4work in pairs. take turns reading and
responding to situations 1-6 using past
modals and the words in brackets.
1 alima wasn't at school yesterday. (be ill)
2 batyr looks pleased. (receive some good news)
3 fred was heading for the tennis court and he was
carrying a sports bag. (take up tennis)
4 kairat has been in hospital for a long time. (have
an operation)
5 medet put sugar into his tea. (cut down on sugar)
6 assel has taken up sport and she looks much
fitter. (give up smoking)
sally wasn't at school yesterday.
she might have been ill.
)​

1. Российская Федерация - Россия (по конституции) The Russian Federation - Russia is the official name of our homeland
2. There are 21 republics in Russian Federation (Adygea, Altai, Bashkortostan, Buryatia, DAgestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Karelia, Komi, Mari El, Mordovia, Sakha (Yakutia), North Ossetia-Alania, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Tuva (Tyva), Khakassia, Chechnya, Chuvashia)
3. Boris Yeltsin was the first Russian President
4. constitution is the highest law of Russia
5. Dmitry Medvedev is the Russian President at the moment. The Prime Minister is Vladimir Putin
6. Russia stopped being a monarchy and became a republic in 1917
7. Moscow is the capital of Russia. It's the biggest city of Russia.
8. St-Petersburg, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk
9. Yes, it is
10.The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together. The Caucasus are situated in the south-west of Russia.
11. The Lena is situated in the northeastern Siberia. The Ob is situated in western Siberia. There are many rivers in Russia. Their nemes are the Volga, the Kama, the Terek, etc
12. The country is washed by the Pacific and Artic oceans and by the Baltic, the Black and the Azov seas
13. Lake Baikal is the world's deepest, purest, most ancient and most capacious freshwater lake. Lake Baikal alone contains over one fifth of the world's fresh surface water
14. There were many impotant events in russian history: Mongol invasion, the rise of Moscow, reforms of Peter the Great, etc.
15. Yuri Dolgoruky is famous for foundation of Moscow. Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoi are famous rulers. Yuri Gagarin is the first cosmonaut in the world
16. The official symbols of Russia are Double-headed eagle, coat of arms of Russia, FLag of Russia. Other symbols of Russia are beryoza, bear, balalaika, vodka
17. Russian flag is a tricolour of three equal horizontal fields, white on the top, blue in the middle and red on the bottom. The flag was first used as an ensign for merchant and war ships and only became official in 1896.
The three colours purportedly came from the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which depict Saint George wearing white (silver) armor, riding a white horse, wearing a blue cape and holding a blue shield, on a red field. According to another version, these three colours were associated with the robes of the Virgin Mary, the holy protectress of Russia.
Yet another interpretation of the three colours is that the order that they are placed in reflected the Russian social system under the monarchy: white represents God, blue the Tsar and red the peasants. Another very common interpretation is the association of colours with the main parts of the Russian Empire: white thus represents Belarus ("White Russia"), blue Ukraine (or Malorossia, "Little Russia"), and red "Great Russia".
A different interpretation associates white with the bright future (where the colour itself is associated with brightness, while its placement at the top - with future); blue with clouded present, and red with bloody past.

Наконец он увидел свою птицу на дереве!  Он был так счастлив! Он попросил птицу вернуться домой, но птица не хотела этого. Птица сказала старому человеку: " тебе большое. Ты хорошо заботился обо мне. Но я не вернусь домой. Мне не нравится твоя жена." Затем птица подняла две корзины - одну большую, а другую маленькую - около старого человека и сказала: "Возьми корзину, которая тебе больше нравится и возвращайся домой." Старый человек поблагодарил птицу, взял меньшую корзину и отправился домой. Дома старый человек захотел увидеть, что находится в корзине. Он открыл корзину и обнаружил, что она полна золота. Старый человек сказал своей жене, что золото - это подарок птицы."Ты не умная! Я умнее тебя!"