Unit 5 Wonders of the world

1. Read and translate the text.

The Egyptian pyramids

In the Libyan Desert you can see the only remained wonder of the world – the Egyptian pyramids. Once there were about 80 pyramids, the oldest one was Zocer’s pyramid made by the first named architect Imhotep in the 3^rd millennium B.C. The height of the pyramid was about 60 meters. It was the staircase leading to the Heavens.

Today there exist 3 pyramids – Cheops’s, Chephren’s and Mecerine’s ones. The largest one is the Pyramid of Cheops. It is about 147ms high with the square side about 233ms long and 201 steps. The total square is about 50.000 square meters. It consists of 2.300.000 cubic blocks of stone (limestone plus polished white stone). The pyramid had been being built for 20 years. Its architect was Khemium.

Vocabulary:

1) staircase – лестница;

2) length – длина;

3) height – высота;

4) width – ширина;

5) high – высокий;

5) wide – широкий.

2. Read and translate the text.

Hanging Gardens

In 90 km from Baghdad there lie the ruins of Babylon, the richest and the biggest city in the Middle East. The Hanging Gardens are connected with the name of the legendary Assyrian Queen Semiramide but it hasn’t been proved yet. The Hanging Gardens were created later by the order of the king Nebuchadnezzar for his favourite wife Amitis from the place of Midie. The Hanging Gardens were planted on the terraces resting on the pylons and vaults. The height of the each “floor” was about 28 meters. Each terrace was covered with the thick layer of the fertile black soil.

They say that Alexander the Great spent his last days in those famous gardens in 323 B.C. The Gardens were ruined by the waters of Euphrates.

Vocabulary:

1) layer – слой, пласт;

2) fertile – плодородный;

3) soil – почва, земля;

4) vault – свод;

5) ruin – разрушать.

3. Read and translate the text.

Artemis Temple

Ephesus, on the West Coast of the Asia Minor, had reached great fame, richness and popularity by the 6^th century B.C. The protector of the city was Zeus’s daughter Artemis. This goddess was considered to be the supreme and in her honor the Temple was erected in 530 B.C. The construction was going for about 120 years.

When the white-marble wonder was accomplished – it was something unbelievably beautiful.

In 356 B.C. the Temple of Artemis was destroyed (set on fire by Herostratus), but later on the citizens restored the beauty. Nevertheless little by little the bogs on which the Temple was standing and the Gothic tribes made their ill affair.

Vocabulary:

1) erect – сооружать, воздвигать;

2) bog – болото;

3) restore – реставрировать;

4) accomplish – завершать;

5) consider – считать, рассматривать.

4. Read and translate the text.

Zeus Statue

The ancient Greek town of Olympia was the place of the high worship of the supreme god Zeus.

The Statue of Zeus in his temple belongs to the Seven Wonders of the World. The master of the wonder was Phidius. He is well-known all over the world. The sculpture was executed in the 5^th century B.C. It was made of gold, wood, ivory and precious stones. The coat, the hair and the beard of Zeus were made of pure gold. In one hand Zeus was holding the statue of Nicka (winged goddess of Victory), in the other hand – the king’s scepter with the eagle on the top. The statue was almost alive and dynamic – a real masterpiece. The wonder of the world was destroyed during the fire in the palace of the Constantinople Emperor Theodosius II in the 5^th century A.D.

Vocabulary:

1) worship – культ, поклонение;

2) execute – выполнять, доводить до конца;

3) winged – крылатый;

4) masterpiece – шедевр;

5) destroy – разрушать, уничтожать;

6) all over the world – во всем мире;

7) belong to – принадлежать кому-то.

5. Read and translate the text.