News

[kondrasha96]

 

“Sports and games”

Sport is important for us. There are a lot of interesting sports and games. I know basketball, volleyball, football, tennis, swimming, skating and skiing. I like swimming and skiing very much. I swim in the river in summer and ski in the forest in winter. I like to play football most of all. I usually play football with my friends.

"Unbelievable Sport"
The game of chess is one that requires patience, strategy and skill—but why not have two players whacking each other across the face, too?
That's what chess boxing does, as it takes the same skill set the usual game does, but adds in a physical element that leaves the players black and blue, as participants win by way of either the chess game or knocking their opponent out.

"Sports in Great Britain"
The British are known to be great sports-lovers, so when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of the games we play now have come from Britain. One of the most British games is cricket. It is often played in schools, colleges, universities and by club teams all over the country. Summer isn't summer without cricket.

"Sports in The USA"
In the USA many sports and sports activities attract millions of active people. One reason of the popularity of sport in America may be the size of America, so people have big choice of summer and winter sports. In the USA people like organized sports. Hockey, football, baseball, basketball and volleyball are the five major sports. Football is the most popular sport.

"Cybersport"
These days many people like to spend time in front of the computer. Most populat games are MineCraft, Dota, Shooters and Adventures. But for some people games became not just hobby, but profession. Computer games develop memory, because when you play it you try to remember all details. Moreover, it develops logical thinking, language and basic computer skills. Apart from that, you can make virtual friends. So that's why people make virtual competitions and even have their own championships. Amazing!

“Seasons and Weather”

There are four seasons. They are: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Winter is a very cold season. There is usually much snow in winter. In spring the trees become green and birds sing. In summer it is hot. Summer is my favourite season. In autumn the weather is usually rainy. Schoolchildren go to school in September.

"The Weather"
We have five climate zones on this planet: the equatorial climate zone, the tropical climate zone, the temperate climatic zone, Arctic and Antarctic climate belts.
Our country is in the temperate climatic zone. Average temperature is 12-13 degrees.
The weather is the thing we always talk about. In Great Britain if people don't know what talk about they talk about the weather. It often changes and brings cold and misty, sunshine and rain, frost and snow.

"My Favourite Season"
My name is Marta. I'm six years old. I would like to tell you about my favourite season. It is summer. In summer it’s usually hot, dry and sunny. We often go to the Spain at this time of the year. In summer I go swimming in the river Volga, I spend time at the dacha where I read books, do my homework, do some knitting and invite friends over.

“The Place I live in”

We live in a flat. Our flat is not very big. It is very clean and comfortable. There are two rooms in our flat. There is also a kitchen and a bathroom. In the living-room there is a sofa, a TV, a bookcase, a coffee table, and two armchairs. In my room there is a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a shelf. I love my flat very much.

“My house”
I live in a house. I do not live in a flat. Our house is very big and beautiful. There are five rooms in it. There is a living-room, a study and three bedrooms in our house. There is also a kitchen. There is a big garden near our house. There are a lot of apple trees and flowers in the garden.

“My room”
We live in a big flat. There are four rooms in our flat. I have got my own room. It is big and light. It is very cosy. There are two windows in my room. There is a bed, a desk and a wardrobe in it. There are two pictures on the wall. I like my room very much.

“Moscow is our capital”
Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is a big and beautiful city. It stands on the Moskva River. There are wide, long streets and high buildings in it Moscow is a very green city. There are a lot of parks in it. Many people like to come to Moscow. They visit its sights. I am very proud of the capital of my country.

“Friends and Enemies”

I have got a lot of friends. They are my classmates. We go to school together in the morning. And we return home together after classes. We like to play. We play different games. Tom is my best friend. He is very kind and clever.

“The school I go to”

My school is not far from my house. It is big and new. My teachers are very good and kind. There are a lot of classrooms in my school. The classrooms are light and clean. There is a big garden behind the school. And there are a lot of flowers in the school yard. There is also a playground in the school yard.

“School subjects”
I study a lot of subjects at school. I study Mathematics, Reading, Russian, English, Music, Arts, and Physical Education. We count and do sums at Mathematics. We write words and sentences and speak at our Russian and English lessons. We read and learn poems at the Reading lessons. We play sports at the Physical Education lessons. My favourite subjects are English and Reading.

