II. Reading Comprehension

Read and translate the following text. Use a dictionary if necessary.

THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

The Republic of Belarus is located in the center of Europe. The Republic borders on Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

The state isn’t washed by any seas and oceans, it doesn’t have any high mountains but it is remarkably beautiful with its blue lakes and rivers edged with thick forest, with its fields, meadows, with its various and plentiful animals and plants. There are nearly 3000 rivers in Belarus. They flow into the Baltic Sea or to the Black Sea basin. The longest rivers are the Dnieper, the Nieman, the Zapadny Bug and the Zapadnaya Dvina. The state has over 10000 lakes. The largest of them is Lake Naroch.

The Republic of Belarus is an independent state with its politics, economy and culture. Its area is about 207.600 square kilometers. The population is more than 10 million people.

More than 70% of the territory is urban. The state languages are Belarussian and Russian. The most widespread languages of business are Russian, English and German.

The Republic of Belarus consists of six regions with centers in the cities of Minsk, Vitebsk, Brest, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilyov, which are further divided into districts. The population of Minsk – the capital city – is about 1.7 million people.

Most part of Belarus is a flat country. More than a quarter of its territory is covered with forests and bushes. The large forests of Belarus are called “pushchas”. The greatest of them is Belovezhskaya Pushcha. It is a large national preserve. This forest preserve is the only place in the world where wild oxen, aurochs, can still be found.

The climate of Belarus is continental with comparatively mild winters and warm summers. It is affected on the one hand by the sea air coming from the Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, by the cold continental air masses from the Central Russian Uplands. The average annual temperature is 5°C above zero in the North and 8°C above zero in the South.

There are deposits of petroleum, coal, slate coal, brown coal, dolomites. The reserves of peat, clay, loam and sand for the manufacture of glass, various construction materials are great. There are also mineral springs.

The nature and the climate have suffered much from the nuclear catastrophe that took place in Chernobyl in 1986. The radiation has spoiled our soil and air, rivers and lakes and poisoned our flora and fauna. Besides it badly affected the health of many people.

The Republic of Belarus is a unitary democratic social state with the rule of law, which possesses supremacy and full authority on its territory and independently carries out its domestic and foreign policy. The territory of Belarus is unified and inalienable. State power in the Republic of Belarus is formed and realized through three main branches – Legislative, Executive and Judicial. The President of the Republic of Belarus is the head of the state.

The Republic of Belarus possesses significant scientific and technical potential. There are about 150 secondary special educational institutions, about 40 higher educational establishments, the Academy of Sciences. In the system of higher schools there are about 20 commercial higher schools. The achievements of Belarussian scientists in the fields of mathematics, physics, nuclear power, chemistry, biology, microelectronics, computer science, in agriculture, ecology and environmental protection have gained international recognition.

Belarus has a developed heavy industry, including all its leading branches: power, machine-building and chemical industries. Belarus cooperates with more than 40 countries in different parts of the world. Many products of our industry such as automobiles, tractors, radio electronics, machinery, chemical and oil-refining products are well-known on the world market.

Agriculture specializes in milk and meat production. The main crops cultivated here are potatoes, flax, grain and vegetables.

The old name of Belarus is “A land of Bogs”. The history of our country goes back to antiquity. The name “Byelorussia” first appeared in official manuscripts in the 14 century.

There are different hypotheses as to the origin of the name. One of the hypotheses is the name comes from the fact that in ancient times “to be white” meant “to be free”. In the 13 century while East-Slavonic lands were under the Tatar-Mongol yoke the North-West of Ancient Russ was free and that part was called Belaya Russ. It is also known that the people of this part of the land were dressed in white clothes, made of flax. Some historians explain the origin of the name from this fact. Still others maintain the idea that Belaya Russ was the land inhabited by Christians unlike Chernaya Russ where pagans lived.

The Republic’s road to social and economic progress was hard. The republic was the arena of severe battles in the years of World War I, the Civil War and World War II. During the Great Patriotic War Belarus suffered from the fascist invaders. A great number of cities, towns, villages were completely destroyed. Belarus lost more than half of its national wealth. Despite the terrible devastation which the war brought to the republic the Belarussian people succeeded in reviving their industry and agriculture in a short period of time.

Nowadays Belarus is a sovereign independent state. The Declaration of State Sovereignty was adopted by its Supreme Soviet on July, 1990. The National Day of the Republic of Belarus is the Day of Independence on 3 July.

 

2. Answer the following questions:

1) Where is Belarus situated?

2) What countries does it border on?

3) What is the territory and the population of the republic?

4) What is the ratio of urban population to rural?

5) How many regions are there in Belarus? Name the largest cities in Belarus.

6) What is the capital of Belarus? What is the population of the capital?

7) What is the climate of Belarus? What is the climate affected by?

8) How many lakes and rivers are there in the republic?

9) What is the name for the largest Belarussian forests?

10) What are the state languages?

11) What educational establishments are there in our republic?

12) What do you know about Belarussian industry and agriculture?

13) What deposits does Belarus possess?

14) What are the results of the nuclear catastrophe?

15) What hypotheses of the country’s name do you know?

16) When was the name “Belarussia” used for the first time?

17) What are the highest bodies of state power in Belarus?

18) When did the republic become an independent state?

19) When do we celebrate the Day of Independence?

 

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