7. Прочитайте диалоги и воспроизведите их в парах:

1. George: Excuse me sir, I'm a stranger here. Will you tell me how to get to the centre of Moscow?

Peter: There is an express bus that will take you to the nearest metro station.

George: How long will it take me?

Peter: About half an hour or so. And it will take you another half hour to go by the metro.

George: Can I take a taxi?

Peter: Certainly you can. The taxi stop is over there, in the square.

George: Oh, thank you very much.

Peter: You are welcome.

2.  The Russian capitals

Yuri: Tanya, do you know how old Moscow is?

Tanya: Yes, of course. Chronicles first mentioned Moscow in 1147. It was a little settlement at the top of a hill looking over the Moskva River, a settlement founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruki. He was the Russian Prince of Vladimir and Suzdal. In those times Kiev was the main city of Russia. It was its capital.

Yuri: I know that the white stone walls and towers of the Kremlin appeared and Moscow, which was in fact the Kremlin, became a strong fortress.

Tanya: You're right. In the XVI century Moscow was one of the largest cities in Europe. In 1712 the Russian king, Tsar Peter the Great moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg, a new city founded in 1703 on the banks of the Neva River.

Yuri: And when did Moscow become the capital again?

Tanya: After the revolution in 1917. On March 10, 1918 a special train left St. Petersburg for Moscow.

Yuri: Also, there have been three capitals in Russia.

UNIT 14. SO MANY COUNTRIES SO MANY CUSTOMS

1. Прочитайте тексты и расскажите о самых интересных праздниках:

HOLIDAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN

There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European Countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed.

The most popular holiday is Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Central streets are beautifully decorated.

Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold a carol service on the Sunday before Christmas.

The fun starts the night before, on the 24th of December. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at the end of their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets.

Christmas is a family holiday. Relatives usually meet for the big Christmas dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. And everyone gives and receives presents. The 26 of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas Day. This is the time to visit friends and relatives or perhaps sit at home and watch football.

New Year's Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year.

Besides public holidays there are some special festivals in Great Britain. One of them takes place on the 5th of November. On that day, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. He didn't succeed. The King's men found the bomb, took Guy Fawkes to the Tower and cut off his head.

Since that day the British celebrate the 5th of November. They burn a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a bonfire and let off fireworks. This dummy is called a “guy” (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen in the streets before the 5 of November saying, “Penny for the guy”. If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks. There are also smaller, local festivals in Britain.

THE HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING DAY

(by Monica Vincent)

The last Thursday in November, as you know, is a holiday in America. People call this holiday Thanksgiving Day. It is perhaps the most important day in the American year. People go to church, and families come together for the day. They decorate their houses with the fruits and flowers of autumn and prepare traditional American food: roast turkey, potatoes and pumpkin. It's rather like Christmas, but what are people celebrating? What are they giving thanks for?

Do you remember the first colonists in New England? In 1620 they came to America and began a new life there. It was a very hard life. The colonists started to farm the land. The work was difficult and full of danger. In New England, the place where they lived, there were many wild birds. They were like chickens but much bigger. They were turkeys. In the autumn of 1621 the colonists had their first harvest. It was rather good. The colonists decided to have a special dinner. They wanted to thank God to give him their thank for many things. It was a difficult year, but the people still had food to eat. The colonists had thanksgiving dinner for all the people. It lasted three days.

Wild turkeys were on the table of this meal, and since then the turkey has become a symbol of Thanksgiving Day.