“My English lesson”
I study a lot of subjects at school. I study Mathematics, Russian, Reading, English, Arts, and Music. English is my favourite subject. Our English lessons are very interesting. We learn new words and write exercises. We read texts and translate them. We play games and tell dialogues. I love English and I want to be an English teacher.

"My Family and I"

“My parents”
Hello! My name is Tina. I am seven. I have got a family. My family is not very big. There are only three people: mother, father and me. My parents are very good and kind. They are young. My mother’s name is Natalia. She is thirty years old. She is a doctor. My mother is very beautiful. My father’s name is Victor. He is thirty-two years old. He is an engineer. I love my parents very much.

“I help my mother”
My mother works a lot. She comes home very tired. I love her and I help her. I clean my room. I wash the dishes after dinner. Sometimes I go shopping to buy bread and milk. On Sundays I help my mother to cook.

“My Pets”

Many people like to have animals at home. We call them pets. People can have cats, dogs, parrots or hamsters as pets. We must care about them and love, I have a cat, Tommy, and a dog, Blacky. They are funny. I like to play with them. I love them very much.

Предлагаю main text для 2 класса

1. My family and I

My parents
Hello! My name is Tina. I am seven. I have a family. My family is not very big. There are only three people: mom, dad and me. My parents are very good and kind. They are young. My mom’s name is Natalia. She is thirty years old. She is a doctor. My mom is very beautiful. My dad’s name is Victor. He is very strong. He is thirty-two years old. He is an engineer. I love my parents very much.

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Great People

Peter the Great

     

II. Grammar. Pronunciation

Making Questions

                 

Drill

Ex I.  Who?  Model: 
            Peter the Great was a very important person in Russian history.  Who?
            Who was a very important person in Russian history?

1. Peter the First created the Russian Empire.
2. Peter the Great was the son of tsar.
3. Peter the First was proclaimed the head of the country when he was only ten years old.
4. Peter the Great expanded the territory of the country.
5. Peter the First raised the economy of the country.

Ex II.  Did he?  Model: 
            Did Peter the Great create the Russian Empire? 
            Oh, yes! He did. Peter the Great created the Russian Empire.

1.  Did Peter the Great expand the territory of the country?
2.  Did Peter the First build a beautiful city St.Petersburg?
3.  Did Peter the Great raise the economy of the country?
4.  Did he found many factories? 
5.  Did Peter the First reduce the import of foreign goods?

Ex III.  Was he?  Model: 
            Was Peter the Great an important person? 
            Oh, yes! He was. Peter the Great was an important person.

1. Was Peter the First the head of the of the country?
2. Was Peter the Great the first emperor of Russia?
3. Was Peter the First the ruler?
4. Was Peter the Great the first ruler who adopted ideas from Western countries?
5. Was Peter the First very good at finding talented collaborators?

Ex IV.  What did he?  Model: 
            What did Peter the Great create?
            Peter the Great created the Russian Empire.

1. What did Peter the Great build?
2. What did Peter the Great expand?
3. What did Peter the Great found?
4. What did Peter the Great adopt?
5. What did Peter the Great reduce?

Further Exercises

Ex V.  Questions to the text

1. Was Peter the Great the first emperor of Russia?
2. Did Peter the Great create the Russian Empire?
3. Did Peter the Great expand the territory of the country?
4. Was the reign of Peter the Great the time of many reforms and changes?   
5. Was he very good at finding talented collaborators?

Ex VI.  Ask as many questions to the following sentences as you can.

1. Peter the Great was a very important person in Russian history.
2. Peter the Great was proclaimed the head of the country when he was only ten years old.
3. In 1721 Peter the Great became the emperor.
4. The reign of Peter the Great was the time of many reforms and changes.
5. He was very good at finding talented collaborators.

Ex VII.
             

