1 Read the rubric and underline the key words, answer the questions.
The task of the regional Olympiad has offered you to write an essay about the capital city of your region. Write your essay about the city, describing what visitors can see and do there, as well as writing about the city’s cultural life and history. (120-180words)
1 What type of composition is it? Who is going to read it?
2 What style would you use for this article?
A very formal, factual and impersonal
B semi-formal, descriptive
3 Which should you not describe, why?
A a pretty village C the main city
B a large town of the region
4 Which topics/items would you include in your composition? Put a tick (√).
… famous sights and tourists attractions
… what is like to live in the city
… name of the city, where it is
… the city history, population and climate
… complete facts about various sights
… the cities trains, busses and taxis
… shopping areas and what to buy there
… restaurants, bars, cafes
5 What tenses would you use? Why?
2 Read the article and label the paragraphs with these headings.
●eating out ●things to see/do ●educational facilities
●recommendation ●name, location
DISCOVERING BARNAUL (to the 280th anniversary)
Barnaul, is one of the biggest capitals in Siberia, is situated on the river Ob. Its wonderful nature, rich history, attractive traditions and different attractions make it an amazing city.
Anyone lucky enough to visit Barnaul will find plenty to see and to do. For a start, the historical centre of the city is a must. Demidoff Square, which is built at the foot of a picturesque hill, called ‘gora’ by some native settlers, offers a fantastic view of this part of the municipality. Visitors can walk along its old wooden streets where they can see a unique lace-like decoration of the houses. The Territorial Museum offers a great variety of exhibits and exclusive artifacts illustrated the development and history of Barnaul. One can take part in a master class making a doll-talisman.
Barnaul is also known as a Siberian scientific centre. Five universities and a great number of libraries make it an educational city. It has five theatres and several museums.
Tourists can enjoy traditional Siberian meal at a variety of different types of restaurants. Russian pelmeni is one of the most delicious foods served at a number of cozy cafes.
Barnaul is a wonderful city. If you want to experience the beauty and amazement of a far Siberian city, it would be a nice holiday destination.
3 Read the article again and answer the questions.
1 Which city is described, and where is it situated?
2 What makes it an interesting city?
3 Which places does the article suggest tourists to visit?
4 What establishments make Barnaul a scientific and cultural centre?
5 Where can visitors try traditional meals?
6 What recommendation does the writer make?
4 Fill in the boxes with words/phrases from the article in Ex. 2, as in example, and then use them in your talk about Barnaul.
Phrases of Location
To describe the location of a place you can use the following phrases:
[Name] is / is situated / located
- in the east/west/south/north of
- in the south-east/north-west/etc of
- on the east/west/etc coast of
- in the centre/heart/middle of
5 a) Look at the towns/cities on the map and correct the statements below.
1 Rubtsovsk is situated north-west of Barnaul.
Rubtsovsk isn’t situated north-west of Barnaul.
It is situated south-west of Barnaul.
2 Aleysk is the capital city of the Altai Region.
3 Yarovoye is located in the south of the Region.
4 Zarinsk is far from Barnaul.
5 Belocurikha is situated in Southwestern Siberia.
b) Make sentences about the location of each town/city on the map, as in example.
Yarovoye is on the north shore of Lake Bolshoe Yarovoye about 400 kilometers west of Barnaul.
6 Fill in the blanks with adjectives from the list, make sentences with the phrases.
fantastic, attractive, wonderful, holiday, wooden, exclusive, scientific, delicious, picturesque, different
STUDY UP
● To make your writing more interesting you should use a variety of adjectives such as magnificent, exciting, awful, etc instead of good, nice, bad, etc.
7 a) Complete the table with the words from the list, as in example.
fantastic, tiny, terrible, enormous, splendid, horrible, huge, wonderful, awful, magnificent, glorious, fascinating, little, delicious, charming, enchanting
nice/good |
fantastic |
bad |
|
big |
|
small |
|
b) Replace the words in bold with adjectives from the table above.
A Dear Maggie,
We finally arrived in Belocurikha. It is a 1) nice resort town. We are staying at a 2) big hotel which has 3) nice rooms. We had planned to go to a local aqua park today. The weather was 4) bad. Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow.
See you soon,
Carol
B Yarovoye is a 1) small and rather 2) good settlement situated in the west-north of the Altay Territory…
… Yarovoye is also known for its 4) good scenery. A 3) nice lake, which is a gem of this place, is sure to impress tourists. A 5) big steppe is scattered everywhere…
8 Study the examples and join the sentences using which, where or with.
● Tourists should visit the Local Museum. It is one of the best in Siberia.
Tourists should visit the Local Museum, which is one of the best in Siberia.
● There are many cafes in the city centre. You can have traditional meals there.
There are many cafes in the city centre, where you can have traditional meals.
● Lake Teletskoye is a paradise for tourists. It has beautiful shoreline and clear, crystal waters.
With its beautiful shoreline and clear, crystal waters, Lake Teletskoye is a paradise for tourists.
