Решебник

Стр. 163 упр. 1 a)

A. Our country is officially called The Republic of Belarus.
B. Belarus is located in Eastern Europe.
C. Belarus if made up of 6 regions: Minsk, Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Vitebsk, Mogilev.
D. The name Belarus corresponds literally with the term White Rus'. There are several claims to the origin of the name White Rus'. An ethno-religious theory suggests that the name used to describe the part of old Ruthenian lands within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that had been populated mostly by early Christianized Slavs, as opposed to Black Ruthenia, which was predominantly inhabited by pagan Baits. An alternate explanation for the name comments on the white clothing worn by the local Slavic population.A third theory suggests that the old Rus' lands that were not conquered by the Tatars (i.e., Polatsk, Vitsiebsk and Mahilyow) had been referred to as «white.» Other sources claim that, before 1267, the land not conquered by the Mongols was considered «White Rus'. A fourth theory suggests that before when Belarus was just starting out, there were a lot of white cranes inhabiting the country. Some of the cranes even made nests on the roofs of houses. In 2008, historian Ales Bely defended his PhD thesis, Localization of the Choronym of White Rus' in the European Written and Map Sources of the 13th to mid-18th centuries, which demonstrated that White Rus' originally referred to the area of the Novgorod Republic conquered by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1478; in terms of present-day geography, this translates to Eastern Belarus and areas acquired by the westward expansion of Russia during the Livonian War in the 17th century.
E. The Russian language and a little Belarusian language are spoken on its territory.
F. It is called so because of our beautiful lakes.
G. Bison, stork, blue cornflower are often described as symbols of Belarus.
H. It is seen so because a vast territory is covered with forests.
I. The WWII was a tragic event for Belarusians that wiped out 36% of its population.
J. Mir Castel and Nesvizh Castel have been most often visited in Belarus.

Стр. 165 упр. 3

1. The first sentence refers to the present.
2. Passive Voice is used in these sentences. C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J.
3. The verb 'to be' or the verb 'to have' are used with past participle to form the passive.
4. Present Perfect Passive is used.

Стр. 165 упр. 4

A. True
B. True
C. True
D. True
E. False

Стр. 165 упр. 5 a)

• wipe out
• origin
• make up of
• region
• conquer
• major

Стр. 166 упр. 5 b)

1. I live in Minsk region. Its major city is Minsk. I've been to Brest region and Gomel region.
2. My city is called Minsk. It is called so because it was founded on the river Menka.
3. It is made up of 9 areas.
4. In 1654, Minsk was conquered by troops of Tsar Alexei of Russia. Russians governed the city until 1667, when it was regained by Jan Kasimir, King of Poland. By the end of the Polish-Russian war, Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. The second wave of devastation occurred during the Great Northern War, when Minsk was occupied in 1708 and 1709 by the army of Charles XII of Sweden and then by the army of Peter the Great. The last decades of the Polish rule involved decline or very slow development, since Minsk had become a small provincial town of little economic or military significance.
5. WWII wiped out many cities and villages in Belarus.

Стр. 166 упр. 6

Minsk is the capital of Belarus and the biggest city in Belarus with 1,8 million inhabitants. Minsk is mentioned in script the first time about year 1067, which means that Minsk is older than European cities like Moscow and Stockholm. Big parts of Minsk were destroyed in the second WWII and were rebuilt during the Soviet time. This means that Minsk has a lot of nice soviet-time architecture and city planning. Minsk is considered being one of the most soviet cities of the former SSSR.
Minsk is one of the least visited capitals of Europe among western tourists, which probably makes it more fun to go here. At the same time Minsk is a city that is really beautiful, both during summer when it houses a lot of nice street cafes and during the other three seasons. Winter may not be the best time of the year to visit Minsk but it's one of the times when the city is considered to most beatifull, with a fabulous lighting.
Those interested in culture may look forward to see ballet and opera performances of a very high class in Minsk. In addition to that Minsk has a lot of nice restaurants, pubs and nightclubs. In this travel guide you may read about attractions, restaurants, night life, shopping, accommodation and a lot of other interesting things. There is also a information on how to get to Minsk, Belarusian visas and other information that may be valuable when you want to visit Minsk.