[kondrasha96]

Unit FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

How to make friends?
Meeting new people and making friends can be hard, but with a little effort to step outside of your comfort zone, you can easily make friends.
Step 1. If you want to make friends, you need to be active. If you just sit alone, friends might come to you, but that's not likely. For example, if you're still in school, sit somewhere with other people.
Step 2. Join a team or club to meet new people. This is a great way to find other people who have common interests.
Step 3. Try connecting with people you already know. There’s a chance you already know a few people who could potentially become good friends.
Step 4. Make eye contact and smile. If you don’t present a friendly look, people are less likely to be receptive to your friendship.

What is friendship?
Hello! My name is Olga. I am ten years old. I have many friends and I want to tell you what I think about friendship. Friendship is a very special thing between people. People need it because they expect help and comfort from each other. Those who have friends have less stress and live longer. Friendship is usually based on common interests and mutual understanding, true encouragement and sympathy. Usually people meet, get acquainted, communicate and as a result become friends. But, only time can show, whether the friendship is strong or not.
The most important feeling that exists between friends is trust.

My Dog is my best friend!
Hi! My name is Martin. I want to tell you about my best friend. And you know what? It’s a big and furry dog! It’s name is Bruno and I can’t imagine my life without this big boy. His love for me is unconditional and the word ‘hate’ does not exist in his dictionary. Whenever I return home late from school, I see him waiting for me at the gate. If I have mood swings and shoo him away, Bruno simply wags his tail and starts licking my face. And the day I feel lonely, he sniffs my mood and does not leave my side till the time I start smiling. That is what true love is for me—being there for your partner in every situation.

Bullying is a big problem!
Bullying is a big problem that affects lots of kids. A bully is a boy or girl who is mean to others, by hurting them, calling them names or blaming them for things they didn’t do. Most bullies don’t care about the feelings of others. They act this way either because they want attention or because they come from troubled families. Children who are bullied find it difficult to concentrate on their studies. They are often absent from school and when they are there, they always worry about how to deal with the bullies. Bullying is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. If you see it, report it.

Friendship Online.
Hello, guys! I’m Dino and I’m from a very small town in Australia. I don’t have many friends in my neighborhood so that’s why I started to search friends in the Internet. I want to tell you about things you can open to yourself in social networks. You can learn about other cultures. Since the internet is full of people from all kinds of backgrounds, the chance of you meeting someone with a culture different from yours is extremely strong. Through a friendship with this person, you can learn all about a country, religion, lifestyle or culture you previously knew nothing of. The best part of having a friend from the web is when you finally get to meet them in person. This could be years after you originally met online. It may feel as if you already knew them the whole time when you meet up because of how often you communicate. That’s fantastic!

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Ex II.  Did he?  Model: 
            Did Peter the Great create the Russian Empire? 
            Oh yes, he did. Peter the Great created the Russian Empire.

1.  Did Peter the Great expand the territory of the country? Oh yes, he did.
2.  Did Peter the Great build a beautiful city St. Petersburg? Oh yes, he did.
3.  Did Peter the Great raise the economy of the country? Oh yes, he did.
4.  Did he found many factories? Oh yes, he did.
5.  Did Peter the Great reduce the import of foreign goods? Oh yes, he did.

Ex III.  Was he?  Model: 
            Was Peter the Great an important person? 
            Oh yes, he was. Peter the Great was an important person.

1. Was Peter the Great the head of the of the country?
2. Was Peter the Great the first emperor of Russia?
3. Was Peter the Great the ruler?
4. Was Peter the Great the first ruler who adopted ideas from Western countries?
5. Was Peter the Great very good at finding talented collaborators?

Ex IV.  What did he?  Model: 
            What did Peter the Great create?
            Peter the Great created the Russian Empire.

1. What did Peter the Great build?
2. What did Peter the Great expand?
3. What did Peter the Great found?
4. What did Peter the Great adopt?
5. What did Peter the Great reduce?

Ex V.  Questions for...
1. Was Peter the Great the first emperor of Russia?
2. Did Peter the Great create the Russian Empire?
3. Did Peter the Great expand the territory of the country?
4. Was the reign of Peter the Great the time of many reforms and changes?   
5. Was he very good at finding talented collaborators?

Ex VI.  Ask as many questions to the following sentences as you can.

