THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF UKRAINE
MY NATIVE CITY
Kyiv is my native city. It's an ancient city. Ancient Kyiv was a large commercial centre of the East Slavs. During the reign of Prince Volodimir the city expanded greatly. Under the rule of Prince Yaroslav the Wise many churches and cathedrals and monasteries appeared in the city. There are a lot of places of historical importance in Kyiv. Among them there are the Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra, the Golden Gate, the St. Sophia's Cathedral. For those who love Kyiv so dearly as I do, it's very difficult to choose some places of the particular interest. If the day is fine and the sky is cloudless, I'd like to go to the Golden Gate. It is situated in the centre of the city. From the top of the Gates we can admire a splendid view of the city. I also like the St. Sophia's Cathedral. Prince Yaroslav the Wise is buried there.
HOLIDAYS IN UKRAINE
Almost every country has holidays honouring important events in its history. Some holidays come on the same date, some are movable. We celebrate the first day of Cristmas on the 7th of January. On the 6th of January people cook much food because the day after we must not work. On this day we have a sacred supper or Kolyada. It begins when the first star lights up. As the legend says, this star announced the birth of the God's Son. We celebrate Christmas for three days. In the evening a group of boys comes. They sing songs. By these songs they congratulate on holiday. Another religious holiday is Easter. It is movable. In Ukraine we have special attributes of Easter: Easter eggs, we call them "krashenka" and Easter cakes "paska". It is a very nice spring holiday. New Year's Day is very popular all over the world. It is my favourite holiday. Victory Day is on the 9th of May. It is a sacred holiday for every Ukrainian citizen. We are thankful to our grandfathers for the victory.
MY WORKING DAYI'd like to describe you my working day. All the days looked very much the same. On weekdays I usually get up at 7. I do my morning exercises. Then I wash my face and hands and clean my teeth. At half past seven I am ready to have my breakfast. I like to have a quick light breakfast. After breakfast I leave for school. My school is not far from my house. It takes me 10 minutes to get to school. My lessons begin at 8.30 a.m. and finish at about 3 p.m. Six or seven lessons a day is the ordinary timetable. Twice a week I stay at school after classes to play basketball. When I come home I have dinner. Then I rest a little. Sometimes I read a book or talk to my friends over telephone. After that I start doing my home assignments. Twice a week I go to have private lessons in Maths in order to improve my knowledge. As a rule, I finish doing my homework at about 11 o'clock. But one 'day a week is not so busy. This is Thursday. On Thursday I usually help my mother. Sometimes I do shopping or pick up clothes at the cleaner's. I usually have supper at 8 o'clock p.m.. Then I go on with my work. At 11 o'clock I go to bed.
LONDON
London is a very old town. It is about two thousand years old. Now London is one of the biggest cities in the world. Its population is about 8 million people. It's not only a capital of Great Britain, it's a large business and commercial centre. London stands on the Thames. As an ancient city London has a great number of places of historic interest. They attract tourists from all the world. London is traditionally divided into four main parts. They are Westminster, the City, the West End and the East End. Westminster is the historical area in London. Famous monuments and buildings are there. One of the most beautiful places is Westminster Abbey. Many greatest poets and writers are buried there. Chauser, Dickens, Kipling are among them. Newton and Darwin are buried there too. Another place which is worth seeing in London is the Tower. In different times this castle was a fortress, a royal palace, a prison. Now it is a museum. London is rich in famous palaces. Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen. Westminster Palace is the seat of the British Parliament. The greatist of English churches is St.Paul's Cathedral. It was built by a famous English architect. Sir Christopher Wren. Trafalgar Square is considered to be the very centre of London. In the middle of it stands the monument to admiral Nelson. London is famous for its streets and squares as well. Fleet Street is known for the newspaper offices situated there. Regent Street is famous for the richest shops ans supermarkets. Speaking about London it is impossible to say nothing about its museums. The British Museum shows works of art from ancient Asia, Egypt, Rome and Greece side by side with those of Great Britain and other countries.
THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF UKRAINE
Ukraine is situated in the eastern part of Europe. It borders on Russia in the east, Belorussia in the north, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova in the west. Ukraine is washed by the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea in the south. The area of Ukraine is more than 603 thousand square kilometers. The most part of its area is flat. There are the Crimean Mountains in the south and the Carpathians in the west.
The territory of our country lies in three main zones: mixed forests, forest-steppes and steppes. The flora and fauna of our country are extremely rich. The nature of Ukraine is especially beautiful. There are 131 rivers in Ukraine. The longest rivers are the Dniester, the Donets, the Bug. The rivers of Ukraine are navigable. There are more than three hundred cities and towns in Ukraine. The biggest of them are Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dniepropetrovsk, Lviv. Odessa, Mikolayiv, Kherson, Kerch are the most important ports of Ukraine. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. It is an administrative, industrial, scientific and cultutal centre. Ukraine is rich in mineral resources: coal, oil, gas. different ores. Some of them are of industrial importance. Ukraine is a developed industrial country. Ukraine produces up-to-date instruments, electronic microscopes, synthetic diamonds. Ukraine is an agricultural country. Its soil is fertile. The geographical position of Ukraine is favourable for maintaining close economic relations with many European countries.
VTHE CLIMATE OF UKRAINEThe climate of Ukraine is temperate continental. The average temperature in January is 7 degrees below zero, in July it is 17 degrees above zero. The winters are frosty. Sometimes the temperature is 20-25 degrees below zero. The weather varies greatly from year to year. Sometimes it often rains throughout a year and sometimes it is very dry. On the main part of the country rain falls enough to cultivate different agricultural plants. The climate of the Crimea differs from that on the main territory. The climate here is subtropical. The winter temperature is about 4 degrees above zero and the average temperature in summer is about 22 degrees above zero. There are a lot of evergreen plants in the Crimea. Comparing the climate in Ukraine with the climate in other European countries we may say that summers are hotter in Ukraine and winters are colder.
KYIV - THE CAPITAL OF UKRAINE
Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine. It's one of the oldest cities of Europe. Kyiv is situated on the picturesque banks of the Dnieper river. The population of Kiev is about 3 million. Kyiv is a large political, industrial and cultural centre. Kyiv is a seat of the higher body of state power of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada. Kyiv is a scientific centre. Kyiv's cultural life is rich and varied. There are many theatres, museums, exhibitions in Kyiv. The most important educational institutions of Ukraine are in Kyiv. The Natiuonal Ukrainian University named after Shevchenko is in the centre of the capital. Kyiv is the Hero-City. In the park of Immortal Glory there is an obelisk in honour of those who fell in the battles of the Second World War. A lot of tourists come to Kyiv. The central street of the capital is Kreshchatic. There are many fine buildings in Kreshchatic. Kyiv is especially beautiful in spring when the famous Kyiv chestnut trees are in blossom.