnik and park named by Oleg Stepanov.
The monuments to many famous people are in Serpukhov: to Oleg Stepanov, to Anton Chekhov, to Alexander Pushkin, to Vladimir Lenin, to Unknown Soldier, the monument to Vladimir Khrabriy.
There are many clubs, cinemas, cafes, shops and stadiums.
I’m proud of my native town. Serpukhov is one of the best towns in the world.
Our College
My name is Nick Ivanov. In June I left (finished) school and in August entered the Serpukhov College. Now I am a full-time first-year student.
Our college is not far from my block of flats and I can easily get there by bus. It takes me 25 minutes to get to the college. Sometimes I go there on foot. And though it takes me an hour, it is healthy to walk.
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Serpukhov College occupies three buildings. It runs only full-time department. There are many faculties at the college now.
Our studies begin at 8.30. Usually, we have four double periods a day. We have a lunch break at 11.40. So during our lunch period we take our meals in a canteen. There are two gym halls on the ground floor. Our library is on the first floor. It contains a lot of textbooks and fiction. There is a small reading-hall in our college and we often do our homework there. Our classrooms and laboratories are large and light. We have several computer laboratories. Our labs have modern equipment. The workshops where we have practical training are on the ground floor. Every day we attend lectures and have practice. Saturday and Sunday are days off.
I like to study at the college, but it is rather difficult to study here. My favourite subjects are Chemistry, Mathematics and Literature, but I dislike History.
The academic session began on the first of September and will end in June. I do well because I want to become a good specialist. At the end of the term we'll take exams and I'll try to pass them successfully.
My Working Day
Usually I get up at 6 o’clock on week-days. I do my bed then I go to the bathroom. I wash myself and clean my teeth. Sometimes I take a shower. I have breakfast in the kitchen. I usually have a cup of tea or coffee and a sandwich.
Then I dress and brush my hair. I go to the college at half past 7.
I live not far from my college and it takes me 20 minutes to get there. I go to the college by bus. I am never late for the first lesson because I come to the college a few minutes before the bell.
I leave my coat in the cloakroom and go to the classroom. Our classes begin at half past 8 and last till 10 minutes past 3. Usually we have four double periods a day.
I am at home. I go for a walk with my dog. I have dinner. For dinner I usually have soup for the first course, meat or fish with some salad for the second. I drink milk or a cup of tea.
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Then I do my homework. As a rule, I have no free time on my week-days. Twice a week I go to the swimming pool. Today is Friday. It is 5 o’clock. I am playing volleyball in the college team.
It is evening. All the members of our family are at home. We are having supper together. It is 8 o’clock. I am going for a walk with my friends.
I take a shower and go to bed at half past 11.
Hobby
A hobby is something that you enjoy doing in your free time. Hobbies make our life more interesting and exciting.
Hobbies can be divided into four groups: doing and going things, making things, collecting things, learning things.
The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities: gardening, reading, listening to music, fishing, playing musical instruments, travelling and many others. Some people are also interested in playing computer games and surfing the Internet.
Many people go in for sports. Some people are good at swimming and they go to the swimming pools. Others spend much time in the stadiums and tennis courts as they are keen on playing tennis, football, basketball and other sport games.
Today a lot of people prefer active pastimes. They go skiing, skating, roller-skating, riding a horse, hiking and camping. Some hobbies are extremely dangerous and risky like rock-climbing, paragliding, parachute jumping, bungee jumping, snorkeling and scuba diving.
Making things includes cooking, drawing, taking pictures, making sculpture, flower arranging, designing clothes, sewing, patchwork, embroidering.
There are a lot of people who collect things. Their collections are different and some of these collections are amazing. They collect everything - from stamps, coins and postcards to very expensive things and items that have no value like paintings, icons, rare books and other art objects.
Learning foreign languages has become a very popular hobby, too. Today people spend much time and money on leaning languages.
As for me, I am fond of listening to music. I prefer pop music and rock music, but I can’t stand heavy metal. I can play the guitar. I am good at singing. In my free time I read English books. My favourite writer is Agatha Christie. I adore travelling. I have visited many countries and I always bring beautiful cups from the places where I have been. I am also keen on tennis and basketball. Wherever I have free time, I go climbing with my friends. So, I am an active person with lots of interests and hobbies!
Shops and Shopping
Shopping usually means going to some place to buy something. It is a part of our life and we have to accept it whether we like it or not. There are people who hate shopping, so they usually make a list of things they need, run through the shops and buy them. There are people who go from shop to shop choosing goods at a lower price.
I go shopping several times per week. Nowadays there are so many types of shops — the shopping center, the hypermarket, the supermarket, the bakery, butchery and grocery.
