Moscow, the capital of Russia

Moscow is located in the middle of the East European Plain. It lies at a height of 30-35 meters above the Moskva River and about 150 meters above sea level. Moscow occupies more than 1,000 square kilometers. The boundary of the city is the Moscow Ring Road, which is situated at 15-17 kilometers from the city center. The city extends for 42 kilometers from the North to the South and for 35 kilometers from the East to the West. More than 10 million people are now living in Moscow.

Moscow is a separate subject of the Russian Federation. It is governed by a mayor and by a 35-member Duma (assembly). As the capital of Russia, Moscow is the seat of the national government. The Kremlin palaces house the majority of offices. The prime minister's offices occupy the House of Government of the Russian Federation, usually known as the White House.

The first wooden fortress (The Kremlin) was built by order of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky on a hill near the Moskva and the Neglinnaya rivers. The date of Moscow's founding was April 4, 1147, when Moscow was first mentioned in Russian chronicles. The Kremlin now is Moscow's geographical, historical and political centre.

The official symbol of Moscow is a dark-red shield, where an ancient Old-Russian subject is depicted: St. George fighting down the Serpent.

Moscow carries out trading communications with about 200 countries. More than 2,500 foreign companies are registered and more than 7 thousand enterprises deal with the foreign capital. About 100 international exhibitions and fairs take place in Moscow every year.

The climate in Moscow is temperate continental. It is mainly characterized by hot summers and very cold winters. The amplitude in annual temperature range is 28 C. The cold period starts in October and ends in April. Snow falls in November and stays till March. The warm weather comes in June and stays till September.

The Kremlin, the Red Square, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Bolshoi Theater, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Armory, Novodevichy Convent, St. Basil Cathedral, Arbat Street attract numerous tourists.

Questions

1. Where is Moscow located?
2. How many people are now living in Moscow?
3. When was Moscow founded?
4. Who founded Moscow?
5. What is the official symbol of Moscow?
6. What is the climate in Moscow?
7. What are the famous places of interest in Moscow?

Text 2

Sightseeing in Moscow

The Kremlin

Photo of the Kremlin.

The Kremlin is the historical centre of the city, the heart of Moscow. This is one of the most famous museums of the world, which attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. The Kremlin is located on a hill washed from one side by the Moscow River. The Kremlin is a triangular citadel surrounded by thick brick walls in the center of Moscow. The Kremlin (which means fortress) was first built in the 12th century from wood. Then during the 15th century it was expanded by Tsar Ivan III (Ivan the Great). His architects designed the magnificent Cathedral of the Assumption and the Faceted Palace.

Today the Kremlin is home to the Russian President and his administration. Many buildings in The Kremlin are open to the tourists.

At the Kremlin you can see the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon and visit Annunciation (Blagoveschensky), Archangel (Arkhangelsky) and Assumption (Voznesensky) Cathedrals, the Bell -Tower of Ivan the Great and the Church of the Twelve Apostles – the wonderful monuments of Russian church architecture with unique richly decorated interiors.

Photo of the Cathedral of the Annunciation at the Kremlin in Moscow.

The interior of the Cathedral of the Annunciation is painted with beautiful frescoes first done by the Russian artist Feodosy in 1508. The iconostasis of the Cathedral is considered to be the finest in all Russia.

Photo of the Cathedral of the Archangel and the Tsar Bell at the Kremlin in Moscow.

The walls of the Cathedral of the Archangel are covered in frescoes showing the Russian history. All Russian Czars were buried in the Cathedral of the Archangel until 1712 when the capital was moved to St. Petersburg. There are forty-six tombs in this cathedral and among them the tombs of Ivan the Terrible and his young son Dmitry. Tsar Cannon is the largest of its kind in the world, with a barrel in excess of five-metres long, weighing over 40 tons and the Tsar Bell, is also the largest in the world. Interestingly, both the cannon & bell have never been used.

Photo of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower at the Kremlin in Moscow.

Задание 4.1 Напишите краткий рассказ о своем родном городе.

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