The Bolshoi Theatre is one of the most iconic symbols of Russian culture. It is one of the greatest and most 13 ______ opera and ballet theatres with its own 14 ______ and unforgettable atmosphere. It is one of the 15 ______ treasures of Russia. The main building of the theater, rebuilt and renovated several times during its 16 ______, is a landmark of Moscow and Russia.

By the end of the 19th century the Bolshoi’s opera and ballet productions were influencing the performing arts in Europe. Today the Bolshoi artists successfully perform all over the 17 ______. They establish partnerships with the largest theatres in Italy, France, England and many other 18 ______. Each season the theater introduces from two to four new ballet or opera productions.

Moscow State University is the oldest university in Russia. It was founded in 1755, and it is one of the country’s most prestigious and best universities. It is the 13 ______ university in Russia with 40 faculties and many research centres. It’s a symbol of Russian 14 ______.

The new building, which is located on Vorobyovy Gory near the Moskva River was completed in 1949–1953. The university’s 15 ______ section is 36 floors and 194 metres tall. There are approximately 9 million books in the university library. It also has its own publishing 16 ______. Education at MSU is 17 ______ for many students. The only condition for this is passing entrance exams in addition to getting good results in the Uniform State Exam. The university is 18 ______ to international students too.

Kizhi is one of the first open-air museums of wooden constructions in Russia. It started functioning in 1951; since then a large number of 13 ______ buildings have appeared on the island. They were 14 ______ here from various parts of Karelia. The museum contains many unique items. Most of them are 17th–19th 15 ______ artifacts. The museum also contains exhibits of the 20th century.

The museum conducts a wide range of 16 ______ studies in history, archeology, ecology, and nature. It is 17 ______ in Kizhi and Petrozavodsk and has an advanced web portal and a web camera on the island. Kizhi museum also publishes the monthly «Kizhi newspaper». In summer, it runs week-long education 18 ______ at the school and university level.

Lake Baikal is the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake. It is surrounded by rocky mountains, the tops of which are covered with 13 ______. Its water is so 14 ______ that any object can be seen well at the depth of 40 meters. It contains more water than the Great lakes in North America. The 15 ______ of Baikal’s water is close to that of the sea. It is similar dark blue or blue green. In winter this lake is almost completely covered in ice. By the end of winter the ice is 1 metre thick. Two-thirds of its 1,700 species of plants and animals don’t 16 ______ anywhere else in the world.

The Baikal is one of the most beautiful lakes of the planet and one of the few that is still growing. Lake Baikal is a 17 ______ tourist attraction. Millions of people come to 18 ______ their vacations there.

Lena Pillars is a long chain of steep high rocks which are like columns or pillars. They are located on the 13 ______ bank of the Lena River in Russia. The river serves as a mirror for the pillars. They look twice as 14 ______ and majestic because of the reflection in the water. At sunrise the 15 ______ of the pillars is especially amazing! It wasn’t always possible to 16 ______ this beauty close. In the past the 17 ______ was thought to be sacred. Ordinary people were afraid to come there. It was believed that these rocks were frozen statues of people created by the unknown powers. So, only the elders and shamans had the right to approach these mysterious rocks.

The natural beauty of the place impresses everyone! Many people like to 18 ______ their holidays there.

If you are travelling to St. Petersburg, a visit you can’t miss is to Peterhof. Peterhof is about 30 km from St. Petersburg, and is located next to the Gulf of Finland. This small town was created by order of Peter the Great and is 13 ______ all over the world. It is popular for palaces and gardens that were the residence of the czars until the Revolution of 1917.

In 1918 the Peterhof complex was transformed into a series of 14 ______. During World War II it was occupied and destroyed by German troops. After World War II it 15 ______ its restoration, which still continues.

The gardens of Peterhof are 16 ______ with many fountains and man-made canals. The water there 17 ______ from natural springs. Samson’s fountain is one of the best known in Peterhof. Visitors always take 18 ______ of it.

From late May to early July the nights are bright in St. Petersburg. The brightest period, the White Nights, normally 13 ______ from June 11th to July 2nd. St. Petersburg is а northern city. At this time of year the sun never fully sets, it does not go below the horizon enough for the 14 ______ to grow dark. In fact night 15 ______ like day.

A walk along the banks of the city’s rivers and canals in almost broad daylight any time of day or night is very romantic. One of the traditions of the White Nights is watching the Neva bridges open to let through boat

16 ______. The White Nights season is 17 ______ with tourists. They have more hours to do sightseeing and go shopping as shops stay open late. The atmosphere on the streets of St. Petersburg is very 18 ______.

The Houses of Parliament’s clock tower is one of London’s most famous landmarks. It holds the 13 ______ for being the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell, but the name was first given to the Great Bell. Nobody really 14 ______ the origin of the name, though there are many theories about it.

