Передмова

Даний методичний посібник адресовано передусім студентам Інституту міжнародних відносин Київського національного університету імені Тараса Шевченка, вищих навчальних закладів, людям, які вивчають англійську мову на курсах іноземних мов та всім бажаючим спілкуватися іноземною мовою. Його мета полягає в формуванні комунікативної компетенції студентів та людей, які спілкуватимуться англійською мовою.

Методичний посібник складається з шости частин, в які увійшли текстові та лексичні матеріали з наступної тематики: відомості про Україну та міста, де будуть відбуватися спортивні події під час ЄВРО 2012 – Київ, Донецьк, Львів, Харків.

Кожна частина включає додатковий лексичний матеріал, який може стати в нагоді у повсякденних ситуаціях: проходження митного контролю, міський транспорт, подорожування власним авто, покупки, проблеми зі здоров’ям та візит до лікаря та ін.

Своїм наповненням та змістом методичний посібник відповідає вимогам програми з практичного курсу англійської мови «Іноземна мова: практичний курс».

Unit 1. Ukraine

Pre-reading task

What comes to your head when you think about Ukraine? Draw a mind-map with the word UKRAINE (which presents a topic) with the associations you have about this country and explain why you have them.

Name the countries Ukraine borders on and brainstorm information you will need to present your country.

TEXT 1

Study the definitions of the following words.

Populous – an area that has a large population in relation to its size.

Barrier – a physical objects that keeps two areas, people apart.

Plateau – a large area of flat land that is higher than the land around it.

Meadow – a field with wild grass and flowers.

Fertile – land or soil which is able to produce good crops.

Elevation – a height above the level of the sea.

Invasion – the arrival or presence in a place of a lot of people or things often where they are not wanted.

Irrigation – the supply of land or crops with water.

Tributary – a stream or river that flows into a larger river.

Drought – a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live.

If a person were asked to name the second largest country in Europe, his/her answer most likely would be France or Germany. People might be surprised to find out, however, that neither answer is correct. The country in that position is Ukraine, a rich and populous state, but one about which most of the world knows either nothing or just a little.

Location. Located to the north of the Black Sea, Ukraine encompasses an area larger than all of England, Ireland, Austria and Greece combined. Except for the Carpathian mountains to the southwest and the Black Sea to the south, Ukraine has no natural barriers and that is why it has been the subject of frequent invasions by its neighbours.

Topography. Ukrainian topography consists mostly of vast plains and plateaus which seldom reach the height of 300 metres above the sea level. The northwestern part of the country is an area of mixed forests and many lakes and rivers. This is the Polissia district of Ukraine, located in the Prypiat’ river basin, a land of fens and marshy meadows. Unfortunately the area suffered greatly after the Chornobyl’ catastrophe and a greater part of it is contaminated. To the south along the right bank of the Dnipro river which runs almost through the middle of Ukraine, from north to south, the elevation increases, the number of river decline, and a series of plateaus unfold. Low hills and steep rocky ravines are characteristic of this part of Ukraine. Along the eastern, left bank of the Dnipro is a low plain which increases in elevation eastward.

All traces of trees disappear on either side to the south along the Dnipro. The elevation steadily declines, the few rivers become quite shallow. This is the famous fertile steppe region which stretches from the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, along the shores of the Black and Azov Seas, and into the steppes of Central Asia.

The highest elevation in Ukraine is in the Carpathian mountain range. Greatly beloved by the Ukrainian people, the Carpathians are extremely picturesque, with large grassy pasture lands lying high above the forested lower slopes and cut by swift, clear rivers running between steep, rocky banks. The highest peak in the Ukrainian Carpathians is Hoverla (2,061 m). The steep mountainous coast of the Crimea in the Black Sea is the other region where elevation rise over 480 metres.

Rivers. The biggest and most beloved of the Ukrainian rivers is the Dnipro, which is famous in Ukrainian history and literature. It is the third largest river in Europe and serves as a great source of hydro-electric power. Other major rivers in Ukraine include the Dnister, the Prut, the Donets, and the Buh. Rivers and steams abound in most of Ukraine, except in the south where irrigation is necessary to fight with droughts that sometimes hit the region. Most of the streams, tributaries and rivers of the north empty into few main rivers and flow southward into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.