RUSSIAN FEDERATION (RUSSIA)
    Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies about one-seventh part of dry land. It is situated in Europe and Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometers.
    The country is washed by seas and oceans.
    There are different types of climate on the territory of the country. It is very cold in the North even in summer. The central part of the country has mild climate: winters are cold, springs and autumns are warm or cool, summers are hot and warm. In the South the temperature is usually above zero all year round, even in winter. Summer is really hot, the climate is very favourable. The climate of Siberia is continental: summers are hot and dry, winters are very cold.
    Some parts of our country are covered with mountains and hills.
    There are many rivers in Russia, the longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Yenisei and the Ob in Asia. The deepest lakes are the Baikal and the Ladoga.
    The Russian Federation is very rich in mineral resources, such as oil, natural gas, coal, iron, gold and others.
    Russia borders on many countries. Among them are Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Poland, China, Mongolia, Korea.
    Moscow is the capital of our country. It was founded in 1147. It is a wonderful city. There are many sights in Moscow. You can see many museums, art galleries, theatres, churches and monuments in our capital. People of our country are proud of the Moscow Kremlin. There are also many big beautiful cities in Russia.
    The population of Russia is about 150 million people. 83 per cent of the population are Russians. 70 per cent of the population live in cities.
    
    MOSCOW
    Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in the world. Moscow is a modern city now. The population of the city is about 9.8 million people. Moscow is a political centre, where the government of our country works. Moscow was founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruky. The total area of Moscow is about nine hundred square kilometres.
    We say that Moscow is a port of five seas, as the Moscow-Volga Canal links Moscow with the Baltic, White, Caspian and Black seas and the Sea of Azov.
    Moscow is an industrial centre too. There are many factories and plants in it. One of the best-known plants produces many lorries, and the other one produces cars.
    The Bolshoi Theatre is one of the famous theatres all over the world. If you are fond of painting you can go to the Tretyakov Art Gallery or to the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum and see a lot of interesting portraits and landscapes there. We say that the Tretyakov Art Gallery is a treasure-house of Russian art. Young people like to visit the Central Military Museum. There are many tanks, guns and war documents there.
    One can see the Kremlin and Red Square in the city. There are many fine buildings, wide streets, green parks, large squares, churches and monuments in Moscow.
    It is necessary to mention such famous monuments as monuments to the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin and to the first Russian printer Ivan Fedorov.
    Visiting the capital a lot of foreigners from all over the world come to see these monuments.
    One of the highest buildings in Moscow is the State Moscow University. It was founded in 1755 by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov.
    Transport. Moscow is a very big city, and its transport must be comfortable and fast.
    One can see a lot of cars, buses, trolley-buses, trams in the streets of our city. The Moscow metro began its work on the 15th of May, 1935. There were 13 stations at that time. Now it has 190 stations. Our metro is a beautiful and convenient one.
    There are nine railway stations in Moscow and five airports around the city.
    There are many stadiums in Moscow. The Central Stadium is in Luzhniki. Many competitions and football matches are held there.
    The Olympic village was built for the 22nd Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980. It is a big complex for sport games.
    I live in Moscow and I am proud of this city.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
    The United Kingdom is situated in the north-west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west and the North Sea on the east.
    The U. K. includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I
    Great Britain, the largest island in Europe, contains England, Scotland and Wales.
    The United Kingdom has an area of
    244,000 square kilometres (94,249 square miles). The capital of the country is London. English is the official language.
    The population of the U. ............