I adore shopping centers. I usually do the shopping with my mother or with my friends. We go to the shopping centers where we can spend hours in different shops. You can buy any type of clothes there: from underwear to shoes and coat.
The supermarkets and hypermarkets are very convenient as you can buy whatever you need at once. There is no more need to go to three different shops to buy bread, meat and vegetables. It’s all here.
But still there are those who prefer buying some goods at the specialized places. For example, they buy fresh bread at the bakery across the street, and then go to the butcher’s to buy some fresh meat, and then spend 20 minutes to get to the grocery to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
So there are so many types of shopping. And one can choose the most preferable to him.
Sport
Millions of people of different ages all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sport helps people to become strong and to stay in good shape. Many people do morning exercises, go jogging and train at gyms. Others prefer just watching sports programmes on TV and listening to sports news. Many people go to the stadiums to support their favourite team.
Sport is divided into professional and amateur. There are many different professional sport societies and clubs in Russia. They take part in international competitions and are known all over the world.
There are many summer and winter sports: swimming, rowing, yachting, skating, skiing, cycling, boxing, wrestling, judo, tennis, football, basketball, volleyball, hockey, horse-racing and others. You can choose sports and games for any season for any taste.
As for me, I am interested in different kinds of sports. I enjoy skiing in winter. In summer I like to swim. I also do some cycling. I am very fond of hockey (football, skating etc,), so I try to watch every hockey match on TV.
Olympic Games
The world’s greatest international sports games are known as the Olympic Games. The Olympic emblem is five interlinked rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red, because there are five continents.
The Olympic Games have an interesting and a very long history. They started in 776 B.C. in ancient Greece and took place every four years for twelve centuries at Olympia. They included many different kinds of sports: running, jumping, wrestling, throwing the discus and throwing the javelin. Only men were allowed to compete or watch the games. For the period of the Games all the wars stopped.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. Since then the Olympic Games have been held every four years. There may be Summer and Winter Games.
In 1980 Moscow hosted the Twenty-Second Olympic Games. In 2014 Sochi was the first Russian city to host the Winter Olympics.
The Olympic Games are the holiday of health, peace and friendship.
Travelling
Travelling becomes more and more popular nowadays. Even ten years ago we couldn’t expect that we would be able to travel almost everywhere. Millions of tourists go to different places during the year.
It is said that travelling broadens your mind and it is absolutely true. Even a short trip where you get to know different people and different cultures may change you completely.
Travelling has become much cheaper now. Thousands of people now decide not to go to the travel agency but to organize the trip by themselves. They book the flight and the hotel, organize the entertainment part and enjoy it.
While there are still people who prefer organized expensive voyages, there are people that prefer low-cost travelling. It is the type of travelling when you find the cheapest tickets on the plane, travel with your backpack, stay at the host family and have someone from the local people show you their culture.
For many people travelling becomes the way of living. They spend months and years travelling without coming home and seeing their family. They work, travel and enjoy their lives. And in my opinion it is the most important thing — live and enjoy your life.
Our Country
The greater part of the territory of Russia is vast plains with low mountain ranges and long rivers. The Urals divide Russia into the European and Asian parts.
The Volga and the Ural are the longest rivers in the European part of the country. The longest rivers in the Asian part are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake.
On the Russian territory there are 10 time zones. The climate conditions are rather different: from arctic and moderate to continental and subtropical.
Our country is very rich in mineral resources; especially it is rich in gas, oil and forests, ferrous and non-ferrous metals
Our country is a highly developed industrial and agricultural state. There are such industries as heavy industry, aviation, machine-building, chemical, automobile and many others.
The total area of Russia is a little more than 17 million square kilometers. The population is about 143 million people.
The capital of Russia is Moscow.
National symbols of the Russian Federation
Every country has its symbols. Usually we distinguish between national, state, and cultural symbols. What are the symbols that Russians are proud of?
The national symbols of the Russian Federation are a white -blue-red banner and a double-headed eagle.
The Russian flag is tricolour. It consists of three horizontal stripes: white, blue, and red. Opinions are divided on what exactly these colours signify. This Russian symbol is thought by some people to indicate significant traits of Russian character: the white color denotes nobleness and sincerity, the blue — loyalty and honesty, and the red — courage and generosity. Others see in this Russian symbol the embodiment of the ideology of official nationality: “white” refers to Russian Orthodox church, “blue” — to tsar power, and “red” — to the Russian people.
Other state Russian symbols are the National Emblem and the anthem. The former presents the red armorial escutcheon with the golden double-headed eagle holding a scepter and an orb. On the eagle’s chest in a red shield we see St. George defeating a black dragon. Another Russian symbol is the national anthem. Its music was written by A. Aleksandrov and the lyrics by S.V. Mikhalkov.
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