The clock tower has become a 15 ______ symbol of the United Kingdom. The 16 ______ of the tower often goes with a red double-decker bus in the foreground. The clock tower 17 ______ fantastic at night when the four clock faces are illuminated. Conservation works on the tower started in 2017 and Big Ben will stay silent until 2021. It will continue to chime though for 18 ______ events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday.

Hyde Park is one of London's eight Royal Parks. Set right in the heart of London. it 13_____________an area of 350 acres. Hyde Park 14_____________both world-class events and concerts together w ith plenty of quiet places to relax and unw ind. Speaker's Comer is a 15_____________area within Hyde Park.

In 1872, an act of parliament set aside this part of Hyde Park for public speaking. It has been a 16_____________site for public speeches and debates since the mid 1800's. It has acquired an international reputation for demonstrations and other protests due to its tolerance of free speech. Even today, on a Sunday morning, it’s not unusual to 17_____________crowds gathering at Speakers’ Comer.

Anyone can turn up unannounced to 18_____________ on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful.

Four new elements were discovered and added to the periodic table. That’s a 13 ______ deal! The atoms of the elements are so 14 ______ that half a million of them could line up across a single human hair. Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Different atoms have different amounts of them which 15 ______ tell us what kind of element it is. An element can’t be broken down any further. And 16 ______ element has its own personality or characteristic. A Russian scientist named Mendeleev figured all of this out and 17 ______ the elements into a chart  — The Periodic Table of Elements. He even knew, in 1869, that there would be more elements discovered. And we’re still adding them nearly 150 years 18 ______! This is the first time in 5 years that any have been added.

A meteor about the size of two buses, and weighing approximately 50 tons, burned up over Chelyabinsk. It was caught on video and it’s incredible to watch! There was a 13 ______ fireball! It travelled 14 ______ than the speed of sound. The meteor broke up into pieces, and smaller pieces hit the ground. About a thousand people got hurt from its 15 ______  — it blasted out windows, doors, and parts of 16 ______ in general. It also set off a lot of car alarms. No crater has been found since it burned up 17 ______ in the sky. And it’s rare that it happened over land. Something like this usually 18 ______ over the oceans, since the oceans cover about 70% of the Earth. It is good, though, it didn’t hit near a big city.

Flower festivals are celebrated all over the world. One of them is the Brussels’ Flower Carpet  — a special show that 13 ______ every two years. For five short days a huge carpet of flowers (75 metres by 25 metres) is laid out on the 14 ______ square of Brussels, the Grand Place, in front of the City Hall.

15 ______ are drawn up for the Flower Carpet a year in advance. The designers 16 ______ on colours and number of flowers to be grown for the year’s festival. The Flower Carpet appears on postcards, 17 ______ and images of Brussels for years to come, but only those who visit the city in August are lucky enough to see it in person. The viewing is free, but visitors can buy 18 ______ to get a better panoramic view from the balcony of the City Hall.

The country estate «Arkhangelskoye» is a wonderful monument of Russian 13 ______ from the end of the XVIII to the beginning of the XIX century. It is famous for the magnificent 14 ______ of its garden and park ensemble and its splendid 15 ______ of paintings, drawings, sculptures and pieces of applied art and apart from it the superb store of rare books. Arkhangelskoye belonged to the prince Golitsinsky’s 16 ______ until 1809 but in 1810 it was bought by the richest Russian noble the prince Yusupov, who was a collector and patron of art. It took Yusupov 50 years to build and 17 ______ the ensemble. He invited such well-known architects as Gern, Trombaro, Pettondi, Gonzago, Bove and 18 ______. The first third of the XIX century was the period of golden age for Arkhangelskoye.

The centre of St.-Petersburg, like all cities with rich history, is best seen by walking from one 13 ______ to another. If you’re not afraid of long walking tours, you’ll love 14 ______ a way of exploring this Venice of the North in Russia. You will 15 ______ a walking tour in the very centre of St.-Petersburg for the opportunity to explore each 16 ______ place. Just in case you’re not willing to wander around St.-Petersburg, there is a good alternative to it  — an excursion tour in a private car or a mini bus or any other 17 ______. A professional driver and a guide will show you all the main tourist attractions of the city, providing you with the latest and most interesting 18 ______ about them, which can give you a chance to choose a few of them to explore more thoroughly later on.

