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The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech "Great Britain" is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

Shakespeare called Britain a "precious stone set in the silver sea" because of its natural beauty. It has a varied countryside where you can find mountains, plains, valleys and sandy beaches. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain, but it is only 1343 metres high.

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 58 million. About 80% of the population live in cities.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen.

In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.

LONDON

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It's one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million.

London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world.

Traditionally it's divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre.

Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey. Few people live here, but over a million people come to the City to work. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of British churches. It was built in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it's a museum.

Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of London.

Westminster Abbey has more historic associations than any other building in Britain. Nearly all English kings and queens have been crowned here. Many outstanding statesmen, scientists, writers, poets and painters are buried here: Newton, Darwin, Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as "Big Ben".

Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.

The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It's the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs, and theatres are situated there. There are splendid houses and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy people.

Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square.

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On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Not far away is the British Museum - - the biggest museum in London. It contains a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc, and is famous for its library.

The East End was once the poorest district of London — with lots of factories and docks, narrow streets and unimpressive buildings. Today, the district is changing very fast. There are huge offices and new blocks of flats in the East End.

English Traditions

If you arrive in Great Britain you'll hear the word ―tradition‖ everywhere. Englishmen have sentimental love for things and traditions. They never throw away old things.

In many houses in Great Britain they have fire-places and though their bedrooms are awfully cold, the English people do not want to have central heating because they do not want to have changes. Therefore the Yeomen-Warders are dressed in traditional medieval clothes and the traditional dress of the Horse Guards regiment has existed since the twelfth century.

In the House of Lords of the British Parliament there are two rows of benches for lords and a sack of wool for the Lord Chancellor to sit on it. This is so because in the old times wool made England rich and powerful. In the House of Commons you will see two rows of benches for the two parties: the government on one side and the opposition — on the other. In front of the benches there is the strip on a carpet and when a member speaking in the House puts his foot beyond that strip, there is a shout ―Order!‖. This dates from the time when the members had swords on them and during the discussion might want to start fighting. The word ―order‖ reminded them that no fighting was allowed in the House.

Another old custom remains from the time when there was a lot of robbers in London. In those days the shouting ―Who goes home?‖ was often heard in the Houses of Parliament and the members went in groups along the dark narrow streets of the old city. In modem London with its well-lit streets the shouting ―Who goes home?‖ is still heard.

RUSSIA

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres.

The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a seaborder with the USA.

There's hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe's biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers - - the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena — flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake (1,600 metres) is Lake Baikal. It's much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there's much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President.

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The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It's its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It's one of the oldest Russian cities.

At present, the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated. The industrial production is decreasing. The prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is rather high. People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants are going bankrupt.

But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for this country to become one of the leading countries in the world. I'm sure that we, the younger generation, can do very much to make Russia as strong and powerful as it used to be.

MOSCOW

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky.

Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history.

Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the straggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by fire during Napoleon's occupation, but by the mid-19th century Moscow had been completely restored. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again.

Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is over 9 million.

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more historic associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture.

The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St Basil's Cathedral was built in the mid-16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There's a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn't want them to create another masterpiece.

There are a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow. Now Moscow is being reconstructed and we all hope that in a few years the city will become even more beautiful.

There are more than 100 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in Moscow include the AllRussia Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture and many others.

Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are also very popular.

Moscow is a city of students. There are over 100 higher educational institutions in it. Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life of the

country.

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Byzantine Empire. While surviving evidence about Byzantine theatre is slight, existing records show that mime, pantomime, scenes or recitations from tragedies and comedies, dances, and other entertainments were very popular. Constantinople had two theatres that were in use as late as the 5th century CE. However, the true importance of the Byzantines in theatrical history is their preservation of many classical Greek texts and the compilation of a massive encyclopedia called the Suda, from which is derived a large amount of contemporary information on Greek theatre.

From the 5th century, Western Europe was plunged into a period of general disorder that lasted (with a brief period of stability under the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century) until the 10th century. As such, most organized theatrical activities disappeared in Western Europe. While it seems that small nomadic bands traveled around Europe throughout the period, performing wherever they could find an audience, there is no evidence that they produced anything but crude scenes.

These performers were denounced by the Church during the Dark Ages as they were viewed as dangerous and pagan.