1. Peter the Great, was a very important person in Russian history.
2. Peter the Great was proclaimed the head of the country when was only ten years old.
3. In 1721 Peter the Great became the emperor.
4. The reign of Peter the Great was the time of many reforms and changes.
5. He was very good at finding talented collaborators.

[info]

Great People

Peter the Great

     

II. Grammar. Pronunciation

Making Questions

                 

Drill

Ex I.  Who?  Model. 
            Peter the Great was a very important person in Russian history.  Who?
            Who was a very important person in Russian history?

1. Peter the Great created the Russian Empire.
2. Peter the Great was the son of tsar.
3. Peter the First was proclaimed the head of the country when he was only ten years old.
4. Peter the Great expanded the territory of the country.
5. Peter the First raised the economy of the country.     

A warming up exercise. Listen to the text and read it together with the speaker (as many times as you
       need to do it at the speed of the speaker). Mind your intonation       

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UNIT 2 THE SCHOOL I GO TO

I. Vocabulary and Speech

Text

The School I Go To

   
     I am Stepan. I am eight. I go to school and I am a second grade pupil. Let me tell you about the school I go to. I go to Modern Education School. It is situated in the centre of Moscow. I live in the centre of Moscow, too. It takes me 10 minutes to come to my school by bus.
     I have been going to my school for 2 years now. My favourite subjects are English and Maths.
We are having an English class now. I am talking to my teacher. I am retelling my topic about our school.   

II. Grammar. Phonetics

Making Questions

                 

Drill

Ex I.  Who?  Model:
            Stepan is eight.  Who?
            Who is eight?

1. Stepan is eight.
2. Stepan is a second grade pupil.
3. Stepan comes to the school by bus.
4. Stepan lives in the centre of Moscow.
5. Stepan likes English.
 
Ex II.  Is he?  Model: 
            Is he Stepan? 
            Oh, yes! He is. He is Stepan.

 

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Finnland (the weather + animals)
Finland is a country in Northern Europe.
     Most of Finland is covered by pine forest. The swan is the national bird of Finland. Wood is the most important natural resource of Finland. The national animal of Finland is the brown bear. The largest animal is the elk, a type of moose, which is a member of the deer family.
     There are hundreds of rivers and thousands of fresh water lakes. Fishing is a popular sport. It is estimated there are almost 180,000 lakes in Finland. Many islands in the Baltic Sea belong to Finland, too.
     The highest mountain of Finland is Halti, which is 1328 meters high. The largest lake is Saimaa, 4,400 square kilometres.

The weather in Finland varies widely by season. Summer usually lasts from May to early September, and temperatures can reach up to +35 °C. Autumns are dark and rainy. Winter snow usually begins to fall in Helsinki in early December (in Lapland it can fall as early as October) and in the winter the temperature can drop to -30 °C. Winter usually lasts to mid-March, when the snow melts in Helsinki (in Lapland the snow usually doesn't melt until early May), and Spring lasts till late May. Spring can be erratic, and the weather can change from frost to sunshine within a matter of days. The famed Northern Lights are common in Lapland.

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1

      Hello, I'm Bob. I am ten. I’ve been playing computer games all my life. My favorite game has been Red Dead Redemption 2. I am playing it now while I am talking to you. Of course, I like it very much. Much more than studying Russian, English and Mathematics. It takes me hours to understand Mathematics, but it takes me one minute to understand a game.
      Real games? What do you mean?

***

      I am twelve and I hate computer games. Computer games are so boring. All my friends always play PUBG, Roblox, MINECRAFT, World of WarCraft etc. I’m fed up with this idea. They don’t understand that they have stopped being active, realistic, and they are not physically fit any more. I want them to live a real life! Help me, please!

***

      We are having an English class now. We are having a grammar test. How do you think I can do it property and correctly?
      Oh, yes! With the help of my gadget! When I finish it I’ll play my favorite computer game. During the breaks teachers make us do physical exercises in the fitness room or in the gym. We can play football, volleyball, basketball and other games there.
      They say: «If you want to be a winner you must listen to the teacher, do your homework, never miss classes, never be late and do sports».
      It takes years to become a winner in real life … It takes minutes to become a winner in a computer game.
      Where is the way out? There must be a way out.