More than 400 years ago, Galileo Galilei built a telescope. He was an Italian 13 ______. He used the telescope to study space. Since then, scientists have used telescopes to make 14 ______ discoveries. The Hubble Space Telescope was sent to 15 ______ in 1990. It has sent back more than a million 16 ______. Soon, a new telescope will take over for Hubble. It is the James Webb Space Telescope. It is also called JWST, and Webb. In 2018, a 17 ______ will take JWST into space. The new telescope will explore farther into space than Hubble. It will travel a million miles from Earth. This will give scientists a better 18 ______ of the universe. «Hubble rewrote astronomy textbooks,» Maggie Masetti told TFK. She works on the Webb project. «Webb is going to do the same thing.»

Texting while driving is illegal in 47 states of the USA. But what about texting while 13 ______? A law was recently passed in Honolulu, Hawaii. The law makes it illegal to text or look down at a device while 14 ______ the street. It is the first major U.S. city with a law like this. Some 15 ______ are in favour of the law. They say it will keep people safe. Others are 16 ______ it. Should more places adopt such a law? Sally Eun Bine Park from Paju, South Korea, says: «What’s more 17 ______, texting or safety? Looking at your phone while walking is not safe. You might not see a car coming. We call people who look at their 18 ______ while walking «smartphone zombies.» This law will help keep people alive! And we will see fewer zombies on the street».

The Story of Ferdinand is a popular kids’ book. It was published more than 80 years ago. Now it is also an animated 13 ______. Ferdinand hit the big screen on December 15. The movie is part comedy, part drama. It tells the story of a kind and gentle Spanish bull. His 14 ______ is Ferdinand. Because of his size, people think Ferdinand is a beast. So he is taken from his 15 ______ and made to fight. Then the bull plots a 16 ______ to his home. Ferdinand is voiced by John Cena. He is an actor and a professional wrestler. «A lot of people think I want to cause 17 ______,» Cena told TFK Kid Reporter Gabrielle Hurd. Above all, the movie delivers an important message. «Never be 18 ______ to be who you are,» Cena says. «That’s what makes you special.»

How do you measure happiness? Perhaps health is the best way because a famous doctor once said. "Happy people generally don't get sick." It’s aLso 13_____________to measure how many people feel ill or unhealthy in a country. For example, one survey says Iceland is the "healthiest country in the world" because men and women live a long time there, the air is very 14_____________ and there are more doctors available per person than anywhere 15_____________ in the world.

However, there was another survey of the happiest countries in the world and Iceland was not 16_____________ the top. The questions on this survey 17____________: How much do you earn? How healthy are you? How safe do you feel? After visiting 155 different countries, the researchers 18___________that Denmark feels happier than other countries.

Alex Ovechkin is one of the top ice hockey players in the world. Some of the most 13________ goals in hockey history have been scored by Ovechkin.

Alex was born in Moscow in 1985. He 14________ up in Russia in an athletic family. His dad was a professional soccer player and his mom was an Olympic Gold Medallist in basketball. At a young age Alex chose hockey as his sport. He loved playing and watching it on TV. He was working 15__________ to achieve success. Alex 16_________ up early in the morning to have a training before school. He soon became a star in the Moscow youth hockey Dynamo league. Alex was 17____________ to become the youngest ever member of Russia’s national team. Overall, Ovechkin has represented Russia at eleven World Championships and three Olympics in his career, 18_________ the World Championship three times.

Five hundred years ago, Europeans arrived at a new continent. They 13_______ new cultures and languages to America. However, there were 14_______ people living there who had their own cultures and languages. And so terrible part of history began.

As more Europeans arrived, there was a fight for the land with the native American Indians. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Indian tribes were 15_______ to reservations. By the end of the twentieth century more than half of the Native Americans in the US 16_______ in cities. They gave up speaking their old tribal language and only used English. As a result, many Native American languages 17_______ and with them their culture.

Some American Indian languages are 18______ used today but they are usually spoken by the older members of the tribes who still live on the reservations.

What do you think of English food? I am always both amused and 13_____________ when I hear foreign people criticize English food. "It’s unimaginative," they say. "It’s 14_____________ , it's tasteless, it’s fish and chips with everything and totally overcooked vegetables."

When I ask these visitors where they have 15_____________ English cooking, I am surprised by their reply. "In Wimpy Bars and MacDonald’s Hamburger restaurants," they often say. Their conclusions are inexcusable.

My theory is this. Our basic ingredients, when fresh, are so full of flavour that we haven't had to 16_____________ sauces and complex recipes to disguise their natural taste. What can 17_____________ with fresh peas or new potatoes just boiled and served with butter? Why drown spring lamb in wine or cream or yoghurt and spices, when with just one or two herbs it is absolutely 18_____________ ? We complain about our wet and changeable weather, but it is the rain which gives us our rich soil and green grass.