Hrosvitha (c.935–973), a canoness in northern Germany, wrote six plays modeled on Terence's comedies but using religious subjects. These six plays – Abraham, Callimachus, Dulcitius, Gallicanus, Paphnutius, and Sapientia – are the first known plays composed by a female dramatist and the first identifiable Western dramatic works of the post-classical era. They were first published in 1501 and had considerable influence on religious and didactic plays of the sixteenth century. Hrosvitha was followed by Hildegard of Bingen (d. 1179), a Benedictine abbess, who wrote a Latinmusical drama called OrdoVirtutum in 1155.

I.Fill in the blanks, using the information from the text.

1.From the 5th century, Western Europe was plunged into a period of _______

2.Constantinople had ________that were in use as late as the 5th century CE.

3.These _______ were denounced by the Church during the Dark Ages.

4.As such, most organized _____ disappeared in Western Europe.

5.The true importance of the Byzantines in _____ is their preservation of many classical Greek texts.

6.Churches in Europe began staging ________ of particular biblical events.

7.Hrosvitha (c.935–973) wrote _______ modeled on Terence's comedies.

8.Benedictineabbess wrote a Latin ________called OrdoVirtutum in 1155.

II. Answer the questions

1.What entertainments were popular in Byzantine theatre?

2.How many theatres did Constantinople have?

3.What was the true importance of the Byzantines in theatrical history?

4.Did organized theatrical activities still exist in Western Europe at that period?

5.What entertainments besides theatres traveled around Europe throughout the period?

6.When did churches in Europe began staging dramatized versions of particular biblical events?

7.What did Liturgical drama look like?

8.What do you know about Hrosvitha and her plays?

GOLDEN AGE THEATRE

During its Golden Age, roughly from 1590 to 1681, Spain saw a monumental increase in the production of live theatre as well as the in importance of theatre within Spanish society. It was an accessible art form for all participants in Renaissance Spain, being both highly sponsored

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by the aristocratic class and highly attended by the lower classes. The volume and variety of Spanish plays during the Golden Age was unprecedented in the history of world theatre, surpassing, for example, the dramatic production of the English Renaissance by a factor of at least four. Although this volume has been as much a source of criticism as praise for Spanish Golden Age theatre, for emphasizing quantity before quality, a large number of the 10,000 to 30,000 plays of this period are still considered masterpieces.

Major artists of the period included Lope de Vega, a contemporary of Shakespeare, often, and contemporaneously, seen his parallel for the Spanish stage, and Calderon de la Barca, inventor of the zarzuela and Lope's successor as the preeminent Spanish dramatist. Gil Vicente, Lope de Rueda, and Juan del Encina helped to establish the foundations of Spanish theatre in the mid-sixteenth centuries, while Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla and Tirso de Molina made significant contributions in the later half of the Golden Age. Important performers included Lope de Rueda (previously mentioned among the playwrights) and later Juan Rana.

The sources of influence for the emerging national theatre of Spain were as diverse as the theatre that nation ended up producing. Storytelling traditions originating in Italian Commedia dell'arte and the uniquely Spanish expression of Western Europe's traveling minstrel entertainments contributed a populist influence on the narratives and the music, respectively, of early Spanish theatre. Neo-Aristotelian criticism and liturgical dramas, on the other hand, contributed literary and moralistic perspectives. In turn, Spanish Golden Age theatre has dramatically influenced the theatre of later generations in Europe and throughout the world. Spanish drama had an immediate and significant impact on the contemporary developments in English Renaissance theatre. It has also had a lasting impact on theatre throughout the Spanish speaking world. Additionally, a growing number of works are being translated, increasing the reach of Spanish Golden Age theatre and strengthening its reputation among critics and theatre patrons.

I Match a term and definition

1.a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.

2.adapts appearance, such as with costumes and stage makeup, etc.

3.a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities

4.action or emotion expressions associated with drama

5.a dramatic composition or piece

6.an abstract object often associated with either theater and scene or point of progress

7.one of several prominent periodicals serving the metaphysical and postspiritual community in Australia.

8.a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, or history

9.One who writes plays

10.a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives pleasure and delight

11.a place where you can see a play staged

12.one who takes part in something

III.Fill in the blanks with the missing words in the fillowing sentences, the first letter of each word has been given to help you

1.Spain saw a monumental increase in the production of live t… within Spanish society.

2.Major a… of the period included Lope de Vega, a contemporary of Shakespeare.

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3.The volume and variety of Spanish p… during the Golden Age was unprecedented in the history of world theatre

4.The sources of influence for the emerging national theatre of Spain were as diverse as the theatre that n… ended up producing

5.Spanish expression of Western Europe's traveling minstrel e… contributed a populist influence on the narratives and the music, respectively

6.Neo-Aristotelian c… and liturgical dramas, on the other hand, contributed literary and moralistic perspectives.

