Черепина Марина Юрьевна

учитель английского языка

МОУ Полетаевская СОШ

Сосновского района Челябинской области

Read the text.

Chelyabinsk Region

The ancient ridge of the Ural Mountains presents a natural boundary between Europe and Asia. The Ural Mountains, which are also called the Stone Belt, extended for 2,500 kilometres from hot Kazakh Steppes to the frozen coast of the Arctic Ocean.

The widest part of the Urals is bounded in the North and the South by the valleys of Ufalei and Ural rivers and is called the South Urals. The ancient Urals aren’t very high, but they are famous for their unique beauty.

The Chelyabinsk region is situated in the South Urals. In the north it borders on Sverdlovsk region, in the east - on Kurgan region, in the south - on Orenburg region, in the west - on Bashkortostan, in the south-east - on Kazakhstan. The whole territory of the Chelyabinsk region is 88,529 square kilometres. The population is 3,490,053 people. Most of the people are Russian, but there are also other nationalities.

There are 30 cities in the Chelyabinsk region. The largest is Chelyabinsk. It is the capital of the region. The history of Chelyabinsk goes back to the 18th century. It was founded on the 13th of September 1736 by Colonel Tevkelev as a small fortress on the right bank of the river Miass in the place of a small Bashkir village which name it took. Now it is the main industrial, economic and cultural centre of the South Urals.

The climate of the Chelyabinsk region is continental: winters are cold, and summers are warm. The relief of the Chelyabinsk region is varied from lowlands and hilly plains up to ridges. The highest mountain of the Chelyabinsk region is Nurgush (1,406 metres). The Chelyabinsk region is one of the most picturesque parts of Russia. There are 3,602 rivers there, but only seven of them are more than 200 kilometres long. They are the Ural, the Miass, the Ui, the Ai, the Uvel’ka and the Gumbeika. Our region is a famous lake-land. Lots of Chelyabinsk lakes are known by their beauty.

The Chelyabinsk region is rich in mineral resources such as coal, copper, iron ore and nickel. Our region is highly developed in terms of industry and agriculture. It is famous for its ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy machinery and poultry.

The Chelyabinsk region has a well-developed railway system. It is connected with different cities and towns of Russia.

Chelyabinsk region is a land of beauty,

Chelyabinsk region is a land of glee.

It has a lot of forests, lakes and cities,

Where a man is happy, proud and free.

I. Find equivalents for the following words and word combinations in the text.

Челябинская область, граница, горный хребет, столица, маленькая крепость, правый берег реки, экономический центр, континентальный климат, озерный край, птицеводство.

2. Join the parts of the sentences.

1) Chelyabinsk was founded

a) in the South Urals.

2) Chelyabinsk is

b) is varied from lowlands and hilly plains up to ridges.

3) The Chelyabinsk region is situated

c) are more than 200 km long

4) Nurgush is

d) as a small fortress on the right bank of the river Miass

5) The Ural, the Miass, the Ui, the Ai, the Uvel’ka and the Gumbeika

e) its ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy machinery and poultry.

6) The Chelyabinsk region is famous for

f) the highest mountain of the Chelyabinsk Region

7) The relief of the Chelyabinsk region

g) the capital of the region

2. Say if these statements are true or false.

   1. The ancient ridge of the Ural Mountains presents a natural boundary between Europe and Asia.

   2. The ancient Urals are very high.

   3. The Chelyabinsk region is situated in the North Urals.

   4. There are 30 cities in the Chelyabinsk region.

   5. Chelyabinsk was founded as a small fortress on the left bank of the river Miass.

   6. There 3,602 lakes in the Chelyabinsk region.

   7. Our region is highly developed in terms of industry and agriculture.

2. Make a list of 5 questions you think a foreigner would ask your classmate about the Chelyabinsk Region.

2. Complete the sentences.

   1. The Ural Mountains extended for 2500 kilometres from …

   2. Most of the people are Russian, but …

   3. The climate of the Chelyabinsk region is …

   4. The relief of the Chelyabinsk region is varied from …

   5. There are 3,602 rivers there, but …

   6. The Chelyabinsk region is rich in mineral resources such as …

   7. The Chelyabinsk region is famous for its …

2. Write the plan of the text and retell it.

2. Follow-up.

You’ve been asked to write an article about the most attractive place in your region.

Mention the following: where it is; how large it is; some historical information; some special facts.