The system of government of the russian federation

HEAD OF THE STATE THE PRESIDENT elected for 4 years by direct popular vote(over 35 years old: a citizen of Russia, a resident of the country for at least 10 years)

LEGISLATIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE BRANCH FEDERAL ASSEMBLY the COUNCIL of FEDERATION the STATE DUMA two representatives from each 450 members elected for 4 years subject of Federation

EXECUTIVE BRANCH the GOVERNMENT of the RUSSIAN FEDERATION the PRIME MINISTER the CABINET appointed by the President and formed by the Prime minister and approved by State Duma approved by the President

JUDICIAL BRANCH the CONSTITUTIONAL the SUPREME the ARBITRATION COURT COURT COURT All appointed by the Council of Federation

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Read and translate the text.

Answer the following questions.

1.What is the form of government in Russia?

2.What branches does the government consist of?

3.What is the legislative power exercised by?

4.What body does the executive power belong to?

5.What does the system of courts consist of?

6.What are the national symbols in Russia?

7.Do we have a president? A prime minister?

8.How is the President of the Russian Federation elected?

9.Who can be the president of our country?

10.How many members are there in the State Duma?

11.How often do we re-elect the State Duma?

12.Who makes the Council of Federation?

13.Do we have any political parties in our country?

14.What parties do you know?

15.Does the party that wins the most seats in the State Duma choose the prime minister?

16.What is the way of appointing the prime minister in our country?

17.Who forms the Cabinet of ministers?

Sum up the text.

Tell your teacher about Russian system of government.

Translate into English:

1.Исполнительную власть представляет кабинет министров,

возглавляемый премьер – министром.

2.Судебная власть осуществляется Конституционным судом, Верховным судом

и другими судами.

3.Россия – федерация; законодательная власть в стране принадлежит

Федеральному собранию.

4.Правительство Российской Федерации состоит из законодательной, исполнительной и

судебной властей, подконтрольных президенту.

5.К государственным символам относятся флаг, гимн и герб.

6.*Российская Федерация-это государство, построенное на федеральной основе . Она состоит из субъектов федерации, включающие автономные республики и другие территориальные образования.

7.*В соответствии с Конституцией принятой в 1993 году, государственную власть в Российской Федерации осуществляют Президент Российской Федерации, Федеральное Собрание, Правительство России и суды.

8.*Конституция гарантирует основные права и свободы каждого.

9.*Президентом может быть гражданин Российской Федерации не моложе 35 лет, постоянно проживающий в России не менее 10 лет.

10.*Президент назначает премьер-министра, который становится главой правительства (кабинета министров).

11.*Президент является Верховным Главнокомандующим Вооруженными силами. Он

формирует и возглавляет Совет Безопасности Российской Федерации.

12.*Президент обладает полномочиями назначать выборы Государственной Думы, распускать Думу, вносить законопроекты на рассмотрение в Госдуму подписывать и обнародовать федеральный закон.

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Read the text for 5 minutes then close it.

What can you remember about Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin?

Putin, Vladimir (president) President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in Leningrad (Now St. Petersburg) on October 7, 1952. In 1975 he graduated from the Legal Department of Leningrad State University and was given a post in the security service. From 1985 to 1990 he served in the GDR. On August 20, 1991, he tendered his resignation from the security service. In 1990 he was given the post of Assistant President of Leningrad State University for international affairs and later served as adviser to the chairman of the Leningrad City Council. On June 12, 1991, he was appointed chairman of the Committee on External Ties of the St. Petersburg Mayoralty. In that post he was responsible for investment in the city's economy, the establishment of joint ventures and cooperation with foreign partners. In 1994-96 he served as first deputy chairman of the St. Petersburg government and chairman of the Committee on External Ties of the St. Petersburg Mayoralty. He also headed a municipal operation commission. He was in charge of the city's law-enforcement bodies and contacts with St. Petersburg's Legislative Assembly and the Public Relations Department. In August 1996 he was appointed deputy director of the property department under the President in Moscow. In March 1997 he was appointed deputy head of the President's Administration and head of the Main Control Directorate. From May 1998 he served as first deputy head of the President's Administration (with special responsibilities for contacts with the country's regions). In July 1998 he was appointed Director of the Federal Security Service and in March 1999 - Security Council Secretary. He held the post of Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation from August 1999. On December 31, 1999, he became Acting President of the Russian Federation. On March 26, 2000, he was elected President of the Russian Federation. On May 7, 2000, he was inaugurated as President of the Russian Federation. He holds a degree in economics. He speaks fluent German and has a basic command of English. He has practiced sambo (unarmed self-defense) and judo since he was eleven years old. In 1973 he was awarded the title of Sports Master in sambo, and the same title in judo was conferred on him in 1975. -8- His wife is Lyudmila Alexandrovna Putina. The Putins have two daughters.