***

     I don’t like the rule – “Don’t bring gadgets to the school”.
I can’t live without my gadgets. I can’t imagine my life without my iPhone, because it’s just one of the things that helps me connect and keep relationship with my friends.
 

***

      My daughter is eleven. She has been playing computer games since the age of three, eight years now. The games she likes and plays are: «GTA, MINECRAFT and SIMS 4».
      What’s wrong with them? Nothing seems to be wrong. But …My daughter stopped being active, realistic, and she is not physically fit. Of course, I want her to live a real life, play real games, make friends and be popular.
      You can’t remove gadgets from the life of the 21st century but their participation in it should be limited and controlled.
      If you don’t allow gadgets at school, I’ll be all for it. Believe me!

***

      I prefer gadgets for my son. My wife and I are very busy people. When my son is at home I want him to be busy.    Computer games are a very convenient means for making people busy and happy; my son is happy when he plays them. Kids must have a good time, mustn’t they?

[InkJoy]

New version, but still without the tasks

[DAS]

E. Hemingway (1899 – 1961) Biography (Adapted)

 Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist and sportsman.  He was born in Chicago, the USA. His father was a doctor and his mother was a musician. Hemingway started writing when he was young. In 1917, he worked for the newspaper and it helped him in his work later.

 Ernest Hemingway took part in the First World War and was in love with a nurse. After the First World War he lived in Paris, but liked to travel and spent his time skiing,bullfighting, fishing, and hunting and used his life experience in his books. Hemingway's writing style was unique and many of his works are classics of American literature.

A Farewell to Arms (Adapted)

    A young soldier Frederic is wounded in a battle and sent to a hospital in Milan. He meets an English nurse, Catherine and they fall in love with each other. Frederic must return to the war but he wants to see Catherine again.

 When Frederic returns to the front he has a conflict with a soldier and shoots at him from a gun. After that he must leave the army and hide from the police. He finds Catherine in a small Italian town and they run away to Switzerland by boat. In Switzerland Frederic and Catherine start living in a beautiful house and  enjoy a happy life.

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UNIT 2 THE SCHOOL I GO TO

I. Vocabulary and Speech

Text

The School I Go To

   
     I am Stepan. I am eight. I go to school and I am a second grade pupil. Let me tell you about the school I go to. I go to Modern Education School. It is situated in the centre of Moscow. I live in the centre of Moscow, too. It takes me 10 minutes to come to my school by bus.
     I have been going to my school for 2 years now. My favourite subjects are English and Maths.
We are having an English class now. I am talking to my teacher. I am retelling my topic about our school.   

1.   Complete the sentences. Consult the text
2.   Answer the questions by quoting the text
3.   Make general questions to the sentences of the text
4.   Translate the following
5.   The teacher dictates the text. Put it down
6.   Write a similar text about your school
7.   Reproduce the text

8.   Speech Patterns. Classroom Vocabulary

         Open your books at page 4...........Откройте книги на стр.4
         Close your books ........................Закройте книги.
         May I come in?.....................Разрешите мне войти?
         May I go out for a minute? .........Позвольте мне выйти?
         Could you repeat, please?.........Повторите пожалуйста.
         Put on your headphones?..............Наденьте наушники.
         Go to the whiteboard!...................Выходи к  доске.

*9. Read, look up and say
"Hello. How are you?"
"Fine, thank you. And how are you?"
"I am very good. Thanks. Where are going?"
"I am going to my school."
"What school do you go to?"
"I go to Modern Education School."

II. Grammar and Phonetics

Grammar

to be
Глагол to be переводится «быть» или «есть». Существует как:
•   смысловой глагол;
•   вспомогательный глагол;
•   глагол-связка.
Спряжение глагола “to be” в Present Simple.

Grammar Exercises

III. Reading. Writing. Free Speech

1. Education in Finnland

       School begins in August and ends in May. Lessons start at 9 am and usually end by 2 pm. Typically, pupils have 3 to 4 classes a day with a 75-minute length of each. Several breaks during the day are not only for a snack time. Pupils often have the same teacher for 6 years in a row. The education system in Finnland is considered to be one of the best in the world.