Marco Polo is one of the greatest explorers in the world ever. He travelled to China and the Far East from Europe. Marco had to travel across the great Gobi Desert to get to China. lt 13_____________ him months only to cross the desert. When he came to China three years later, Marco was 14_____________ by the wealth and luxury. The capital city was large, but well-organized and clean. Wide roads and huge engineering projects like the Grand Canal were astonishing. It was much better than anything he had ever seen or 15_____________. Everything from the food to the animals, like orangutans and rhinos, was new and 16_____________. After travelling around China for several years, Marco 17_____________ to go back to Venice. He left home in 1271 and finally returned in 1295. Thus, Marco Polo 18_____________ 24 years on his adventure to China.

Do you like tea? Strictly speaking, tea is not a 13_____________ at all, but a suitable occasion for social intercourse, when people often come in for a chat over their cup of tea.

There are two kinds of tea, "afternoon tea" and "high tea". "Afternoon tea" takes 14_____________ between 3.30 and 4.30 and consists of tea, bread, butter and jam. cakes and biscuits. "High tea", howev er, is more substantial. It is 15_____________ between 5.30 and 6.30 by families which do not usually have a late 16_____________. In a well-to-do family it will 17_____________ ham or tongue and tomatoes and salad, or tinned salmon, with strong tea, bread and butter. These are 18_____________ by stewed fruit, or tinned pears, apricots or pineapple with cream or custard and cake.

Vincent van Gogh is considered one of the greatest and most influential artists of his time. He 13_____________drawing from the time he was a young boy. However, Vincent had a 14____________ of other jobs before he started to work as an artist full time. He worked as a teacher in London and then as a minister, and as a missionary. He used to sell books as 15____________ as works of art. At around the age of 27, van Gogh made a 16____________ to devote himself completely to art.

When Vincent first started drawing he was 17____________ in drawing poor hardworking people. In this early part of his career, van Gogh used a lot of dark colours such as browns and dark greens. His pictures were often sad. His most famous early painting was 18____________ The Potato Eaters. It was a dark picture of farmers' family eating potatoes for dinner.

Stevie Wonder achieved early success as a hit-making musician. He is 13_____________for his unusual style. When Wonder was four, he 14_____________singing in the church choir and banging out rhythms on his mom's pots and pans. A family friend gave Wonder a harmonica, which he played day and night. Everybody knew that little Wonder was really 15_____________in music. Then a neighbour let him play their piano.The boy came to the neighbour every day and 16_____________ a lot of time playing the piano.

When he was 9, self-taught Wonder would make music shows for the neighbours. It was 17_____________ to see how he switched from instrument to instrument and played with great enthusiasm and style. At just 11, Wonder released his first album. He 18_____________ remains the youngest solo singer to get to the top of the pop charts.

FEDOR is a Russian super robot. It can perform many different functions, such as driving a car or 13 ______ physical exercises. FEDOR can also do household tasks like open doors, insert a key into a lock and lift 14 ______ weights. The robot can work independently, respond to voice, and it can be 15 ______ from different places. FEDOR will be good at 16 ______ decisions.

FEDOR will also fly into space by 2022. Russian engineers do not say what the robot will do in space. Perhaps, it will work outside the aircraft to take on tasks too 17 ______ for astronauts. Theoretically, robots like FEDOR could be used in 18 ______ towns on Mars and other planets. Russian scientists hope that FEDOR can be brought into space with a human crew in 2019.

Perhaps the British are too good to their pets, but more interesting is a recent theory amongst psychologists that pets are very good for us.

The basic meaning of 'pet' is an animal we keep for 13 ______ rather than economic reasons. A pet animal is kept as a companion, and we all need companions to keep us feeling happy. But pets 14 ______ us more than mere companionship, they 15 ______ us to love and be loved. Many owners feel their pets understand them, for animals are quick to sense anger and sorrow. Often a cat or dog can comfort us at times when human words don't help. We feel loved, too, by the way pets 16 ______ on us for a home, for food and drink. Dogs especially look up to their owners, which makes them feel 17 ______ and needed. A pet can be something 18 ______ to each member of the family, but for all of us pets provide pleasure and companionship.

When Los Angeles-based trainer Mike Evans talks about Maxwell "Bunchie" Young, it can seem like he's describing some 13 ______ college football recruits. "Bunchie is a kid that comes around once every 10 years," Evans said. Maxwell "Bunchie" Young, 10, is a 14 ______ and track star. He lives in Los Angeles, California. He has been named the 2017 SportsKid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids 15 ______. He is known for his speed. Bunchie has a positive attitude. That has helped him 16 ______. He bounces back quickly from criticism. "I don't worry about that," he told Sports Illustrated Kids. "I just go out and have a 17 ______ game the next time." Bunchie is a natural leader, even off the field. He has a spot on his school's 18 ______ council. And he spends much of his free time volunteering for charities.