AMERICAN THEATRE

The American theatre is over two hundred years old, but American drama became American only in the 20th century when such prominent playwrights as Eugene O’Neill, Robert

Sherwood and others began their creative work. The centre of the American theatrical world is in a section of New York City on and near Broadway. It is the aim of every talented actor, producer and playwright to get to Broadway. Success on Broadway guarantees success elsewhere.

Broadway is a wide avenue cutting through New York’s Manhatten Island as a diagonal. Broadway is a mass of glittering lights and advertising signs. This centre of theatrical life still keeps its leading position but the taste of the audience has changed. People show more interest about entertaining shows, musicals, comedies than about serious drama. Experimental plays have not been successful on Broadway. Young actors and playwrights without any employment on Broadway began Off-Broadway productions in the late 1940s and early 1950s Theatre-goers come mostly from the society who can afford the price of the ticket. A visit to Broadway has become a sign of prestige. Unlike other countries, there is no national subsidized theatre in the United States. The Broadway theatre is a truly commercial enterprise and to ensure success the producer must get a big famous star under contract. As usual, Broadway welcomes theatrical productions from abroad.

Few would deny that Broadway remains the prima donna of the American theatrical experience, a powerful magnet for the country’s finest performers. But in the short period of few decades something has changed. Regional theatres across the United States have slowly challenged the might of Broadway regularly sending the best of their seasons to New York. There are 200 regional theatres in 40 states operate under the contracts from the theatrical unions. Approximately 200 professional theatres in the United States are devoted to children’s productions.

America’s most important playwrights are considered to be Eugene O’Neill, Lilian Hellman, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Adwars Albee. Eugene O’Neill was the first important American playwright of serious, nonmusical drama. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1936, and he was the only dramatist to win the Pulitzer Prize in drama four times.

At the age of Enlightenment folk dramas, carnivals were very popular. The genre of tragedy is the oldest of all but later comedies, operettas, variety shows appeared on the stage.

Two important developments in recent years are the "theatre of absurd" and the "black theatre". There are also some experiments with music and lighting, body movements to replace spoken words in expressing ideas, and spontaneous audience participation in some performances.

I. Fill in the blanks with the articles a, an, the where necessary.

Few would deny that Broadway remains … prima donna of … American theatrical experience … powerful magnet for … country’s finest performers. But in … short period of few decades something has changed. Regional theatres across …United States have slowly challenged the might of Broadway regularly sending …best of their seasons to … New York. There are 200 regional theatres in 40 states operate under … contracts from …theatrical unions. Approximately 200 professional theatres in … United States are devoted to children’s productions.

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At … age of Enlightenment folk dramas, carnivals were very popular. …genre of tragedy is … oldest of all but later comedies, operettas; variety shows appeared on

…stage.

II.Put the verbs into Present Simple Tense.

1.The American theatre (to be) over two hundred years old.

2.The centre of theatrical life still (to keep) its leading position

3.People (to show) more interest about shows, musicals.

4.Theatre – goers (to come) mostly from the society who can (to afford) the price of the ticket.

5.Often they (to want) to perform in a new and experimental place.

6.Some of the theatres (to follow) repertory schedules.

III.Insert prepositions

1.American drama became American only …the 20* century.

2.Success … Broadway guarantees success elsewhere.

3.Young actors and playwrights … any employment … Broadway began Off-Broadway productions.

4.Unlike other countries, there is no national subsidized theatre … the United States.

5.But in the short period … few decades something has changed.

6.Approximately 200 professional theatres … the United States are devoted … children’s productions.

7.Eugene O’Neill received the Nobel Prize… Literature … 1936.

8.As usual, Broadway welcomes theatrical productions … abroad.

9.… the age of Enlightenment folk dramas, carnivals were very popular.

10. Later comedies, operettas, variety shows appeared … the stage

The Bolshoi Theatre

Although in recent years the Bolshoi has been beset by financial and artistic difficulties, and somewhat overshadowed by the remarkable resurgence of St Petersburg's Kirov, it is still one of the greatest theatres in the world, with its own proud traditions and unforgettable atmosphere. An evening at the Bolshoi really is an essential part of a visit to Moscow.