Tell the class two things you discovered about Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

With a partner, decide what questions you can ask a famous politician.

For example: What’s your full name?

“Where/when....born? “Describe your typical day.....”

“How tall....?” “Tell me about.....”

“How many.....?” “What about.....?”

“What is/are your.....?” “Anything else?”

“Who’s your favourite...?”

“.....married?”

“What’s/are your favourite....?”

Additional reading

		National Symbols The national coat of arms, the national flag and the national anthem are symbols of the Russian state. The national symbols of the Russian Federation reflect historical continuity. The history of Russia's flag and coat of arms began many centuries ago. In December 2000 and January 2001 the national symbols of the Russian Federation were enshrined in federal laws on the coat of arms, flag and anthem. These laws also define the use of the national symbols. The Russian press acclaimed that event as reflecting the desire of Russian leaders to reconcile society with the history of the Russian state and restore historical continuity. The capital of the Russian state -Moscow - is also considered to be a national symbol.
The State Flag of the Russian Federation
The State Flag of the Russian Federation is an official symbol of state power; embodies state sovereignty. On December 11, 1993, President B.N. Yeltsin of the Russian Federation signed Decree "On the State Flag of the Russian Federation" and approved Statute of the State Flag of the Russian Federation. -9- The documents say this: "The State Flag of the Russian Federation shall be a right-angled piece of bunting of three equivalent horizontal stripes: upper, white; middle, blue; lower, red in colour. The ratio of the flag's width to its length shall be 2:3." In fact, the State Flag of the Russian Federation reproduces the merchant marine flag that existed in Russia since 1705 (from 1873 on, it was considered a state flag along with the Romanovs' black-gold-white dynastic flag). The exact order of stripes on the flag is known since Peter I's times as well: the upper stripe is white, the middle blue, and the lower red. The arrangement of the stripes fitted in with the ancient concept of the world: the physical and carnal world is below, the heavenly world is above it, and the divine world is superimposed upon the two. In the 19th century, the stripes were made to symbolize the concord of the three East Slavic peoples: the Byelorussians, the Ukrainians, and the Russians. In Old Russia, the colors of the flag were always symbolic of human qualities: white, nobility and frankness; blue, fidelity, integrity, irreproachability, chastity; red, courage, audacity, self-sacrifice, magnanimity and love. The state flags of the Russian Federation are hoisted atop the buildings of the supreme bodies of state power and administration, embassies, trade missions, consulates of the Russian Federation abroad, are flown by ships in the high seas and in the territorial waters of foreign states, etc. The State Flag of Russia is hung on a specialized flag-pole (mast) in front of a building or atop a building. Whenever raised vertically, the white stripe shall be on the left and the red stripe on the right.
	National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation The National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation is an official state symbol of the Russian Federation. The State Duma passed on December 8, 2000, Federal Constitutional Bill "On the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation," which was later approved by the Federation Council and signed into law, on December 25, 2000, by President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. The National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation is a quadrangular red heraldic shield with rounded lower angles and a pointed extremety, which has a gold two-headed eagle rising up on open wings. The eagle wears two small crowns and one large above them, linked by a band.. In its right talon it holds an orb, and in the left a sceptre. On its chest is a red shield, on which a silver horseman in a blue cloak is riding to the left on a silver horse. He is piercing a black, prone dragon with a silver spear as the horse tramples it. The gold two-headed eagle placed against the red background keeps historical continuity with the color gamut of the late 15th - 17th century coats of arms. In its design, the eagle dates back to images on monuments of Peter the Great's epoch. It is his three historic -10- crowns that are depicted above the eagle's heads, which in the new conditions symbolize the sovereignty of both the Russian Federation as a whole and its parts, the subjects of the Federation. The sceptre and the orb the eagle holds in its talons symbolize the state power and a united state. The horseman piercing a dragon on its chest is an ancient symbol of the clash of good and evil, light and darkness, as well as of defense of Fatherland. The restoration of the two-headed eagle as Russia's National Coat of Arms represents indissolubility and continuity of national history. Its present-day coat of arms is a new crest, but its components are profoundly traditional; it reflects the different stages of national history and carries them on in the third millennium.

Capital

1.tomention- упоминать

2.chronicle– хроника, летопись

3.frontier settlement– пограничный поселок

4.unique- уникальный

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its administrative, economic, political and educational centre. It is one of Russia’s major cities with the population of about 10 million people. Its total area is about 900 thousand square kilometres.

The city was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky and was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1147. At that time it was a small frontier settlement. By the 15^th century Moscow had grown into a wealthy city.

The present-day Moscow is the seat of the government of the Russian Federation.

Moscow is a major industrial city. Its leading industries are engineering, chemichal and light industries.