2. Education in the UK

     School begins at the age of five. Children younger than five can go to nursery school. Pupils go to primary school (six years). Primary school in the UK is divided into infant school (the first two years) and junior school (the following 4 years). After primary school, students go to secondary school. The school year consists of three terms. Students have about 12-13 weeks of holiday per school year. At primary school, classes run Monday to Friday from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are usually between 25 and 35 pupils in one class. Typical subjects are English, Maths, Physical Education (PE), modern languages (French, German, Spanish).

3. Schools in Australia

       School begins at the age of five. Schooling lasts for 13 years. Australian schools do more than just educate students. They prepare them for life.
       The school year in Australia starts in either late January or early February. It ends in December. Schools have three or four semesters. Each term lasts 9–11 weeks. Usually there are four holiday breaks between terms: in December (about six weeks) for Christmas, in April (two weeks) for Easter, and two more breaks in July and October (both also about two weeks). School hours are usually from 9:00 to 15:30. Lunch is eaten at school. English is the official language of instruction.

***

      My name is Nicole. I am from Australia and I love my school! It is a school for artists. It's very small. There are seven boys and seven girls in my school. We've got really nice teachers. The students like them! There aren't any desks, pens or exercise books in my school. There are a lot of big tables and lamps. On the tables there are pension and paints: red, orange, brown, yellow, blue, green, white and purple. There aren't any black or grey paints there. Our teachers don't like these colours. I'm very happy in my school. There is a bus and a train to our school from Sidney.
 

4. Education in Russia

 
     When a child turns 7 years old, she or he can go to a school (state or private). The academic year starts in September.
     Hi, I am Yaroslav. I am a forth grade pupil. I go to Modern Education School. It is a private school. It is situated in the centre ogf Moscow. There is much English in our school. We speak English, we read English stories, we listen to disks, we work on grammar and phonetics  and we write exercises.
    We also play different English and Russian games and sing songs, too. I am thankful to my school.

***

     Hello! It’s seven o’clock. Monday morning. I hate it. I’m not an early riser. School starts at 8 o'clock. It takes me 15 minutes to get to my school. My best friend lives in the suburbs of Moscow, that’s why I walk alone to my school.

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3. The Play Army

     Peter’s ‘play army’  became one of the most famous chapters in his biography.  The army consisted of several hundred men, it quickly grew — in fact, it grew so quickly that Peter had to build the  ‘toy city’ of Presburg to accommodate them. Peter used the army for war games and studied the art of war. Why did Peter love his toy army so much? Some historians say that the young Tsar was building a personal bodyguard.  Other historians say that Peter was just having fun.
      The two military divisions of the Play Army grew into Preobrazhenskiy and Semyonovsky  and became the foundation of the Imperial Guard. They survived until the fall of the Empire 200 years later. The two divisions were the elite and important force of the Empire, and supported Peter and later emperors. After Peter seized the throne from Sophia, it did not take long for the Play Army to suppress the second Streltsy Rebellion in 1698  -  just one hour.

4. The Beginning of the Fleet

      In July 1688 Peter visited Pereslavl-Zalessky to find a place to build a small flotilla on Pleshcheyevo Lake. Work soon began, but was interrupted in the summer of 1689 when Peter had to return to Moscow because of  the court's intrigues.
Following his consolidation of power in the fall of 1691, Peter left state governance to his mother and returned to the construction of the Pleshcheyevo flotilla. Work was also completed on a complex of buildings at Gremiach Hill (site of the Veskovo estate) that included Peter’s log residence, the “poteshny dvorets.”
      In 1693  Peter decided to move to the open sea,  to the White Sea, the port of Arkhangelsk. However the Pleshcheyevo period remained in Peter’s mind as an essential part of his legacy.