1 The city is known for one of the oldest museums in Siberia. It has local artists' work as well as unique artifacts.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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2 Biysk is a wonderful place to visit. It has some historical buildings and monuments.
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3 Visitors should not miss the Katun river valley, crystal-clear alpine lakes. It is a perfect choice for real travelers.
………………………………………………………………………………………
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4 There are many sights and tourist attractions to explore in Altay. You can go there by car.
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5 Diverse cultural programme is offered by the local Philharmonic Society. The lovers of classical music will enjoy an organ and a Symphony Orchestra.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
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STUDY TIP
● To make a description of a place more vivid, we can refer to our senses (i.e. describe sights, sounds and smells).
● When describing a place, we may include the ‘human scene’, with words referring to crowds (e.g. crowded, busy, empty) and activity ( e.g. rush, walk, carry).
e.g. The streets of the city are always busy [crowd] and noisy [sound], with people rushing about [activity] and cars hooting [sound].
9 a) Match the sentences (1-5) to the pictures (A-C). What does each phrase in bald refer to:
sight, sound, smell, crowds or activity?
1-C Tourists can relax in one of the little cafes and enjoy the view of the mighty river Ob. (sight)
2-__ The smell of car and bus fumes is strong and choking.
3-__ Visitors stroll down the quiet streets of this attractive place, admiring the bright green leaves.
4-__ The city glows with light from buildings and cars.
5-__ The crowded streets full of people hastening and cars hooting.
b) Which picture is not described above? Use the prompts to write about the picture.
- brightly-coloured fireworks/surround/fountain
- visitors watch/amazing, various colours
- enjoy/wonderful sight
10 a) A description of a place may be found in various sorts of writing. Read the extracts and say which is from:
1 an adventure story
2 a letter to a friend, written by somebody on holiday
3 an article describing an exotic holiday destination
A |
|
I went to the former Exhibition of Economic Achievements of this Siberian city. I couldn’t believe the view from up there – it was breathtaking! Big and small buildings covered with frosty sparkling clouds of winter air were located by the sleeping Ob. Then we visited the Palace of Sports and spent an hour playing hockey…
B |
|
A minute later, they were outside an Indian town. They knew it was India because they saw men on elephants. Also, the buildings looked different from English buildings because they were all white and had domes on the roofs. It was very hot…
C |
|
Lisbon’s night life is exciting and varied. Visitors can have a drink in Bairro Alto, the ancient port of the city, where fado – traditional Portuguese music – fills the air with its sad, romantic sounds and food aromas…
b) Read again and underline the words/phrases referring to sights, sounds, smells, crowds or activity.
STUDY TIP
When we write a descriptive article about a place, we can divide it into four paragraphs.
● In the introduction we mention the name and location of the place and the reason for choosing.
● In the second paragraph we write about what a visitor can see and do.
● In the third paragraph we write about entertainment and eating out.
● In the conclusion we make general comments and recommend the place to visitors.
We normally use present tenses in this type of writing.
11 Read the rubric, then read the article and match the top[c sentences (A-D) to the gaps (1-3) in the article.
One of the sentences does not fit. What is the topic of each paragraph?
A travel magazine has asked its readers for articles describing the perfect place for a weekend escape. Write an article about such a place, describing its attractions and saying why it is worth seeing.
A If you need a weekend escape from the stress of the city, Belocurikha is just the place for you.
B Belocurikha does not have a busy nightlife.
C Belocurikha’s crowded are always full of life.
D There are many interesting things to see and to do here.
A Charming Weekend Escape
Belocurikha, a small town near Biysk, the Altay Region, is the perfect choice for a relaxing weekend escape.
1 |
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The unique and superb beauty of the town is a wonderful chance to admire a true paradise of the breathtaking scenery. Visitors can walk along its picturesque streets watching the nearest mountains which give heaps of impressions.
2 |
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One can enjoy the famous varieties of cheese known to the whole Europe in Katherine II times in small cafes. There are also a lot of restaurants in the town where you can taste delicious food.
3 |
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The harmony and quiet of the town offers tired visitors a welcome, refreshing break from their busy lives.
12 a) Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions to plan your composition in detail.
A magazine which you enjoy reading is holding a competition for the best article entitled “A lovely place to visit”. Write an article for the composition, describing your town or city, saying what a visitor can see and do there and explaining why it is a good choice for tourists. (100-150words)
1 What type of composition is this?
A descriptive article about a place
B narrative article including description of a place
2 Who will read your article?
A tour guides
B readers of the magazine
3 What style will you use?
A informal, personal
B semi-formal, descriptive
4 What tenses will you use?
A present tenses
B past tenses
5 Which place will you write about?
A a city in another country
B the city you live in
6 a) What information about your city will you give under these headings?
● location
● educational institutions
● sights to see
● things to do
● recommendation
b) Can you group these into paragraphs?
c) Suggest topic sentences for each main body.
d) What words/phrases will you use which refer to the senses, crowds, and activity?
b) Use your answers to the questions above, as well as plan below to write your composition. Use the texts in Ex. 2 and 11 as models.
PLAN