Moscow is known for its many historical buildings, museums and art galleries, as well as for the famous Bolshoi, Maly and Art theatres. There are more than 80 museums in Moscow, among them the unique Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Andrey Rublyov Museum of Early Russian Art and many others.

Moscow is a city of science and learning. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in the city, including a number of universities.

Read and translate the text.

Answer the questions.

1.What is the role of Moscow in Russia?

2.When was Moscow founded? Who founded Moscow?

3.Why do we say that the year of 1147 is only the official date of the foundation of Moscow?

4.What part does the present-day Moscow play in the life of Russia?

Translate into English:

1.Москва – административный, экономический, политический центр России и один из

крупнейших городов страны.

2.Население Москвы – около 10 миллионов человек, общая площадь –900 кв. километров.

3.Москва была основана Юрием Долгоруким и впервые упоминалась в летописях

в 1147 году.

4.Из пограничного поселка Москва превратилась в процветающий город.

5.Москва – крупный промышленный город, город науки и образования.

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Write a list of your favourite Moscow sights. Tell your groupmates about them.

Write a letter to your penpal describing one of the most Moscow sights(150-200 words).

Quiz*

Put a tick () next to the correct answer.

1.When was Moscow first mentioned in the records?

a) 1380 b) 980 c) 1147

2.Who headed the liberation movement in the 14-th century?*

a) Prince Dmitry Donskoy

b) citizen Minin and prince Pozharsky

c) Ivan III

3.When did Moscow become the capital of Russia?

a) in the 15^th century

b) in the 12^th century

c) in the 16^th century

4.What happened to Moscow in September of 1812?

a) rebuilt b)set ablaze c) a great festival was held

SUPPLEMENTARY READING.*

RUSSIAN RAILWAYS

First bricks in the foundation of Russia’s railway were laid in 1834, when Demidovs’ metallurgic works in Nizhny Tagil designed and built Russia’s first steam-engine and a 3.5-km railway. They were created by Cherepanovs, father and son, who were serfs, mechanics and inventors at the same time. After working at Moscow and Saint-Petersburg factories and a few European enterprises, they had a lot of experience. Using it, they built about 20 steam machines for production and transportation purposes. But creation of a steam-engine undoubtedly was to become their greatest triumph. It’s worth mentioning that first cast-iron tracks appeared in Russia as far back as in the 18^th century. But they were used only in mineral resource and metallurgical industries.

Top state officials quite often expressed their doubts about economic cost-effectiveness of building railways in the country. But advantages of transport of this kind, as well as considerable profits it was yielding in Europe’s developed countries (e.g., in England), made an impression on the Russian Emperor. On April 15,1836, Nikolai I issued a decree about building a railway from Petersburg to Tsarskoe Selo. 18 months late, on October 30,1837, the siren by the steam-engine hailed the launch of Russia’s first public railway. A little later the line was extended to Pavlovsk. Its terminus was turned into a ‘voksal’-one of the country’s most famous pleasure houses. Wealthy people from Saint-Petersburg made special arrangements to come there. It was only much later that it turned into a railway station in its proper sense- station-wide premises for passengers. Thus began the history of Russia’s railways.

Render the text into Russian without a dictionary.

Check yourself.

Translate the following without a dictionary.

1.Россия – самая большая страна в мире с общей площадью около 17 миллионов кв.

километров, расположена в Восточной Европе и северной части Азии.

2.Россия протянулась от Балтийского моря до Тихого океана и от Северного Ледовитого

океана до Черного моря.

3.Три четверти запасов полезных ископаемых страны сконцентрировано в Сибири, в том

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числе нефть, природный газ, уголь, золото и цветные металлы.

4.Транссибирская магистраль включена в качестве приоритетного маршрута в сообщении

между Европой и Азией в проекты многих международных организаций.

5.Форма правления в России, одной из ведущих мировых держав,- федерация.

ADDITIONAL TEXTS

THE ECONOMY

From 1917 until 1991 Russia (then the R.S.F.S.R.), by virtue of its great size and abundant natural resources, played a leading role in the economy of the Soviet Union. Resources, in particular, made possible the main economic achievements of the Soviet regime until the 1950s: the rapid development of mining, metallurgy, and heavy engineering, the expansion of the railway network, and a massive increase in the energy supply. A second phase in Soviet industrial development began in the 1960s and also had a particularly strong effect on the Russian republic. In addition to further growth in established industries—especially in the production of oil, gas, and electricity and in the chemical industries—there was a marked diversification in industrial output, including a limited expansion in consumer goods. In the years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, however, the economy of Russia and of the union as a whole was in a state of decline.