5. Personality and Achievement

     Peter was of enormous height, more than six and one-half feet (two metres) tall; he was handsome and of unusual physical strength. Unlike all earlier Russian tsars, he was very simple in his manners; for example, he enjoyed conversation over a mug of beer with sailors from the foreign ships visiting St. Petersburg.
      Restless, energetic, and impulsive, he did not like splendid clothes; often he appeared in old shoes and an old hat, more often in military or naval uniform.
      He was fond of merrymaking and knew how to conduct it, though his jokes were often crude, and he sometimes drank heavily and made his guests do so too.
     A just man who did not tolerate dishonesty, he was terrible in his anger and could be cruel when he encountered opposition: in such moments only his intimates could soothe him—best of all his beloved second wife, Catherine, whom people frequently asked to intercede with him for them. Sometimes Peter would beat his high officials with his stick, from which even Prince A.D. Menshikov, his closest friend, received many a stroke.
     One of Peter’s great gifts of statesmanship was the ability to pick talented collaborators for the highest appointments, whether from the foremost families of the nobility or from far lower levels of society.

Exercises

Reading
1. Read the text (silently, aloud, in chain, in parts, other variants).
2. Translate the text.
3. Ask questions to the text.
4. Give the gist of the text.
5. Reproduce the text. Learn the text by heart.

Writing
1. Copy the text (some parts of it, the whole of it)
2..Write questions to the text.
3. Write the reproduction of the text.
4. Write the dictation.
5. Write the plan of the text.

Free speech
1. Get ready for a 1-minute monologue based on one of the texts.
2. Talk on the topics (could be prepared):
   - a few facts of Peter the Great's biography;
   - Peter's childhood and education;
   - Peter's "play" army;
   - Peter's fleet;
   - Peter's personality.
3.  Discussion on the topic "Peter the Great's Education" (could be unprepared):
      - was his education academic?
      - the games Peter played;
      - did he learn any manners?
      - what were his favourite subjects?
      - his "play" army;
      - the beginning of the Russian fleet;
      - other questions.
   

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Great People 

I. Vocabulary and Speech

Text

Peter the Great

     Peter I, or Peter the Great, is a very important person in Russian history. Peter I created  the Russian Empire, so
he was the last tsar of all Russia and the first emperor of Russia. The son of tsar, the brother of tsar and the godson of tsar, Peter was proclaimed the head of the country and at that moment  the boy was only ten years old. At the beginning he had a formal coordinator, Ivan V, but at the age of 17 he already ruled independently, and in 1721 Peter I became the emperor.
     For Russia, the reign of Peter the Great was the time of many reforms and changes. He expanded the territory of the country, built a beautiful city St. Petersburg, raised the economy, founded many factories and reduced the import of foreign goods to a minimum. He was the first Russian ruler who adopted the best (and sometimes the worst) ideas from Western countries.
     He was very good at finding talented collaborators. They were from the nobility and lower levels of society.

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III. Reading. Writing. Free Speech

1.The Beginning of Peter's Life and Education

      The beginning of Peter’s life was very, very unlucky. When he was just 4  (Peter 1 was born on 30 May 1672), his father Tsar Alexei died, and 6 years later the Streltsy put his enemies — the Miloslavskiy family — in power. The only people who could educate Peter were the clergy and court teachers. In late 17th century in Russia there were no schools or universities (something Peter himself would fix decades later). Court educators were not an option for two reasons. First, Peter’s sister, regent Sophia, hated him and had no interest in giving him good education. Second, Peter’s mother Natalia feared that the court educators were Sophia’s spies and did not let them anywhere close to Peter. In 1682, during the Streltsy rebellion, Peter and his mother Natalia moved away from the Kremlin to Preobrazhenskoye to save their lives.

2. The Toys Peter Liked

      Peter did not receive the usual education of a Russian tsar. He grew without proper academic teaching. Until his death, Peter had poor grammar and a limited vocabulary. Moreover, contemporaries complained about Peter’s bad manners. No wonder, as he was educated away from court and proper etiquette.  The boy enjoyed noisy outdoor games and took especial interest in military matters, his favourite toys were arms of one sort or another.  The war games became the main theme of Peter’s childhood. According to contemporary sources, games took up all of his time. He also occupied himself with carpentry, joinery, blacksmith’s work, and printing. As a result, no one treated Peter seriously and most had very low expectations of him.
     Near Preobrazhenskoye there was a nemetskaya sloboda (“German colony”) where foreigners lived, and Peter started to be interested in the life of other nations.
     Mathematics, fortification, and navigation were the subjects that  Peter liked most of all. A model fortress was built for his games, and he organized his first “play” army, from which, in 1687, the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky Guards regiments were formed—to become the nucleus of a new Russian Army.