The building itself is one of Moscow's most symbolic sites, a truly impressive example of Russian Classical architecture that faces the Kremlin walls, and some fairly tacky open air bars and restaurants, with proud indifference. The Bolshoi is the second biggest opera house in Europe (after La Scala), and grandeur and artistic strength are combined in everything from the impressive statue of Apollo that crowns the facade to the ballet's famously muscular style of choreography.

2002 saw the opening of a new stage, with state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment and a more intimate atmosphere akin to that of a Tsarist court theatre.

The Bolshoi takes its role as Russia's national theatre seriously, and the policy is to ensure that 70% of its repertoire is made up of Russian masterpieces. In recent years the company has made every effort to increase the number of works by 20th century Russian composers not performed or little performed in the Soviet Union, and some of the most exciting recent additions to the repertoire have been ballets and operas by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, etc.

For genuine lovers of opera and ballet, it is worth doing some research before choosing the performance you wish to attend, as quality can be variable. For the rest of us, the

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breathtaking beauty of the setting, the idiosyncrasies of Russian theatre-going and the historic atmosphere should be more than enough to guarantee a truly memorable evening out.

It is possible to book tickets on the internet, but it works out considerably more expensive than going to the theatre box office. However, some performances sell out very fast, so it may be worth the extra cost. See the "Useful Information" section for details.

The main stage of the Bolshoi Theatre will be closed for reconstruction until 2008. Performances of larger productions may be staged at the State Kremlin Palace.

The company of the Bolshoi was originally founded in 1776 by Prince Peter Urusov and English impresario Michael Maddox as the Moscow Public Theatre. Maddox became the sole owner in 1780, and a building was constructed for the company on Petrovskaya (now Teatralnaya) Square, on the site of the present theatre.

Moscow Art Theatre

Moscow Art Theatre, in full Moscow Art Academic Theatre, Russian Moscovsky Akademichesky Khudozhestvenny Teatr, or Moscovsky Khudozhestvenny Teatr, outstanding Russian theatre of theatrical naturalism founded in 1898 by two teachers of dramatic art, Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Its purpose was to establish a theatre of new art forms, with a fresh approach to its function. Sharing similar theatrical experience and interests, the cofounders met and it was agreed that Stanislavsky was to have absolute control over stage direction while Nemirovich-Danchenko was assigned the literary and administrative duties. The original ensemble was made up of amateur actors from the Society of Art and Literature and from the dramatic classes of the Moscow Philharmonic Society, where Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko had taught. Influenced by the German Meiningen Company, Stanislavsky began to develop a system of training for actors that would enable them to perform realistically in any sort of role and situation.

After some 70 rehearsals, the Moscow Art Theatre opened with Aleksey Tolstoy’s Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich in October 1898. For its fifth production it staged Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, a play that had failed in its first production. With its revival of The Seagull, the Art Theatre not only achieved its first major success but also began a long artistic association with one of Russia’s most celebrated playwrights: in Chekhov’s artistic realism, the Art Theatre discovered a writer suited to its aesthetic sensibilities. In The Seagull, as in all of Chekhov’s plays, the Art Theatre emphasized the subtext, the underlying meaning of the playwright’s thought. Artistically, the Art Theatre tried all that was new. Its repertoire included works of Maksim Gorky, L.N. Andreyev, Leo Tolstoy, Maurice Maeterlinck, and Gerhart Hauptmann, among others, and it staged works of political and social significance as well as satires, fantasies, and comedies.

After the Russian Revolution it received crucial support from V.I. Lenin and A.V. Lunacharsky, first commissar of education in the Soviet Union, and in 1922 the Art Theatre toured Europe and the United States, garnering critical acclaim wherever it performed. Returning to Moscow in 1924, the theatre continued to produce new Soviet plays and Russian classics. Two successful tours of London in the late 1950s and early ’60s reestablished its preeminence in world theatre. The Art Theatre has exercised a tremendous influence on theatres all over the world: it fostered a number of experimental studios (e.g., Vakhtangov Theatre, Realistic Theatre, Habima Theatre, Musical Studio of Nemirovich-Danchenko), and, today, virtually all professional training in acting uses some aspects of Konstantin Stanislavsky’s method.

In 1987 the theatre split into two companies-the Moscow Art Academic Theatre of Gorky and the Moscow Art Theatre of Chekhov-because of professional differences.

M.S. Shchepkin Belgorod State Academic Drama Theatre

M.S. Shchepkin Belgorod State Academic Drama Theatre... The first archive records of it are dating back to 1936. At that time Belgorod Kolkhoz and Sovkhoz Theatre, serving to introduce the true examples of socialist art to the kolkhoz peasantry, began its work. But the

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