In 1992, after the collapse of the union, the government of the Russian Federation implemented a series of radical reforms designed to transform the Russian economy from one that was centrally planned and controlled to one based on free enterprise and market forces. Major components of the reforms included establishing privately owned industrial and commercial ventures, with foreign as well as Russian investment, and privatizing state-owned enterprises. Vouchers were issued to each Russian citizen that were to be used to purchase shares in firms being privatized, which often were sold at auction; in practice, these vouchers frequently were sold for cash and were accumulated by entrepreneurs. A commodity- and stock-exchange system also was set up.

The privatization process was slow, however, and many firms—particularly in the heavy industries—remained under state ownership. In rural areas, land-reform legislation offered farmers the opportunity to gain title to parcels of land. This conversion also was slow, as many clung to the old, familiar system.

At the outset, these measures caused considerable hardships for the average Russian citizen. The monetary system was in disarray: the removal of price controls caused a huge escalation in inflation and prices, the value of the ruble plummeted, and real incomes fell dramatically. Industrial and agricultural production declined, and unemployment rose, causing shortages of consumer goods and (in urban areas) foodstuffs. These difficulties were reduced to some extent by the rapid development of a large informal (i.e., black market) economy. A result of these trends was the appearance of a widening gap between the successful entrepreneur and average worker. Conditions began to improve by the mid-1990s, but both production and consumption remained below the peak levels achieved under the Soviet regime.

In addition to these difficulties, Russia and other republics had been subjected to serious, long-term environmental degradation during the Soviet period, the full extent of which became apparent only in the 1990s. The most visible aspects of this situation—such as the Chernobyl

accident and its aftermath and the drastic reduction in the water volume of the Aral Sea through inflow diversions—were only symptomatic of decades of wasteful agricultural practices and resource exploitation and of widespread industrial pollution. Addressing environmental concerns

placed another burden on Russia's already overwhelmed economic structure.

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The economic foundation of the country itself remained similar to that which had been developed during the Soviet period. For purposes of description, it is convenient to refer to the official set of 11 economic regions into which Russia is divided. In Europe the regions are the North, Northwest, Central, Volga-Vyatka, Central Black Earth, North Caucasus, Volga, and Ural, and in Asia they are West Siberia, East Siberia, and the Far East.

Read the text. Answer the following question.

What does the word «economy» mean?

Give your own idea and compare it to the dictionary definition.

RESOURCES

Russia has enormous energy resources and deposits of many different minerals. Most, if not all, of the raw materials required by modern industry are found within the country.

FUEL AND POWER

Russia has by far the largest coal reserves among the former Soviet republics. The biggest fields lie in the remote Tunguska and Lena basins of East Siberia and the Far East, but these are largely untapped, and the bulk of output comes from more southerly fields along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. About three-fourths of Russia's coal is produced in Siberia—some two-fifths from the Kuznetsk Basin alone and the remainder from the Kansk-Achinsk, Cheremkhovo, and South Yakut basins and numerous smaller sources. The production of hard coal in the European section is mainly in the eastern Donets Basin and, in the Arctic, in the Pechora Basin around Vorkuta; the large Moscow Basin (entirely) and the small Urals fields (mainly) are sources of lignite.

The Russian Federation is one of the world's leading producers of oil and natural gas. The great bulk of the supply comes from the huge fields that underlie the northern part of the West Siberia region. Another significant source is from the Volga-Ural zone, and the remainder is derived mainly from the Komi-Ukhta field (North region); the North Caucasus region, once the U.S.S.R.'s leading producer, is now of little importance. Extensive pipeline systems link the producing districts to all regions of the federation, the neighbouring former Soviet republics, and, across the western frontier, numerous European countries.

Much of the fuel produced in Russia is converted to electricity, about three-fourths of which is generated in thermal stations; some two-thirds of thermal generation is from oil and gas. The remaining power output is produced by hydroelectric and nuclear plants. Most of the hydroelectricity comes from huge stations on the Volga, Kama, Ob, Yenisey, Angara, and Zeya rivers. Nuclear power production expanded rapidly before development was checked by the Chernobyl accident. Much of Siberia's electricity output is transmitted to the European region along high-voltage lines.

OTHER MINERALS

Russia produces large quantities of iron ore, mainly from the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (Central

Black Earth region), Kola Peninsula, Urals, and Siberia. The largest steel-producing plants are located mainly in the Urals, Central Black Earth region, and Kuznetsk Basin, but there is some steel production in every economic region.

Nonferrous metals are available in great variety from many districts, but by far the most

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important are those of the Ural region, which is the republic's main centre of nonferrous metallurgy. Russia is a major producer of cobalt, chrome, copper, gold, lead, manganese, nickel, platinum, tungsten, vanadium, and zinc. The country produces much of its aluminum from plants powered by the Siberian hydroelectric stations, but bauxite deposits are relatively meagre.