   

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     Posts about Peter the First, №№ 619-624, are here for further investigation, shortening and taking out the material we could want to use. We could introduce much of it if we decide to concentrate on just one great person in a unit. The  above stories about Peter the First's youth and childhood seems to me to be worth of attention.

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Off to a bad start

     The beginning of Peter’s life was very, very unlucky. When he was just 4, his father Tsar Alexei died, and 6 years later the Streltsy rebellion put his enemies — the Miloslavskiy family — in power. The only people who could educate Peter were the clergy and court teachers. In late 17th century Russia there were no schools or universities (something Peter himself would fix decades later). Court educators were not an option for two reasons. First, Peter’s sister, regent Sophia, hated him and had no interest in giving him good education. Second, Peter’s mother Natalia feared that the court educators were Sophia’s spies and did not let them anywhere close to Peter.

     The only people she didn’t fear were the ‘Germans’ — that is how 17th century Russians called all Western Europeans. Thus, from his infancy, Peter was surrounded by foreigners. Well, ‘surrounded’ may be an exaggeration, as there weren’t nearly enough foreign teachers to give him a good education. Moreover, in his childhood Peter showed complete disinterest in all matters academic. He always preferred games and military studies.
     In 1682, during the Streltsy Rebellion, Peter and his mother Natalia moved away from the Kremlin, fearing for their lives. There, Peter indulged in the war games that became the main theme of Peter’s childhood. According to contemporary sources, games took up all of his time. As a result, no one treated Peter seriously and most had very low expectations of him — barely higher than the expectations for his sickly and disabled brother Ivan. Later historians like to describe young Peter as an extraordinarily gifted prodigy, but, judging by contemporary accounts, this was far from the truth.

The Toy Army
     Peter’s ‘toy army’ (better translated as ‘amusement army’) became one of the most famous chapters in his biography. The ‘toy’ part can be confusing for the reader, as there was nothing toy-like about it. The army consisted of several hundred grown men, mostly made up of lower classes. The army quickly grew — in fact, it grew so quickly that Peter had to build and entire ‘toy city’ of Presburg to accommodate them. Peter used the army for war games and studied the art of war. Why did Peter love his toy army so much? Some historians theorise that the young Tsar was building a personal bodyguard, or even was planning to overthrow Sophia. Again, contemporary accounts suggest that Peter was just having fun.
     Whatever the case, the two military divisions that the Toy Army grew into — Preobrazhenskiy and Semyonovsky — became the foundation of the Imperial Guard, and survived until the fall of the Empire 200 years later. The two divisions were the elite force of the Empire, supporting Peter and his successors over and over. After Peter seized the throne from Sophia, it did not take long for the ‘Toy Army’ to shine — it suppressed the second Streltsy Rebellion in 1698 in just one hour.

     Playing war games in voluntary exile, Peter became obsessed with the Navy. In retrospective, describing the beginning of the Russian Navy, Peter wrote that his interest began when he accidentally found a boat, taking a walk in the countryside. He stumbled upon a broken botik — a miniature scaled down British warship purchased by the Romanovs long before Peter was even born. Peter had the botik fixed and learnt to sail it in a local lake, and soon an ‘amusement fleet’ was created to compliment the toy army. 40 years later, celebrating Russia’s naval victories against Sweden in the Great Northern War, Peter personally sailed the borik into the Baltic Sea, where its arrival was celebrated by the entire fleet. “Look how the grandchildren are honouring their grandfather!” — remarked Peter. Ever since then the botik was called the ‘Grandfather of the Russian Fleet’ and can still be seen in the Naval Museum in St Petersburg.
     As useful as military education was for Peter, he grew without proper academic teaching. Until his death, Peter had poor grammar and a limited vocabulary. Moreover, contemporaries complained about Peter’s bad manners. No wonder, as he was educated away from court and proper etiquette.