Фрагмент курса английского языка по краеведению "История Смоленщины"

Виноградова Г.С.,

учитель английского языка

Fragment of "English Language Course on Local History "History of Smolensk Region"

(Фрагмент «Курса английского языка по краеведению «История Смоленщины»)

The Smolensk Region

Part I

The Smolensk Region is in the west of the Russian Federation. It was formed in 1937. It covers 49900 square kilometers. This is more than the territory of Denmark (43000sq. km) or Switzerland (41000 sq.km.). In shape the region resembles a triangle; it stretches for 250 km from the north to the south and 270 km from the west to the east.

So our region is located in the western part of Russia and borders on Belarus to the west, the Pskov and Tver regions to the northwest, the Moscow region to the north and east, and the Kaluga and Bryansk regions of Russia to the southeast.

Smolensk is one of the cities of the Russian Federation and the centre of one of its 46 regions. The region includes 5 more towns of regional significance. They are Gagarin, Roslavl, Safonovo, Vyazma and Yartsevo, They are district centres. 886900 people live in the region and the population of Smolensk is 320170 .

Part II

The Smolensk Region is the main watershed of Eastern Europe. There are 1149 rivers with a total length of nearly 16700 km and some 125 lakes. The biggest river is the Dnieper, which runs into the Black Sea.

The climate of the Smolensk region is temperate, transitional between maritime and continental. The average yearly temperature is approximately 4,5*C. The winter is long and steady frost with snowfalls lasts for approximately 100 days (the average January temperature is -8,9*C). In March sudden rise in temperature is observed.

The summer is not hot, but it is fairly warm with abundant precipitation. Occasionally the temperature rises to 20 – 30*C above zero, but more often it reaches +18*C.

Our region is known to contain about 30 minerals. F.e. brown coal, peat, phosphorites, brick clays.

watershed – водораздел abundant – обильный, изобилующий

transitional – переходный precipitation – выпадение осадков

temperate - умеренный approximately - приблизительно

maritime - морской fairly – довольно

Part III

Over 30 per cent of the Smolensk region is covered with mixed forests, composed of the coniferous trees - pine and fir – with an admixture of oak, maple, linden, ash, birch, larch, asp.

Foxes, wolves, brown bears, martens, wild boars, squirrels, lynx and white hares inhabit the woods. Many valuable animals are found here, such as beavers, muskrats, otters, minks, deer, elks, roes. Birds are wood-grouses, black-cock, hazel grouses, black wood peckers and various types of ducks. The Russian hare can be seen on the open plains, as well as the following birds: grey partridge, quail, corn-crake and the field lark.

The natural surroundings are beautiful. One of the most picturesque spots in the area is the northwestern environs of Przhevalskoye (former Sloboda). N. Przhevalsky, the famous Central Asian explorer, lived there in his estate which he purchased after his 3^rd expedition to Central Asia and worked on the materials collected during his expeditions.

Coniferous – хвойный, шишконосный; roe – косуля;

admixture - примесь; wood-grouse – глухарь;

ash – ясень; black-cock – тетерев;

larch – лиственница hazel grouse – рябчик;

marten – куница; partridge –куропатка;

lynx – рысь; quail – перепел;

muskrat – ондатра, выхухоль; corn-crake – коростель;

otter – выдра; environs – окрестности;

mink – норка; asp – осина.

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